Navarino has announced the appointment of Ronald Spithout as Chairman of its board of directors.
Mr Spithout previously served as President of Inmarsat Maritime and Inmarsat Enterprise for a combined 10 years. During his tenure, he oversaw the global rollout of the Fleet Xpress service as the satcom operator moved from its legacy of L-band services into the VSAT era.
His career also includes senior roles at Xantic and Stratos Global, as well as positions on the boards of various other maritime technology companies.
“As a long-time partner and friend, I am very pleased to welcome Ronald to the Navarino family,” said Dimitris Tsikopoulos, CEO of Navarino.
“His expertise and guidance will play a key role in strengthening our presence in the maritime sector, and his strategic nous will be invaluable to our next phase of growth.”
In his role as Chairman, Mr Spithout will work with the leadership team to support strategic initiatives.
“I am very excited to join Navarino at such a dynamic time for both the business and for the maritime industry. Navarino has built a strong reputation for innovation and for its customer focus, and I look forward to working with the team to support its continued success,” he said.
The appointment of the former Inmarsat man has coincidentally come shortly after Navarino concluded a deal with private equity firm ICG to provide financing for a deal that saw Inmarsat parent company Viasat sell its stake in the firm back to Navarino’s founders.
