Kay Sears, a Boeing executive and previous Wash100 inductee, has been appointed to the board of directors of global satellite operator Iridium Communications.
In her new advisory role, Sears is expected to assist in determining the strategic plan for Iridium going forward, the McLean, Virginia-headquartered company said Wednesday. Sears’ post was confirmed via election and is effective immediately.
“Kay has a finger on the pulse of the industry, and we look forward to her helping further the Iridium mission as we continue this era of strong subscriber growth and increasing free cash flow,” remarked Matt Desch, Iridium CEO and eight-time recipient of the Wash100 Award.
Sears is additionally poised to leverage her experience in the space industry and her familiarity with market trends in government and commerce to expand Iridium’s reach to new industries. Among the targeted points of entry are the defense satellite market, in which Iridium already has a firm foothold but hopes to deepen its presence.
At Boeing, Sears is vice president and general manager of autonomous systems within the company’s defense, space and security unit. In this position, she is responsible for leading the production of new autonomous technologies, intelligence tools and networking services for both public and private sector clientele.
Before coming to Boeing in February, Sears occupied senior-level roles such as vice president and general manager of military and space at Lockheed Martin, president of Intelsat General Corporation and senior vice president of PanAmSat Corporation.
The executive has provided counsel to the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee for well over a decade, in addition to residing on a number of other business associations and boards. In recognition of her leadership and progress she inspired in the development and management of space systems, Sears was bestowed the Honorable Peter B. Teets by the National Defense Industrial Association’s Space Division.
Sears’ Iridium board addition follows two new major appointments by the company in 2022. In January, Manjula Sriram was named vice president and chief information officer and in February, Kathy Morgan, formerly the company’s VP of corporate law, was elevated to chief legal officer.
