Herndon, Va., November 18, 2019 – ST Engineering iDirect has named Thomas Van den Driessche and Frederik Simoens to pivotal executive leadership roles following ST Engineering’s successful acquisition of Newtec Group NV.
Thomas Van den Driessche has been appointed the President of the Executive Strategic Board and Chief Commercial Officer. Building on his wealth of management experience, most recently as Newtec’s Chief Executive Officer, Thomas will lead the newly-formed Strategy Group which comprises product lifecycle management (PLM), vertical market development, marketing and strategic business development. In this role he will spearhead the company’s efforts to establish a new standard in ground infrastructure to propel further transformation and market opportunity across the satellite communications (satcom) industry. As CCO Thomas will steer the global sales organization to better serve customer needs as the industry evolves.
Frederik Simoens has been appointed to the role of Chief Technology Officer. He will draw upon his history of innovation, which will be invaluable to ST Engineering iDirect as it further harnesses its pioneering role in leading the satellite industry forward. Frederik has served as Newtec’s CTO since 2015 and brings with him invaluable expertise in satcom, standardization, physical layer technologies, networking and network virtualization.
The appointment of these two industry leaders will add a greater depth of knowledge and experience to the ST Engineering iDirect management team. Both Thomas’ and Frederik’s success in spearheading one of the fastest-growing players in the industry will ensure that the company is further strengthened to meet demand across the full spectrum of the evolving satellite communications market.
“We are in the midst of a pivotal time in the satellite communications industry, and the combination of Newtec and ST Engineering iDirect has created a company with unparalleled expertise at the forefront to the industry transformation,” said Kevin Steen, President and CEO, ST Engineering iDirect. “With Frederik and Thomas’ vast experience and dedication to the industry, we are well positioned to grow our market position, expand our customers’ opportunities and lead the broader ecosystem into a new era of innovation.”
For more information about the iDirect portfolio please visit: www.iDirect.net
For more information about the Newtec portfolio please visit: www.newtec.eu
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ST Engineering North America is the U.S. headquarters of ST Engineering, a global technology, defense and engineering group specializing in the aerospace, electronics, land systems, and marine sectors. Based in Alexandria, VA, it has major operations across 17 cities in 13 states and employs about 5,000 people providing innovative products and solutions to commercial and government customers across diverse market segments.
ST Engineering iDirect, a subsidiary of ST Engineering North America, is a global leader in satellite communications providing technology and solutions that enable its customers worldwide to optimize their networks, differentiate their services and profitably expand their businesses. With the recent acquisition of the satcoms pioneer, Newtec, the combined business brings together over 35 years of innovation and leadership focused on solving the economic and technology challenges across the satellite industry. Its product portfolio, branded under the names iDirect and Newtec, represents the standard in performance, efficiency and reliability, making it possible for customers to deliver the best connectivity experience anywhere in the world. ST Engineering iDirect is the world’s largest TDMA enterprise VSAT manufacturer and is the leader in key industries including broadcast, mobility and military/government. In 2007, iDirect Government was formed to better serve the U.S. government and defense communities. For more information on the iDirect product line please visit www.iDirect.net. For the Newtec product line please visit www.newtec.eu.
Media contacts:
Julie Bettinger
Vice President, Corporate Marketing
ST Engineering iDirect
Phone: (1) 703 648 8155
Email: jbettinger@idirect.net
Guy Shield
Manager, Corporate Communications
ST Engineering North America
Phone: (1) 703 739 2610
Email: gshield@vt-systems.com