Philippe Carette will be joining Inmarsat as president of its aviation business unit. He joins from Thales where he has held several roles since joining the company in 2013, including the position of CEO of Thales' InFlyt xperience business line.

Carette has over 30 years experience in the technology and aerospace industries, which in addition to his tenure at Thales includes 14 years with Safran Group.

“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,” says 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.”

Philip Balaam, the current business unit president for aviation, is moving into a new strategy role at Inmarsat, where he will be working with chief strategy officer Fredrik Gustavsson to reinforce its growing commercial momentum.

“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,” adds Suri.

Inmarsat recently announced the 1,000th installation and activation of its Jet ConneX inflight connectivity solution. It is also a leader in cockpit operational and safety communications and is working with the European Space Agency on the next generation of air traffic management systems.