Team

Bogdan Gogulan has 20 years of experience in finance, product and business development. Before initiating NewSpace Capital he had accumulated a unique combination of cross-border experience in communication, security and defense industries. He served as VP of international operations and business development for AT Communication (Switzerland), Defendec (Baltics) and Katmerciler (Turkey), managing breakthrough projects for security and defense agencies in the Middle East and Central Asia. For years, he managed alignment and cooperation with UN agencies (BOMCA/UNDP, BOMNAF, UNODC, UNHCR, IOM) and security organizations (NATO, OSCE, ISAF). Prior to that, Bogdan worked for American Express (USA, UK) and Deutsche Bank (UK). As global sales development Program Manager and Head of Industry Analytics at American Express he was responsible for global partnerships development with top tier clients. Since 2010, Bogdan has been actively involved with UN Alliance of Civilization’s (UNAOC) participating as an OYW Ambassador in the UN Sustainable Development Goals’ initiative.

Bogdan holds a BSc in Financial Economics from University of Essex and graduated from Abingdon & Whitney College. He is acting as CEO of NewSpace Capital GP S.A.

Felix von Schubert has 20 years of private equity, technology investment and operations experience. Felix co-founded InFrontier, a specialist investment company, active in post-conflict regions. Previously, he co-founded Zouk Capital, an independent private equity and infrastructure fund manager dedicated to the cleantech and renewable energy market, managing over $600M. Felix has been involved in over 20 investments in Europe, North America and Asia. He served as a Chairman of one of Germany’s highly successful publicly listed technology start-ups for over 11 years. Felix started his career at JPMorgan M&A practice focusing on oil and gas transactions in the Middle East, Russia and South Korea. He is fluent in German, French, English and Russian.

Daniel Biedermann is a leading strategy and operational executive in the commercial space industry. Educated as an aircraft engineer, he has over 30 years of manufacturing, operational, business development and strategy experience in the satellite and launcher sectors. He served at SES (second largest global satellite operator with over 60 satellites and more than EUR 2B in revenue) where for the last five years he was the company’s SVP for Corporate Strategy, Market Intelligence, M&A and Business Innovation. During his career at SES, Daniel played key roles in small and large acquisitions, including playing a leading role in creating new joint ventures such as LuxGovSat. Before joining SES he spent 14 years with Arianespace (producer of Ariane family launchers and the world’s largest commercial launch service provider) and Contraves (a spacecraft structures design and manufacturing enterprise), where he worked as Production, Launch Site and Mission Manager, responsible for over 30 space and launch missions.

Padraig McCarthy has more than 30 years of experience as a global senior finance and business leader, spending the last 23 years with SES, the world’s leading satellite solutions provider. He served as SES Chief Financial Officer and Executive Committee member from April 2013 to April 2018. As SES CFO he raised over €5B of financing in a combination of equity, bonds and senior debt facilities to fund the company’s strategy. He has extensive investor relations and capital markets experience playing key roles in the SES IPO, its Paris Euro-next secondary listing and other equity and debt activities. Padraig is a hands-on leader having chaired the SES operations review committee and supported many start-ups. He served as SES SVP Financial operations (2011 to 2013) and as CFO and Management Committee member of SES Astra (2002 to 2011). He has extensive M&A experience with SES and also acted as Interim CEO in ND Satcom. He has been a Board member of SES Astra and of other SES joint ventures – both established and start-up companies. Prior to joining SES, Padraig worked as Financial Director of Norton S.A. Luxembourg, a subsidiary of Saint Gobain, and prior to that for KPMG.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Irish Chartered Accountants, has an Honors Bachelor of Commerce degree and has pursued advanced management executive programs with INSEAD (France) and Babson College (USA).

Francois has over 16 years of experience in finance including 11 years in the space industry. Over the course of his career, Francois has accumulated extensive experience in investment appraisal, due diligence, financial planning and analysis, financial modelling, corporate finance, and day-to-day financial management. Prior to joining NewSpace Capital, he worked as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer in a private equity firm with a focus on the Cleantech industry. He served as Finance Executive in NewSpace startups (Low Earth Orbit constellation and space mining) where he set up the financial activities and contributed to the fund-raising activities. Prior to that, he spent nine years with SES (leading global satellite operator with over 70 satellites and EUR 2B revenues) as Senior Manager in M&A and Manager in Finance support to Business Development. Francois started his career at KPMG where he accumulated five years of experience in Corporate Finance and External Audit.

