Dr. Angel Smith is a seasoned executive in the space and intelligence sector. She is the Executive Director of the SmallSat Alliance and currently serves as General Manager, Strategic Global Enablement at Microsoft.

Commander Matthew Mitchell, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Retired, has more than 24 years of military and law enforcement experience, including a 20-year career in the USCG where he specialized in Search and Rescue (SAR) coordination.

As an officer in the USCG, Matthew was charged with managing four U.S. Rescue Coordination Centers (RCCs) and Rescue Sub-Centers (RSCs), developing national-level SAR policies and procedures, and overseeing a team of scientists and operations experts in developing the world's premier search planning software. Matthew has traveled extensively, training dozens of partner nation's maritime services, and has had the honor of leading teams through thousands of natural disasters, mass rescue operations, and SAR responses. His extensive career saw operations throughout the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii.

Matthew is a twice published author and has led or participated in many novel initiatives to improve the global SAR system to include the study of cognitive biases on SAR decision making, the development of a national continuous improvement program, and the mitigation of psychological impacts from SAR operations on responders.

George Giagtzoglou is the Vice President of Strategy & Marketing at Omnispace, responsible for overseeing corporate strategy and marketing, as well as supporting strategic partner development & financing initiatives for the company that is redefining mobile communications.
George brings more than 35 years of diverse technical and business experience to Omnispace, leading initiatives that have shaped the commercial satellite industry, and represent more than $28Bn in corporate development deals. Prior to Omnispace, George was the President of Alazo Consulting. In this role he delivered expert satellite industry insights to support strategic investments and acquisitions.
Previously, George was the head of Corporate Development at ABS Global with responsibilities including corporate development, corporate & regional strategy, business planning, market intelligence, satellite business case development, and financing.
Prior to ABS he was with Intelsat for 11 years as the head of Corporate Strategy & Planning and also led Corporate Development, Global Marketing, Product Strategy & Development, and Business Development. Mr. Giagtzoglou was instrumental in various company sale processes in 2005 and 2008, and the acquisition of PanAmSat in 2006. He played a key role in developing and commercializing the company's capabilities, primarily in the area of broadband services.
Prior to joining Intelsat in 2000, Mr. Giagtzoglou's career in the space and telecommunications industry included engagement leadership positions in the telecommunications practice of A.T. Kearney Management Consultants, and senior engineering and business management positions at Telstra (Australia).
Mr. Giagtzoglou has a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania), in addition to a Bachelor of Engineering (Honors) in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from the University of Adelaide in South Australia.

Optical Scientist and Mechanical Engineer with focus on radio antenna design and fabrication. PhD in Optical Science from UArizona in 2019.

Josephine brings more than a decade of experience in investment/equity research following the aerospace industry. Her research coverage has included a wide range of small-to-mid cap Defence and Security Technology companies, such as space (DigitalGlobe and GeoEye), drones (AeroVironment) robots (iRobot), and threat detection. She worked most recently at the Benchmark Company, where she established a Washington D.C. office prior to relocating to Paris, France. She began her equity research career covering Global Communications at JP Morgan. Josephine received her MBA from Georgetown University and bachelor's degree from the University of California, Riverside.

Sho Nakanose is the Founder and CEO of GITAI, the world's leading space robotics startup. He aims to provide safe and affordable labor in space, reducing operational costs to one-hundredth of the current levels.

In March 2024, GITAI achieved a groundbreaking milestone by successfully conducting a technical demonstration outside the International Space Station (ISS), showcasing advanced robotic technologies that promise to change the dynamics of space operations. The company's innovative work has attracted contracts from DARPA, major US space companies, TOYOTA, the Japanese government, JAXA, and others. These partnerships focus on developing and integrating GITAI's robotic systems into various space programs.

Nakanose has been named a key person to watch in the space sector in 2024 by AviationWeek and was selected as one of the awardees by "Innovators Under 35 Japan 2020" hosted by MIT Technology Review. He is proud to be the first Japanese selected for the main program (Global Solutions Program) of Singularity University at NASA Ames Research Center in the US. Prior to founding GITAI, he worked for IBM Japan.

