Gogo hires Russell as senior vice president
PRNewswire
Itasca-based Gogo, a leader of in-flight connectivity and a pioneer of wireless in-flight digital entertainment solutions, said David Russell will join the company as senior vice president and general manager of Europe and the Middle East for commercial aviation.
Russell brings more than 20 years of management experience at leading aviation IT services and telecommunications companies and most recently served as vice president of strategic programs for SITA Group in London. Prior to that, he served as COO of OnAir.
Russell is charged with growing and managing Gogo’s international business as the company begins to distribute Inmarsat’s Global Xpress satellite connectivity service and expand Gogo’s wireless in-flight entertainment solution globally. The company expects to begin in-flight testing of the Global Xpress aeronautical services after the launch of the first Inmarsat-5 satellite, which is scheduled for mid-2013.
“David has a proven track record of leadership in our space and we’re excited about having him join our team and lead our efforts in Europe and the Middle East,” said Michael Small, Gogo’s president and CEO. “We’ve had many conversations with international air carriers for both our in-flight entertainment solution and connectivity solutions. Now that we’ve announced our partnership with Inmarsat to distribute what we believe is the first global Ka-band connectivity solution for the aero market, we’re excited to be able to leverage David’s expertise to expand those services to the global market.”
In addition to Russell, Niels Steenstrup will become vice president of international operations. Niels has extensive global product, marketing and sales experience in the aviation industry including his experience at Connexion by Boeing where he led marketing and sales activities for Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.
“Niels has been at the forefront of in-flight connectivity through his experience at Connexion by Boeing and he’s played an instrumental role in getting Gogo’s services up and running,” Small said. “His ties to the international in-flight connectivity and entertainment community make him a perfect fit to join our leadership team overseas.”
Gogo’s international operations will be based in London. Aircell currently has an existing global sales, support and marketing infrastructure in the business aviation market, all of that will remain in place.