He holds a master’s degree in Business Engineering and an Executive Degree in Financial Risk Management, Analysis, Control and Audit from HEC Management School, Liège University (Belgium).

Alex is part of NewSpace Capital’s investment team, involved in the deal management and execution. Prior to that, Alex worked as Business Development Manager at Thales, leading partnerships with aviation, defense, space and transportation startup ecosystems internationally to capture disruptive digital technologies (AI, big data, cyber, IoT). He previously worked at SES as M&A Senior Analyst, executing satellite communications investment projects related to aviation, maritime and energy markets. He began his professional carreer in Societe Generale investment banking division, coordinating business activities with international corporates across the US, Japan, Korea and India. He worked on several strategy and market intelligence missions in the Energy & Resources industry for Engie and Suez with a focus on emerging markets.

Along with his professional activity, Alex is a Visiting Professor in Geopolitics at Paris Dauphine University from which he holds a master’s degree in Management. He is particularly interested in the impact of new technologies (space and cyber notably) on international relations and frequently participates in conferences and seminars on the topic.

Alex is fluent in English, French, Spanish and German.

Simone joined NewSpace Capital as a Private Equity Financial Analyst after three years of relevant work experience in asset management and financial services firms in Milan (Italy). Based in Luxembourg, Simone primarily focuses on financial planning and analysis, supporting the CFO in fund management operations, and the Investment Team in the opportunity briefing and company valuation activities.

He holds a BSc Business Administration and Management degree from Bocconi University (Italy) and a MSc Investment Analysis degree from Aston Business School (UK). Further financial diagnosis and alternative investments courses at LSE (UK) and Emlyon (France) have provided him with a strong practical application of investment theory in both trading and corporate settings.

Martin Halliwell joined SES in 1987 after working for Cable & Wireless and for Mercury Communications. He was appointed Chief Technical Officer in May 2011. He was previously President of SES Engineering and Technical Director of SES Multimedia. Prior to that, Martin worked as SES Operation Manager and as General Manager of SES’s Global Multimedia Networks. He is a board member for both SES ASTRA and O3b.

He holds a Higher National Diploma in Communications and Electronics and a BA specializing in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics from the Open University of London, as well as an MBA in External Environment and Strategic Management from the same university.

Georges Schmit is a retired civil servant of the government of Luxembourg, where he served in various positions from 1981 to 2016. Most recently, Georges was Consul General of Luxembourg and Executive Director of the Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office in San Francisco (2009–2016). During most of his career Georges’ work focused on innovation and technology policy, economic development and trade, and investment promotion. Most recently, he contributed to the design and launch of several major Luxembourg government innovation policy initiatives including the Financial Technologies (FinTech) Promotion Initiative and the Space Resources. In 2017, he joined the Board of Saphir Capital Investment Fund, a Luxembourg-based private equity fund with interests in a variety of both tech and non-tech start-ups. He joined the University of Luxembourg Center for Security, Reliability and Trust as a Research Fellow in March 2017.

Georges Schmit graduated with degrees in Economics from the University of Louvain, (Belgium) and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (USA).

Dr. Ahmad bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al-Falasi is UAE Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills and Chairman of the UAE Space Agency. As Cabinet Member and Minister of State for Higher Education since February 2016, His Excellency Dr. Ahmad bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi supervises the development of higher education and scientific research in the country. H.E. overseas universities operating in the UAE, the implementation of higher education policies as well as ensuring the delivery of high-quality tertiary education that aligns with labor market requirements. H.E. previously held the position of Chief Executive Officer at Masdar, leading the company’s strategic growth and development within the renewable energy and clean technology sector. During this time, H.E. was also a member of the executive committee at Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. Prior to that role, H.E. was formerly Vice President, Industry Unit of Mubadala Development Company, where he led a team responsible for negotiating partnerships with multinational organizations to increase foreign direct investment in the UAE. H.E.’s business development and corporate strategy experience dates back to his work with management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he advised the Middle East’s largest telecommunications and high-tech companies.

