Intelsat CEO David Wajsgras Secures 8th Wash100 Award for Driving Company Growth, Market Expansion
Executive Mosaic is deeply honored to present Intelsat CEO David Wajsgras with his eighth Wash100 Award for his continued efforts to enhance service to customers and for steering the company toward an expanded presence within the space industry amid increased competition.
Commenting on his win, Wajsgras said, “The Wash100 has long been a prestigious awards program within the GovCon community. Acknowledging those who support our important government missions and global allies is laudable. I’m deeply honored to be included on this list alongside such distinguished individuals. It’s inspiring to see both multi-year winners and new leaders being recognized. And, the popular voting contest is always exciting to watch!”
Do not forget to vote for David Wajsgras as your favorite government contracting leader in the 2025 Wash100 popular vote competition! You can cast 10 votes on Wash100.com until April 30.
“My sincere thanks to the Intelsat team for their unwavering efforts, and to Jim Garrettson and Executive Mosaic for this continued recognition over the years,” added the Intelsat CEO.
The Wash100 Award, presented by Executive Mosaic, recognizes the most influential figures within the GovCon industry. The illustrious Wash100 list features public and private sector leaders who have achieved tremendous success in the past year and are poised to continue delivering positive impacts in the future.
“Dave has accrued eight Wash100s while at multiple leading GovCon companies—including a storied career at RTX. This highlights his continuity and ongoing leadership and influence in the satcom industry,” remarked Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award. “As CEO of Intelsat, he guided the company through its landmark $3.1 billion acquisition by SES in 2024, positioning Intelsat for a new chapter of growth and innovation. Dave’s strategic foresight has also led to bold moves in multi-orbit services and satellite-to-cell technology, ensuring that Intelsat remains a key player in the evolving communications landscape. Dave’s leadership continues to drive Intelsat forward, and with his vision for the future, the company is well poised for success in the years to come.”
Intelsat to Merge With SES
Wajsgras, who became chief executive of Intelsat in 2022, has made transformative changes in the satellite services provider. He led the U.S. company toward a possible merger with SES, a Luxembourg-headquartered satellite firm, in a deal estimated to be worth $3.1 billion. The transaction, which was announced in April 2024, is currently awaiting required regulatory approvals.
The combination of the companies will establish a multi-orbit satellite operator that will offer expanded capabilities to customers.
“By combining our financial strength and world-class team with that of SES, we create a more competitive, growth-oriented solutions provider in an industry going through disruptive change,” Wajsgras said about the deal. “The combined company will be positioned to meet customers’ needs around the world and exceed their expectations.”
In an interview with Via Satellite in October, Wajsgras expressed confidence that the combined Intelsat-SES entity will be able to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper by providing connectivity at geostationary, medium Earth and low Earth orbits.
“I am quite optimistic that this capability will be fielded in the next couple of years and give us a platform that is truly differentiated from what a LEO-only provider can offer,” he stated.
Enhanced Portfolio of Services
Intelsat also continues to improve services to existing customers throughout 2024. In March, the company announced a $250 million purchase of additional capacity from the Eutelsat Group’s OneWeb low Earth orbit constellation. The six-year agreement includes options for another $250 million to boost Intelsat’s global network.
“We believe it’s in Intelsat’s interests, Eutelsat’s interests, and our customers’ interests for us to expand the partnership that’s already in place – one that is working well and has strong demand,” he stated about the purchase.
Intelsat, also in the past year, signed an agreement with Northrop Grumman subsidiary SpaceLogistics for the Mission Extension Vehicles, satellite servicers that could extend the life of spacecraft in geosynchronous Earth orbit. Under the agreement, SpaceLogistics’ MEV-2 will be docked with and ensure that the Intelsat 10-02 satellite will remain operational and capable of providing media distribution and broadband services to customers in Europe, Africa and Asia until 2030.
More recently, Intelsat enhanced its Flex in-flight connectivity service in partnership with Satcom Direct. The Flex now delivers connectivity speeds of up to 50 Mbps to business and government aviation customers via the Plane Simple Ku band antenna system. The faster IFC is available to customers without hardware or software modifications, eliminating aircraft downtime.
Other Achievements
In 2024, Intelsat also supplied fully managed multi-orbit satellite communications support to the U.S. Army as part of a recently concluded 12-month pilot program. During the pilot, the company rolled out its Flex services, which provided low Earth and geostationary orbit connectivity at 10 locations globally.
In October, it is among the nine satellite operators the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration selected to participate in the agency’s Traffic Coordination System for Space program, which aims to utilize conjunction data messages to warn companies about possible collisions.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Wajsgras and the entire Intelsat team for their inclusion in the 2025 Wash100 list.
If Wajsgras is your favorite GovCon leader, vote for him today on Wash100.com.