Joe Chan is Director of Flight Dynamics at Intelsat and Chairman of the Space Data Association. At Intelsat, he oversees the FDS operation and engineering of more than 70 geostationary satellites that Intelsat currently operates. He has been with Intelsat for 24 years. Prior to joining Intelsat he worked at Goddard Space Flight center on the TOPEX/POSEIDON and Mars Observer projects.

Dr. Nicolas Capet, a visionary French engineer with expertise in electromagnetism and microwaves, has become a leader in space antenna technology. As President of Anywaves, he has driven the company to the forefront of the space industry, significantly contributing to the French and European new space boom.
Nicolas's journey began with his education at ENAC, Toulouse University; France, and Onera, where he earned a Ph.D. in engineering. He started his career at the French Space Agency (CNES) as an antenna engineer, leading innovation in antenna technology and overseeing advanced antenna studies for future missions.
Throughout his career, Dr. Capet has made substantial contributions to the space field, authoring over 65 scientific publications and holding 25 patents. His passion for advancing technology and knowledge is evident in his work.
In 2017, Nicolas founded Anywaves, dedicated to developing innovative space antennas. Under his leadership, Anywaves has grown to become the sole pure European space antenna equipment manufacturer, aspiring to lead the global market.
Beyond Anywaves, Nicolas actively supports the French and European space industry and serves as Vice President of the YEESS, the Young European Enterprises Syndicate for Space, promoting new space dynamics in Europe.

With a strong focus on customer experience and building value for partners, Adam leads Telstra International's satellite team within the wholesale business working with global satellite customers such as SpaceX, Amazon Kuiper, OneWeb, SES, and Inmarsat with major deployments in Asia Pacific.

Prior to this role, Adam was Head of EMEA Wholesale, responsible for developing and driving the business strategy, as well as wholesale, satellite, and OTT customer relationships.

Based in London, Adam has over 25 years' experience in the telecoms industry, having held a number of roles at Verizon, AAPT and Pacnet prior to joining Telstra. He is a dual national of the United Kingdom and Australia, where he spent a decade building his career. Outside of work, Adam is a father of four, as well as a keen footballer and coach.

Reuben Oshomah currently serves as the Regional Director for West Africa at Avanti Satellite Communications, where he drives Avanti's business vision and strategy across the region. With over 15 years of experience in the satellite and telecommunications industry across Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe, Reuben has a distinguished track record of delivering impactful projects and fostering innovation.

In his role at Avanti Satellite, Reuben has spearheaded efforts to bring reliable internet connectivity to some of the most remote and underserved regions. His leadership has been instrumental in connecting 5 million people in over 1,000 communities, resulting in significant social and economic growth in these communities. His expertise in managing large-scale projects and his commitment to digital inclusion have made him a key figure in the satellite industry.

Prior to joining Avanti, Reuben led the Consulting Services Business for Microsoft, championing digital transformation initiatives across various sectors, including finance, government, oil and gas, telecommunications, and manufacturing in Nigeria. His work at Microsoft was marked by a successful track record of helping organizations navigate the complexities of digital transformation.
Reuben's commitment to inclusivity is evident from his tenure at Ericsson, where he led the Mobile Financial Services program. This initiative provided crucial financial services to unbanked communities across multiple countries in West and Central Africa, significantly enhancing financial inclusion and economic participation.

Reuben holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Benin and a Master of Engineering Project Management from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom

Dr Xavier Bertrán was appointed as Chief Product & Innovation Officer in April 2024 to oversee the innovation, development and delivery of SES's products and systems.
In 2022, Xavier joined SES as Senior Vice President to lead European Programmes that included strategic projects with the European Commission, European Space Agency, and other New Space initiatives. His extensive experience in the sector includes 20 years at Airbus where he held several executive positions in Upgrade Services, Diversification Programmes, Airbus ATR SAS and was also the Deputy Director for the Galileo PPP programme.
Xavier also served as a Member of the Board of Directors of several companies including Airbus Interior Services S.A.S, ATR GIE, KID Systeme GmbH and Skytra Ltd.
Xavier earned a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Technology (RWTH) in Aachen and a Global Executive MBA from the IESE Business School in Barcelona.
Xavier is a British, German and Spanish citizen.