H.E. holds a PhD from Monash University in Melbourne (Australia); a master’s degree from the University of Melbourne; and a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Khalifa University (UAE).

Jean-Jacques Dordain graduated in engineering from the Ecole Centrale de Paris in 1969 and began his scientific career in 1970 in the field of propulsion and rocket boosters at the French National Office for Aerospace Studies and Research (ONERA). In 1997, he was invited to be the Executive Secretary of the Evaluation Committee of the Japanese space agency NASDA. Mr. Dordain has led Europe’s space activities since 2003 as Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA). He is the first person to have had his appointment renewed not once but twice. Under his direction, ESA extended its previous highly successful space programmes with world class achievements, including Rosetta’s rendezvous with a comet and the Sentinel Earth Observation satellites. He has set in place the governance, technical management and assurance regimes that have resulted in an unbroken string of almost 60 successful Ariane 5 launches since 2003.

Mr. Dordain is a Member of the French Académie des Technologies, an Associate Member of the Belgian Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux Arts. He is also a Member of the Air and Space Academy (France); the International Academy of Astronautics, the Association Aéronautique et Astronautique de France, a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Engineering (USA) and an Advisor of the Chinese Space Foundation. Mr. Dordain has honorary functions as Vice President of the International Astronautical Federation and Chancellor of the International Space University.

Talal Al Kaissi joined G42 in September 2020 as Vice President of Space Program in the CEO’s office. Talal’s role is to lead the development of a space vertical within G42, inclusive of an investment thesis, products and offerings that can leverage the robust AI and cloud computing capabilities G42 has, as well as provide support to the UAE national space program’s ambition to develop a commercial space ecosystem.

Talal joined G42 after 2 years at the UAE Space Agency as an Advisor to the Director General on Strategic Projects. Among several duties, one of his core functions was supporting the activation of the UAE Space Agency Investment Promotion Plan, and the development of a holistic national space economy with an emphasis on attracting space startups and investments to the UAE. Additionally, he provided strategic support to both the Policy & Regulatory Directorate, as well as Space Missions Management Directorate. Talal also serves as the UAE representative to the World Economic Forum Council on Space Technology.

Prior to his role at the Agency, Talal served at the UAE Embassy in Washington DC for nine years as a Senior Advisor for Commercial Affairs at the UAE Trade & Commercial Office and also led US/UAE Space Affairs. The role entailed bilateral trade policy and commercial issues to advance the UAE’s interests in the US and attract FDI into the UAE. On the Space Affairs front, he worked closely with the UAE Space Agency to put together a Framework Agreement with NASA and build ties with US government stakeholders, Academia, and Industry.

Talal also worked in the Energy sector at KBR where he led Business Development efforts for the GCC region in the downstream petrochemical segment and was based between Houston (USA), Dubai (UAE), and Khobar (Saudi Arabia).

Talal graduated from California State University in Long Beach with a Bachelor of Science in International Business in 2006. He also holds an executive certification from the International Space University.

Sheikh Dr. Kayed Sultan Al Qasimi is a scientist and a finance professional. He holds a PhD degree in Mathematics and Theoretical Physics from University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands). Prior to that, he received BSc in Mathematics and Statistics and MSc in Discrete Mathematics and its Applications from University of Essex (UK), and MS in Mathematics from University of Melbourne. Sheikh Dr. Kayed Sultan Al Qasimi held several positions in HSBC in Forex and derivatives trading. His thesis “An elevator ride with Knizhnik and Zamolodchikov” proved quantities related to models in theoretical physics using a variety of mathematical fields. Aside from being Advisor at NewSpace Capital, Sheikh Dr. Kayed Sultan Al Qasimi is currently also a Visiting Scholar at American University of Sharjah. He is fluent in English, Arabic, German and Dutch.

Simon Peter “Pete” Worden is the Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and Executive Director of the foundation’s “Breakthrough Initiatives”. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Michigan and a PhD in Astronomy for the University of Arizona. Prior to joining the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, Dr. Worden was Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California (USA) until his retirement on March 31, 2015. He has held several positions in the United States Air Force and was research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, Tucson (USA). He is a recognised expert on space and science issues – both civil and military, and has been a leader in building partnerships between governments and the private sector internationally. Dr. Worden has authored or co-authored more than 150 scientific papers in astrophysics space sciences, and strategic studies. He served as a scientific co-investigator for three NASA space science missions – most recently the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph launched in 2013 to study the Sun. He received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for the 1994 Clementine Mission to the moon. Dr. Worden was named the 2009 Federal Laboratory Consortium Laboratory Director of the Year and is the recipient of the 2010 Arthur C. Clarke Innovator’s Award.

