SES CEO Collar announces resignation
Details
Editor
| 13 June 2023
Just weeks after the leading satellite operator posted solid Q1 2023 results showing particular growth with its O3b mPOWER and US C-band lines, SES has announced that chief executive officer (CEO) Steve Collar will step down at the end of June 2023.
SES 25 Feb 2021
Collar had worked at SES for over 20 years and SES noted that he is leaving to “pursue other professional and personal endeavours.” Commenting on his departure, he said: “It has been the greatest honour of my life to lead the incredible people at SES. SES has been the benchmark in the industry for decades and I leave the company as its leader and go back to being a huge supporter, admirer and fan and will be cheering Ruy and the management team on from the side-lines. With O3b mPOWER launching, the company performing well and C-band all but delivered, the future is bright.”

Like virtually all of the traditional satellite players, the last five years or so has seen SES grow strongly in mobility and general connectivity but with secular decline in video revenues. That said, the 29th version of the company’s annual Satellite Monitor market research programme posted in May 2023 found that the satellite operator now delivers more than 8,000 channels to a total of 369 million TV homes worldwide, an increase of three million over the previous year.

Assessing his contribution to the company, the SES board said Collar had as in successfully steered the business, leaving it in a strong position for the future with a differentiated multi-orbit capability, a “world-class” set of customer solutions, a simplified and market-centric organisation, and a strong balance sheet set to be further strengthened from the execution of C-band clearing. Current chief technology officer Ruy Pinto will assume the role of CEO until a permanent successor is announced.

“The current market environment is rapidly changing, and I welcome Ruy Pinto, who leads over half of the SES workforce today and has substantial industry experience, as we address the challenges and capture further opportunities in the market,” remarked SES board of directors chairman Frank Esser. “The board has full confidence in Ruy and our management’s engagement on continued strong execution as we embark on a new phase of success for SES.”

SES is currently engaging in discussions regarding a possible combination with fellow operator Intelsat.