Iridium Communications has announced that Thomas J. Fitzpatrick, the company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Administrative Officer, along with Bryan J. Hartin, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, will retire at the end of the year. Following his retirement as CFO, Fitzpatrick will continue to serve on Iridium’s Board of Directors.
The company has appointed Vincent O’Neill as the new CFO and Timothy Last as the new Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, with both appointments effective January 1, 2025.
Vincent O’Neill, currently Senior Vice President of Finance, has been with Iridium since 2014, starting as Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis. Before joining Iridium, O’Neill served as CFO of Mobilitie, a wireless infrastructure company, and held senior finance roles at Nextel Sprint and Celnet in the UK. O’Neill is a Chartered Management Accountant with a diploma in Accounting and Finance from Technological University Shannon, Ireland.
Timothy Last, now Senior Vice President of Sales, Product Management and Customer Care, joined Iridium in 2012 and has held several key positions in the sales and marketing department. Last has a background in business development at ORBCOMM, Inc. and BT Group and holds an MSc in Telecommunications Business from University College London, England.
Commenting on these changes, Iridium CEO Matt Desch said: “I’m expecting a seamless leadership transition with the appointment of Vince and Tim to the executive team. It is a credit to both Tom Fitzpatrick and Bryan Hartin that they have developed leaders on their teams with the experience and vision to successfully succeed them. Both Vince and Tim have extensive experience working with Iridium’s partners, employees and investors and will continue the success of their predecessors.”
Desch continued: “Tom has led Iridium through obtaining export credit financing of the largest-ever satellite constellation refresh, multiple capital market offerings and a strong credit facility with attractive terms while leading the financial transformation of a company which, by the time of his retirement, is expected to have returned approximately $1bn to shareholders over the previous three years. We are also very fortunate that he will continue to provide strategic leadership and his experience as a continued member of our Board.” As to Hartin, Desch commented: “Iridium is defined by its products and its partners. Bryan has successfully overseen the expansion of our commercial business as service revenues grew by 126% since he joined and subscribers almost quadrupled while he led our partner ecosystem growth to over 500 companies.”
During his 14 years as the company’s CFO and 11 years as a member of its Board of Directors, Fitzpatrick led the company’s finance and administrative functions through the development and launch of the Iridium NEXT campaign and its subsequent financial transformation, leading share buybacks and the initiation of a quarterly dividend. “Iridium has been the highlight of my 45-year career. It has been a privilege to play a part in the success of this unique, essential organization. I thank Matt and the Iridium Board for their consistent support during my time at the company,” said Fitzpatrick. “I am delighted to remain involved in Iridium’s strategic direction through my service on the Board. I look forward to continuing to work on our important mission in this role.”
Over his 12 years leading Sales and Marketing, Hartin led the growth that has driven subscribers to over 2.3m users on the Iridium network. In addition, he worked tirelessly to lead important safety certifications for Iridium, including for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), which allows mariners and explorers around the world to remain connected anywhere. “It’s been an honour to be a member of the Iridium family for the past 12 years. I am very proud of the team we built that has driven Iridium’s consistent track record of growth and success. I particularly want to thank Matt for all the guidance and support he’s provided me throughout my Iridium career, as well as Iridium’s Board of Directors. I have cherished my Iridium experience, especially the relationships I’ve developed both internally and externally around the world.”
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