Major awards and decorations:
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal

Other achievements:
NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal

Air Force Outstanding Research and Development Medal (2)

Dr. George C. Nield has over 30 years of aerospace experience with the UD Air Force, NASA, and in private industry. Dr. Nield served as the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation at the FAA, previously serving as Senior Scientist for the Advanced Programs Group at the Orbital Sciences Corporation. He is currently a member of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, which provides support and advice to the NASA Administrator. A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, he holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University, and an MBA from George Washington University. He is also a Flight Test Engineering graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School. Dr. Nield is a registered Professional Engineer and a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Dr. Dava Newman is a former Deputy Administrator of NASA. Dr. Newman is the Apollo Program Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Harvard–MIT Health, Sciences, and Technology faculty member in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA). She is also a MacVicar Faculty Fellow (awarded for contributions to undergraduate education), former Director of the Technology and Policy Program at MIT (2003–2015), and former Director of the MIT–Portugal Program (2011–2015). As the Director of MIT’s Technology and Policy Program (TPP), she led the Institute’s largest multidisciplinary graduate research program, with over 1,200 alumni. She has been a faculty member in her home department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and MIT’s School of Engineering since 1993.

Dr. Slava Turyshev is a senior scientist and program manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Since joining JPL in 1993, he worked on numerous space missions and projects, including Pioneer 10 and 11, Voyager 1, Cassini, Galileo, New Horizons, Curiosity and others. His primary research areas include astrophysics, relativistic gravitation, cosmology, and exoplanets. He is an expert in high-precision navigation, laser ranging, optical metrology, remote sensing as well as in the systems, architecture and mission designs. Dr. Turyshev is a passionate space executive and recognised technology leader with a strong background in strategic planning, marketing, and management. As a principal investigator he led the development of a number of major projects funded by NASA and ESA, working with large international teams of scientists and engineers. Over the years, he developed and managed programs and projects valued over $700M. Slava holds DSc and PhD degrees in astrophysics from Moscow State University, Russia, and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. In various capacities, he had advised Fortune 500 companies on major funding decisions in the areas of technology, risk management, operations and corporate development, working in particular with Avaya, AMD, Amgen, Ball Aerospace, Corning, Cisco, Disney and recently with SpaceX, BlueOrigin, and Virgin Galactic among others. He is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).

Professor Kazuya Yoshida received B.E., M.S. and Doctor of Engineering degrees in Mechanical Engineering Science from Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan). Since 2003, he has worked as a full-time Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Tohoku University (Japan). He also serves as Director of the Center of Robotics for Extreme and Uncertain Environments in Tohoku University since 2011. His research activities cover dynamics and control of space robotic systems, ranging from orbital free-flying robots to planetary exploration rovers. His work also includes the development of university-based micro satellites and also the terrestrial applications of space technology, such as robotic remote exploration for search and rescue missions. His technical contribution is found in ETS-VII (orbital experiments of a free-flying space robot), HAYABUSA (an asteroid sample return probe), RISING/RISING-2 (50 kg microsatellites for science mission) and QUINCE (a mobile robot to cope with the Fukushima power plant incident).

Mark Tluszcz co-founded and has been the Chief Executive Officer, Head, Managing Partner and Partner of Mangrove Capital Partners since 2000. Mr. Tluszcz is mostly involved with Internet consumer businesses and travels extensively throughout Europe looking for the next big thing. Prior to that, he was a Partner and Managing Director at Arthur Anderson LLP where he served for ten years. Prior to that, he served as Consultant for Arthur Andersen SA and also helped in running their European venture capital fund. He was also employed at Skype. Mark’s competencies lie in a range of areas including enterprise applications, media-entertainment, corporate development strategies and transactional software. He has been the Non-Executive Chairman of Wix.com Ltd. since February 2016. Mr. Tluszcz was named to the Forbes Midas List in 2007, 2008 and 2009 as one of the top 100 global deal makers in technology and selected in 2010 as one of the 30 most influential persons in Luxembourg. He has 13 years of venture capital investing experience.

