Chief Executive Officers of Europe's satellite operators met earlier this month in Brussels for the Annual General Meeting of ESOA, the European Satellite Operator's Association. The Board elected Romain Bausch, CEO of SES as Chairman of the Board.

Romain Bausch, a satellite industry veteran, joined SES in 1995 as CEO and has been President and CEO since 2001. He also serves as Chairman of the SES Executive Committee, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SES ASTRA and SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES, the two major divisions of SES, as well as Chairman of the Board of SES SIRIUS.

At its inception in 2002, Romain Bausch also served as ESOA's first Chairman of the Board. He succeeds Giuliano Berretta, CEO of Eutelsat Communications. Christodoulos Protopapas, CEO of HellasSat was elected Vice-Chairman of the Board.

Commenting on his election, Romain Bausch said "The satellite sector continues to face significant challenges, but we believe that our technology and services play a vital role in contributing to important policy and commercial objectives within Europe and beyond. As its new Chairman, I look forward to moving ESOA forward in a dynamic way, and increasing awareness of how much satellite communications can achieve."

Aarti Holla-Maini, Secretary General of ESOA added: "This last year marks a breakthrough for ESOA members, most particularly on the broadband front with clear recognition by the European Commission that satellite is a mature and valuable technology that contributes to reducing the European digital divide. We also welcomed the European Council decision that made clear that satellite ground equipment is eligible for funding under the EU Recovery Package. This will enable consumers, small businesses, farmers and public agencies regions to access funds to pay for immediate broadband connectivity via satellite. This significant progress for satellite on Europe's broadband map has been achieved with our Chairman Giuliano Berretta driving a strong focus on our common objectives and motivating exceptional mobilisation of all ESOA members."

Under Romain Bausch's leadership, ESOA will be able to continue along this path of identifying important issues relevant to EU policy objectives, bringing them to the attention of policy-makers, and safeguarding the regulatory environment needed to deliver them.