David Broadbent appointed CEO of Europe's SES Space & Defense

(Reuters) -Luxembourg-based European satellite company SES announced on Tuesday the appointment of David Broadbent as president and CEO of its Space & Defense Organization.

He previously held a similar position at Intelsat, which SES acquired on July 17.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Broadbent will lead the merged government and defence divisions of SES and Intelsat, which collectively operate over 100 satellites across geostationnary, medium earth and low earth orbits, positioning SES as a key European competitor to U.S.-based Starlink alongside French peer Eutelsat.

KEY QUOTE

"Our focus moving forward is to harness the combined strengths of our people, capabilities, and technology to deliver mission-driven outcomes for our government mission partners," Broadbent said in a statement.

"As a unified team, we are uniquely positioned to provide a secure and resilient multi-orbit strategy that advance national security objectives, protect sovereignty, and ensure uninterrupted access to critical communication infrastructure," he added.

BY THE NUMBERS

SES expects to generate 1.8 billion euros ($2.1 billion) in annual operating profit, and to increase revenues by a low to mid-single digit percentage per year to 2028.

"This stronger financial profile is supported by a combined contract backlog exceeding 8 billion euros, providing clear visibility into future revenue streams," it said in a statement announcing the merger.

KEY CONTEXT

The announcement comes as European nations accelerate efforts to bolster independence in defence and satellite technology amid geopolitical tensions with Russia and evolving U.S. foreign policy priorities. Eutelsat recently received a 750 million euros capital infusion from the French government in June, followed by a 163 million euros boost from Britain.

($1 = 0.8549 euros)

(Reporting by Leo Marchandon. Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Mark Potter)