Michael Lopez-Alegria has over three decades of aviation and space experience with the US Navy and NASA. He was born in Spain and grew up in California (USA) where he joined the US Navy through which he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in systems engineering and then a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering. He has accumulated more than 5,700 pilot hours in over 30 different aircraft types. Mr. Lopez-Alegria joined NASA in August of 1992 where he became a veteran of four spaceflights, logged over 257 days in space and performed ten spacewalks.

Alexander Misurkin was born and raised in Russia. He entered the Kacha High Air Force Pilot School, where he studied until September 1998. He continued pilot training at the Armavir Military Aviation Institute, and graduated in October 1999 with a gold medal as a pilot-engineer. In October 2006, Mr. Misurkin was approved as a cosmonaut candidate and enlisted in the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Cosmonaut (GCTC) Corps. He flew aboard Soyuz TMA-08M on 28 March 2013 as his first space mission, and launched on Soyuz MS-06 as his second flight, in 2017. He participated in an 8-hour, 13-minute spacewalk outside of the ISS and set a new record for the longest Russian spacewalk to date.

Bogdan Gogulan has 20 years of experience in finance, product and business development. Before initiating NewSpace Capital he had accumulated a unique combination of cross-border experience in communication, security and defense industries. He served as VP of international operations and business development for AT Communication (Switzerland), Defendec (Baltics) and Katmerciler (Turkey), managing breakthrough projects for security and defense agencies in the Middle East and Central Asia. For years, he managed alignment and cooperation with UN agencies (BOMCA/UNDP, BOMNAF, UNODC, UNHCR, IOM) and security organizations (NATO, OSCE, ISAF). Prior to that, Bogdan worked for American Express (USA, UK) and Deutsche Bank (UK). As global sales development Program Manager and Head of Industry Analytics at American Express he was responsible for global partnerships development with top tier clients. Since 2010, Bogdan has been actively involved with UN Alliance of Civilization’s (UNAOC) participating as an OYW Ambassador in the UN Sustainable Development Goals’ initiative.

Bogdan holds a BSc in Financial Economics from University of Essex and graduated from Abingdon & Whitney College. He is acting as CEO of NewSpace Capital GP S.A.

Felix von Schubert has 20 years of private equity, technology investment and operations experience. Felix co-founded InFrontier, a specialist investment company, active in post-conflict regions. Previously, he co-founded Zouk Capital, an independent private equity and infrastructure fund manager dedicated to the cleantech and renewable energy market, managing over $600M. Felix has been involved in over 20 investments in Europe, North America and Asia. He served as a Chairman of one of Germany’s highly successful publicly listed technology start-ups for over 11 years. Felix started his career at JPMorgan M&A practice focusing on oil and gas transactions in the Middle East, Russia and South Korea. He is fluent in German, French, English and Russian.

Daniel Biedermann is a leading strategy and operational executive in the commercial space industry. Educated as an aircraft engineer, he has over 30 years of manufacturing, operational, business development and strategy experience in the satellite and launcher sectors. He served at SES (second largest global satellite operator with over 60 satellites and more than EUR 2B in revenue) where for the last five years he was the company’s SVP for Corporate Strategy, Market Intelligence, M&A and Business Innovation. During his career at SES, Daniel played key roles in small and large acquisitions, including playing a leading role in creating new joint ventures such as LuxGovSat. Before joining SES he spent 14 years with Arianespace (producer of Ariane family launchers and the world’s largest commercial launch service provider) and Contraves (a spacecraft structures design and manufacturing enterprise), where he worked as Production, Launch Site and Mission Manager, responsible for over 30 space and launch missions.