Robert R. Cleave has over 37 years' experience in the space industry as an engineer, program manager and executive leader with profit & loss responsibilities. He has worked nearly every mission area, from rovers on Mars to remote sensing and communication satellites. Robert has also worked every segment of the value chain, spanning spacecraft and payloads, launch vehicles and ground systems. He managed over $2B in business at Lockheed Martin, was President and Chairman of Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services business unit, and successfully delivered secure networking solutions to the US Government, and the Governments of Spain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He managed investment portfolios and led multiple strategic investments into several emerging companies in the space ecosystem.

I am a Partner at Wiley Rein--a Washington D.C. based firm with an elite telecommunications, media, and technology practice that has been repeatedly recognized for its depth of experience and knowledge in space and satellite industries. In my practice, I help clients avoid, navigate and resolve complex, cross-border disputes, primarily involving investments in emerging markets, satellite and space issues, or renewable energies. My experience in earth-bound emerging markets (for example, in countries where the rule of law remains elusive) gives me unique insights in how to establish an efficient and sensible legal framework to govern corporate ventures in space, how entities and individuals can protect their investments and assets, and how to deal with disputes as they arise. I have a JD and LLM in international and comparative law from Duke University School of Law, where I graduated with high honors and a BA from Northwestern University.

Welcome to AstroBen, where the cosmos comes alive through the passionate narration of Ben Gamble. Whether you're deeply rooted in the space industry or nurturing childhood dreams of interstellar exploration, AstroBen stands as your weekly gateway to the vast universe. Ben's cosmic journey, fuelled by the dream of launching his own space enterprise, unfolds each week, fostering connections across ages and inspiring a collective engagement with the wonders of space exploration. From delving into the future of the space economy to unravelling UFO mysteries, AstroBen, one of the top space podcasts to emerge from the UK, invites you to join the exploration of the cosmos.

Natalia Larrea is the U.S. Director at Novaspace. Previously, she served as Principal Advisor at Novaspace in Canada. Since joining the firm, Natalia has advised numerous government and private stakeholders worldwide in the space sector. Her expertise spans strategic planning, the development of national space policies and programs, international and public-private partnerships, investment strategies, as well as technology and global space market assessments.

Before joining Novaspace, Natalia worked as a Systems Engineer at MDA, a Research Associate at NASA Ames, and a trainee at the European Space Agency (ESA). She holds a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from McGill University (Canada), a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio (Spain), and a Diploma in Astronomy and Planetary Science from the Open University (UK). Natalia is also a graduate and faculty member at the International Space University (ISU).

Natalia has received prestigious global awards for her leadership and contributions to the space sector. She is a frequent speaker and moderator at leading space industry conferences worldwide.

As the CEO and founder of Aerospacelab, Benoit Deper has led the emerging satellite manufacturer for 6 years. With Benoit's leadership, the start-up has achieved 8 satellites in orbit, 60 million euros in funding and is growing on a global scale. Benoit brings engineering expertise to entrepreneurship, with experience working both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) programs.

After graduating from UCLouvain with a degree in mechatronics, robotics and automation engineering, Benoit first joined NASA Ames Research Center, and later ESA as a systems engineer. He transitioned to industry with Swiss Space Systems (S3) for three years as their CTO, where we oversaw research and development and engineering.

Dr. Vigeant-Langlois is Managing Director at AE Industrial with a primary focus on new business development and portfolio management across AE Industrial's funds in private equity, venture capital, and aircraft leasing, where she serves on the Investment Committee of AE Ventures, and on AEI's Origination Guidance and Sustainability Committees. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of AEI portfolio companies: Alpine Air, Applied Composites, Columbia Helicopters, Edge Autonomy and G.S. Precision, and on the Boards of Directors of AE Ventures portfolio companies: Eos Aircraft, FLYR, Gamma Alloys, Near Earth Autonomy and Revolution Space. In addition, she also serves as a Senior Commercialization Advisor with DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the US Department of Defense focused on breakthrough technologies for national and economic security.

