Inmarsat announces Philippe Carette as President of its Aviation business unit

Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has today announced that Philippe Carette will be joining the company as President of its Aviation Business Unit on 22 November 2021.

Philippe joins Inmarsat from Thales, where he held several roles since joining the company in 2013.  This includes the position of CEO of Thales’ InFlyt Experience Business Line (IFE), where he led a digital transformation of the business, leveraging cloud based disruptive applications and achieving a significant increase in customer satisfaction.  Philippe has over 30 years’ experience in the technology & aerospace industries, which in addition to his tenure at Thales includes 14 years with the Safran Group, a major French aerospace engineering company.

Philip Balaam, currently business unit President for aviation, is moving into a new strategy role at Inmarsat, where he will be working with Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Fredrik Gustavsson to reinforce the company’s growing, broad-based commercial momentum.

“I am very pleased to welcome Philippe Carette as president of our aviation business at the start of a new era of growth across our aviation business lines, and throughout the company as a whole”, said Rajeev Suri, CEO of Inmarsat.  “He brings a wealth of experience and I look forward to working with him as a member of Inmarsat’s executive team as we extend our technology leadership and significantly enhance the services we offer to our partners and customers through new initiatives such as ORCHESTRA and ELERA.  His 30 plus years of experience in aviation, technology and aerospace will be invaluable.

“I wish to thank Philip Balaam for the pivotal role he played in establishing Inmarsat as a leader in the IFC sector and for his many other contributions to the growth of our aviation business. In his new strategy role at Inmarsat, he will play a crucial role in enhancing the future strategic framework for the whole business.”

Inmarsat is a global leader in aviation with decades of experience working with some of the world’s leading airlines. The company’s award-winning GX Aviation service is regarded as the ‘gold standard’ for global inflight connectivity (IFC) and is deployed by airlines throughout the world. Inmarsat recently announced the 1,000th installation and activation of its Jet ConneX inflight connectivity solution, cementing its leadership in the business aviation market. Inmarsat is also a global leader in cockpit operational and safety communications and is working with the European Space Agency on the next generation of air traffic management systems.