Padraig McCarthy has more than 30 years of experience as a global senior finance and business leader, spending the last 23 years with SES, the world’s leading satellite solutions provider. He served as SES Chief Financial Officer and Executive Committee member from April 2013 to April 2018. As SES CFO he raised over €5B of financing in a combination of equity, bonds and senior debt facilities to fund the company’s strategy. He has extensive investor relations and capital markets experience playing key roles in the SES IPO, its Paris Euro-next secondary listing and other equity and debt activities. Padraig is a hands-on leader having chaired the SES operations review committee and supported many start-ups. He served as SES SVP Financial operations (2011 to 2013) and as CFO and Management Committee member of SES Astra (2002 to 2011). He has extensive M&A experience with SES and also acted as Interim CEO in ND Satcom. He has been a Board member of SES Astra and of other SES joint ventures – both established and start-up companies. Prior to joining SES, Padraig worked as Financial Director of Norton S.A. Luxembourg, a subsidiary of Saint Gobain, and prior to that for KPMG.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Irish Chartered Accountants, has an Honors Bachelor of Commerce degree and has pursued advanced management executive programs with INSEAD (France) and Babson College (USA).

Francois has over 16 years of experience in finance including 11 years in the space industry. Over the course of his career, Francois has accumulated extensive experience in investment appraisal, due diligence, financial planning and analysis, financial modelling, corporate finance, and day-to-day financial management. Prior to joining NewSpace Capital, he worked as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer in a private equity firm with a focus on the Cleantech industry. He served as Finance Executive in NewSpace startups (Low Earth Orbit constellation and space mining) where he set up the financial activities and contributed to the fund-raising activities. Prior to that, he spent nine years with SES (leading global satellite operator with over 70 satellites and EUR 2B revenues) as Senior Manager in M&A and Manager in Finance support to Business Development. Francois started his career at KPMG where he accumulated five years of experience in Corporate Finance and External Audit.

He holds a master’s degree in Business Engineering and an Executive Degree in Financial Risk Management, Analysis, Control and Audit from HEC Management School, Liège University (Belgium).

Alex is part of NewSpace Capital’s investment team, involved in the deal management and execution. Prior to that, Alex worked as Business Development Manager at Thales, leading partnerships with aviation, defense, space and transportation startup ecosystems internationally to capture disruptive digital technologies (AI, big data, cyber, IoT). He previously worked at SES as M&A Senior Analyst, executing satellite communications investment projects related to aviation, maritime and energy markets. He began his professional carreer in Societe Generale investment banking division, coordinating business activities with international corporates across the US, Japan, Korea and India. He worked on several strategy and market intelligence missions in the Energy & Resources industry for Engie and Suez with a focus on emerging markets.

Along with his professional activity, Alex is a Visiting Professor in Geopolitics at Paris Dauphine University from which he holds a master’s degree in Management. He is particularly interested in the impact of new technologies (space and cyber notably) on international relations and frequently participates in conferences and seminars on the topic.

Alex is fluent in English, French, Spanish and German.

Simone joined NewSpace Capital as a Private Equity Financial Analyst after three years of relevant work experience in asset management and financial services firms in Milan (Italy). Based in Luxembourg, Simone primarily focuses on financial planning and analysis, supporting the CFO in fund management operations, and the Investment Team in the opportunity briefing and company valuation activities.

He holds a BSc Business Administration and Management degree from Bocconi University (Italy) and a MSc Investment Analysis degree from Aston Business School (UK). Further financial diagnosis and alternative investments courses at LSE (UK) and Emlyon (France) have provided him with a strong practical application of investment theory in both trading and corporate settings.

Martin Halliwell joined SES in 1987 after working for Cable & Wireless and for Mercury Communications. He was appointed Chief Technical Officer in May 2011. He was previously President of SES Engineering and Technical Director of SES Multimedia. Prior to that, Martin worked as SES Operation Manager and as General Manager of SES’s Global Multimedia Networks. He is a board member for both SES ASTRA and O3b.

He holds a Higher National Diploma in Communications and Electronics and a BA specializing in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics from the Open University of London, as well as an MBA in External Environment and Strategic Management from the same university.

Georges Schmit is a retired civil servant of the government of Luxembourg, where he served in various positions from 1981 to 2016. Most recently, Georges was Consul General of Luxembourg and Executive Director of the Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office in San Francisco (2009–2016). During most of his career Georges’ work focused on innovation and technology policy, economic development and trade, and investment promotion. Most recently, he contributed to the design and launch of several major Luxembourg government innovation policy initiatives including the Financial Technologies (FinTech) Promotion Initiative and the Space Resources. In 2017, he joined the Board of Saphir Capital Investment Fund, a Luxembourg-based private equity fund with interests in a variety of both tech and non-tech start-ups. He joined the University of Luxembourg Center for Security, Reliability and Trust as a Research Fellow in March 2017.