Prior to joining AE Industrial, Dr. Vigeant-Langlois worked for GE Aerospace as Chief Executive Officer of the GE Passport joint venture with Safran and IHI, and as program management executive responsible for the Passport, CF34-3 and CF34-8C engines on Bombardier and Mitsubishi's aircraft. Previously at GE, Dr. Vigeant-Langlois played a key role on the founding team that launched and grew GE Additive as a leading force in industrial 3D printing, and led the strategy and global field marketing teams supporting the sale of GE Aviation's engines, systems and services across commercial, business and military aviation.

Before GE, Dr. Vigeant-Langlois led commercial, product and engineering teams in aerospace and high-tech industries. At Sikorsky Aircraft (Lockheed Martin), she launched new engineering innovation, ran defense offset programs and led the Operations Analysis and contract R&D teams. At aircraft lessor CIT (Avolon), she gained increasing responsibilities in acquiring $9B of aircraft and engines. At The Weather Company, she led the democratization of cockpit weather information and the launch of SiriusXM Aviation Weather. She also previously transported air freight flying Learjets across North America.

She received SM and PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University, is a graduate of the International Space University space studies program, UTC's Darden executive program, several GE Crotonville programs, the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and completed the CFA Level 1. She is a certified FAA commercial pilot with Learjet privileges and a flight instructor in gliders. She also serves as Board Advisor to health tech company Triangulate Labs, and is a member of The Wings Club and PEWIN.

George Gilder is an American investor, author, economist, and co-founder of the Discovery Institute. His 1981 book, Wealth and Poverty, advanced a case for supply-side economics and capitalism during the early months of the Reagan administration. He is the chairman of George Gilder Fund Management, LLC.

David Hartshorn has more than 35 years of experience in the satellite communications industry. He most recently served as CEO of Geeks Without Frontiers, a non-profit technology-neutral organization that applies financially sustainable innovation to solve connectivity challenges worldwide.

Dr. Sethu Saveda Suvanam is the founder and CEO of ReOrbit, a Finland-based company with the mission of building the next generation of LEO and GEO software-enabled satellites. Educated in India and Sweden, Sethu Saveda Suvanam is an aerospace engineer. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.
In November 2019, he founded ReOrbit with the aim of changing the way satellites are designed and used. ReOrbit develops satellites, going software-first and treating hardware as a commodity, thus making them reconfigurable, scalable for different missions, and equipped with optical communications capabilities.

Yudhajeet Dasgupta is the Head of Solutions Architecture at the Aerospace & Satellite division of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Over the past six years at AWS, he has led technical teams that deliver advanced technologies and solutions to government and commercial aerospace customers worldwide. With a Master's degree in Machine Learning from the University of Michigan, Yudhajeet helps organizations adopt Generative AI to accelerate space missions while navigating the unique challenges of the aerospace sector.

Peter Wilczynski joined Maxar Intelligence as the Chief Product Officer in June 2024. He is a proven technical product management leader who has led the development of first-of-a-kind products and geospatial solutions for highly complex and demanding customer environments, including the U.S. defense and intelligence community.

Prior to joining Maxar Intelligence, Peter spent twelve years at Palantir Technologies, most recently overseeing the development of the company's flagship Ontology System, a comprehensive decision-centric enterprise modeling platform designed to deploy AI directly into real-time operations. Prior to that, Peter led the revitalization of Palantir's Gotham platform, expanding the platform from a pure-play intelligence analysis solution into a comprehensive defense and intelligence product.

Early in his career, Peter led the initial prototyping and development efforts for Gaia, a next-generation collaborative GIS platform which ultimately became the cornerstone of Palantir's U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) product portfolio.

Peter earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University, has published research focusing on concept-centric product development and holds more than 25 patents.

Christian Patouraux is the CEO at Kacific Broadband Satellites Group.

Christian has 28 years of experience in the satellite industry where he previously held senior positions in Engineering and Business Development.

In 2013, Christian founded Kacific, a new generation broadband satellite operator bringing affordable, high speed and highly accessible internet to Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Christian holds a Master's in Electromechanical Engineering from the University of Brussels, Belgium, a Master's in Fluid Dynamics from the Von Karman Institute, Belgium and an MBA from Insead Business School.