Intelsat, operator of one of the largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks and leading provider of inflight connectivity (IFC), announced the appointment of Gaurav Kharod as the regional vice president for its Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Kharod comes from Intelsat’s India office, where he served as the managing sales director of South Asia and India.
What does the appointment mean for Intelsat?
As Regional Vice President, Kharod will assume the responsibilities from Terry Bleakley, who previously led the APAC team. Bleakley will transition on April 1 to a part-time senior advisory role at Intelsat and will continue to support key growth opportunities in the region.
“Intelsat is on an ambitious growth trajectory, and Gaurav brings with him the expertise that will help us achieve these goals. I look forward to achieving many milestones under Gaurav’s leadership in the region,” said SVP, Global Sales, Network and Media, Jean-Philippe Gillet.
What is Gaurav Kharod’s expertise?
In Kharod’s last role, he led the Media business sales team, driving the company’s strategy in the region. He also implemented a successful entry strategy for Intelsat’s high throughput satellite (HTS) IS-33e in the Indian market. This created a roadmap for the growth of all the different business verticals of Intelsat, including Media, Networks, FlexMaritime, and Commercial Aviation, to be fully represented in the Indian and South Asia markets.
Prior, he held leadership roles at Hughes India and Viasat Inc. in the satellite domain, along with a stint at Conax AS in the media industry. He brings expertise across sales, product management, business development, regulatory and policy affairs. Kharod holds an MBA and a bachelor’s in electronics engineering as part of his college education in Gujarat, India.