Georges Schmit graduated with degrees in Economics from the University of Louvain, (Belgium) and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (USA).

Dr. Ahmad bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al-Falasi is UAE Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills and Chairman of the UAE Space Agency. As Cabinet Member and Minister of State for Higher Education since February 2016, His Excellency Dr. Ahmad bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi supervises the development of higher education and scientific research in the country. H.E. overseas universities operating in the UAE, the implementation of higher education policies as well as ensuring the delivery of high-quality tertiary education that aligns with labor market requirements. H.E. previously held the position of Chief Executive Officer at Masdar, leading the company’s strategic growth and development within the renewable energy and clean technology sector. During this time, H.E. was also a member of the executive committee at Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. Prior to that role, H.E. was formerly Vice President, Industry Unit of Mubadala Development Company, where he led a team responsible for negotiating partnerships with multinational organizations to increase foreign direct investment in the UAE. H.E.’s business development and corporate strategy experience dates back to his work with management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he advised the Middle East’s largest telecommunications and high-tech companies.

H.E. holds a PhD from Monash University in Melbourne (Australia); a master’s degree from the University of Melbourne; and a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Khalifa University (UAE).

Jean-Jacques Dordain graduated in engineering from the Ecole Centrale de Paris in 1969 and began his scientific career in 1970 in the field of propulsion and rocket boosters at the French National Office for Aerospace Studies and Research (ONERA). In 1997, he was invited to be the Executive Secretary of the Evaluation Committee of the Japanese space agency NASDA. Mr. Dordain has led Europe’s space activities since 2003 as Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA). He is the first person to have had his appointment renewed not once but twice. Under his direction, ESA extended its previous highly successful space programmes with world class achievements, including Rosetta’s rendezvous with a comet and the Sentinel Earth Observation satellites. He has set in place the governance, technical management and assurance regimes that have resulted in an unbroken string of almost 60 successful Ariane 5 launches since 2003.

Mr. Dordain is a Member of the French Académie des Technologies, an Associate Member of the Belgian Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux Arts. He is also a Member of the Air and Space Academy (France); the International Academy of Astronautics, the Association Aéronautique et Astronautique de France, a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Engineering (USA) and an Advisor of the Chinese Space Foundation. Mr. Dordain has honorary functions as Vice President of the International Astronautical Federation and Chancellor of the International Space University.

Simon Peter “Pete” Worden is the Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and Executive Director of the foundation’s “Breakthrough Initiatives”. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Michigan and a PhD in Astronomy for the University of Arizona. Prior to joining the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, Dr. Worden was Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California (USA) until his retirement on March 31, 2015. He has held several positions in the United States Air Force and was research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, Tucson (USA). He is a recognised expert on space and science issues – both civil and military, and has been a leader in building partnerships between governments and the private sector internationally. Dr. Worden has authored or co-authored more than 150 scientific papers in astrophysics space sciences, and strategic studies. He served as a scientific co-investigator for three NASA space science missions – most recently the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph launched in 2013 to study the Sun. He received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for the 1994 Clementine Mission to the moon. Dr. Worden was named the 2009 Federal Laboratory Consortium Laboratory Director of the Year and is the recipient of the 2010 Arthur C. Clarke Innovator’s Award.

Major awards and decorations:
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal

Other achievements:
NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal

Air Force Outstanding Research and Development Medal (2)

Dr. George C. Nield has over 30 years of aerospace experience with the UD Air Force, NASA, and in private industry. Dr. Nield served as the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation at the FAA, previously serving as Senior Scientist for the Advanced Programs Group at the Orbital Sciences Corporation. He is currently a member of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, which provides support and advice to the NASA Administrator. A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, he holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University, and an MBA from George Washington University. He is also a Flight Test Engineering graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School. Dr. Nield is a registered Professional Engineer and a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Dr. Dava Newman is a former Deputy Administrator of NASA. Dr. Newman is the Apollo Program Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Harvard–MIT Health, Sciences, and Technology faculty member in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA). She is also a MacVicar Faculty Fellow (awarded for contributions to undergraduate education), former Director of the Technology and Policy Program at MIT (2003–2015), and former Director of the MIT–Portugal Program (2011–2015). As the Director of MIT’s Technology and Policy Program (TPP), she led the Institute’s largest multidisciplinary graduate research program, with over 1,200 alumni. She has been a faculty member in her home department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and MIT’s School of Engineering since 1993.

