(17 January 2007 10:25 pm)

MUMBAI: Intelsat has announced that Intelsat Ltd., Board of Directors chairman (retired) Conny Kullman, is a 2007 inductee to the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) Satellite Hall of Fame.

SSPI will induct its new Hall of Fame members at an invitational ceremony on 20 February, immediately before the start of the annual SSPI Gala, held on the opening day of the Satellite 2007 Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., informs an official release.

"Conny led Intelsat through its privatization and began the challenging task of transforming the company from an intergovernmental organization to a commercial company, positioning Intelsat to become the leading global satellite operator," said Intelsat CEO Dave McGlade. "His many achievements throughout his career shaped Intelsat and the industry."

The release adds that Kullman led Intelsat and its global employee base through its privatization, and its metamorphosis into a highly competitive operator. In addition, he was a driving force behind commercial, operational and engineering changes during his tenure as Intelsat's chief executive officer from 1998-2005. Under his leadership, Kullman implemented a terrestrial strategy resulting in the development of Intelsat's GlobalConnex portfolio suite of services, which now represents approximately $130 million in annual revenues.

In addition, Kullman led a $2.5 billion, three year fleet replenishment campaign that increased available capacity in growth markets. In 2003, Kullman was at the helm when Intelsat announced its acquisition of the North American satellites of Loral Space and Communications, providing Intelsat with access to the North American market and completing Intelsat's global system.

In 2004, Kullman recognized the opportunity to achieve the goals of the Orbit Act while at the same time obtaining premium shareholder returns, by conducting an LBO process which resulted in the acquisition of Intelsat by a consortium of private equity firms at a competitive price. Kullman capped his career in 2005 as chairman of Intelsat, playing a critical role in the completion of Intelsat's acquisition of PanAmSat.