Dr. Slava Turyshev is a senior scientist and program manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Since joining JPL in 1993, he worked on numerous space missions and projects, including Pioneer 10 and 11, Voyager 1, Cassini, Galileo, New Horizons, Curiosity and others. His primary research areas include astrophysics, relativistic gravitation, cosmology, and exoplanets. He is an expert in high-precision navigation, laser ranging, optical metrology, remote sensing as well as in the systems, architecture and mission designs. Dr. Turyshev is a passionate space executive and recognised technology leader with a strong background in strategic planning, marketing, and management. As a principal investigator he led the development of a number of major projects funded by NASA and ESA, working with large international teams of scientists and engineers. Over the years, he developed and managed programs and projects valued over $700M. Slava holds DSc and PhD degrees in astrophysics from Moscow State University, Russia, and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. In various capacities, he had advised Fortune 500 companies on major funding decisions in the areas of technology, risk management, operations and corporate development, working in particular with Avaya, AMD, Amgen, Ball Aerospace, Corning, Cisco, Disney and recently with SpaceX, BlueOrigin, and Virgin Galactic among others. He is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).

Professor Kazuya Yoshida received B.E., M.S. and Doctor of Engineering degrees in Mechanical Engineering Science from Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan). Since 2003, he has worked as a full-time Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Tohoku University (Japan). He also serves as Director of the Center of Robotics for Extreme and Uncertain Environments in Tohoku University since 2011. His research activities cover dynamics and control of space robotic systems, ranging from orbital free-flying robots to planetary exploration rovers. His work also includes the development of university-based micro satellites and also the terrestrial applications of space technology, such as robotic remote exploration for search and rescue missions. His technical contribution is found in ETS-VII (orbital experiments of a free-flying space robot), HAYABUSA (an asteroid sample return probe), RISING/RISING-2 (50 kg microsatellites for science mission) and QUINCE (a mobile robot to cope with the Fukushima power plant incident).

Mark Tluszcz co-founded and has been the Chief Executive Officer, Head, Managing Partner and Partner of Mangrove Capital Partners since 2000. Mr. Tluszcz is mostly involved with Internet consumer businesses and travels extensively throughout Europe looking for the next big thing. Prior to that, he was a Partner and Managing Director at Arthur Anderson LLP where he served for ten years. Prior to that, he served as Consultant for Arthur Andersen SA and also helped in running their European venture capital fund. He was also employed at Skype. Mark’s competencies lie in a range of areas including enterprise applications, media-entertainment, corporate development strategies and transactional software. He has been the Non-Executive Chairman of Wix.com Ltd. since February 2016. Mr. Tluszcz was named to the Forbes Midas List in 2007, 2008 and 2009 as one of the top 100 global deal makers in technology and selected in 2010 as one of the 30 most influential persons in Luxembourg. He has 13 years of venture capital investing experience.

Michael Lopez-Alegria has over three decades of aviation and space experience with the US Navy and NASA. He was born in Spain and grew up in California (USA) where he joined the US Navy through which he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in systems engineering and then a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering. He has accumulated more than 5,700 pilot hours in over 30 different aircraft types. Mr. Lopez-Alegria joined NASA in August of 1992 where he became a veteran of four spaceflights, logged over 257 days in space and performed ten spacewalks.

Alexander Misurkin was born and raised in Russia. He entered the Kacha High Air Force Pilot School, where he studied until September 1998. He continued pilot training at the Armavir Military Aviation Institute, and graduated in October 1999 with a gold medal as a pilot-engineer. In October 2006, Mr. Misurkin was approved as a cosmonaut candidate and enlisted in the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Cosmonaut (GCTC) Corps. He flew aboard Soyuz TMA-08M on 28 March 2013 as his first space mission, and launched on Soyuz MS-06 as his second flight, in 2017. He participated in an 8-hour, 13-minute spacewalk outside of the ISS and set a new record for the longest Russian spacewalk to date.