David Fields
President and
CEO
Ben Pigsley
Senior Vice President, Defense Networks
Jay Icard
Senior Vice President, Strategic Development
Nitin Bhat
Senior Vice President, Engineering
Scott Galus
Senior Vice President, Finance & Accounting
President and
CEO
Senior Vice President, Defense Networks
Senior Vice President, Strategic Development
Senior Vice President, Engineering
Senior Vice President, Finance & Accounting
David Fields is the President and CEO of SES Space & Defense – SES’s wholly-owned subsidiary – which focuses on delivering satellite-based ICT solutions to the U.S. Government. David was also appointed Global Head of Space & Defense in April 2023, responsible for SES’s Government business on a worldwide basis.
With a proven track record in innovation and growing government business, David joined the SES Group in 2022 from Leonardo’s DRS Global Enterprise Solutions, where he was the Senior Vice President and General Manager for six years.
Born in the U.S., David has over 30 years’ experience in the satellite communications and Information Technology (IT) industry where he successfully combined his engineering background with a strong business acumen and served in a variety of executive management roles with Contel, GTE/Verizon, Dyncorp International, SES Americom Government Services and Verestar.
Ben Pigsley is the Senior Vice President for Defense Networks at SES Space & Defense. Ben has over 30 years’ experience in tactical and strategic long- haul communications and an extensive background with large-scale Department of Defense tactical networks.
Prior to joining SES Space & Defense, Ben served at DRS Global Enterprise Solutions (GES) for 15 years most recently as the Vice President of Growth and Strategy.
Ben’s background includes 21 years of service in the United States Army. He served as Satellite Manager for the Defense Information Systems Agency – Europe, Satellite Controller for the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command, and Lead Planner and Chief of Current Operations for the Joint Communications Support Element. Ben’s military background also includes multiple deployments with the United States Special Operations Forces, where he served two tours in combat areas of operation.
Jay Icard is the Senior Vice President for Strategic Development at SES Space & Defense. Jay is a seasoned leader with over 30 years of industry experience in government and enterprise telecommunications and 15+ years in commercial satellite integration.
Jay comes to SES Space & Defense most recently serving as the Chief Executive Officer at XTAR, where he was responsible for the overall direction, strategy, and business operations. While at XTAR, Jay combined his technical background, business acumen and operational know-how to transform the company into a trusted source for advancing industry innovation within the “Fighting SATCOM” vision of the U.S. Space Force.
Prior to XTAR, Jay held profit and loss (P&L) management and business development leadership roles with TeleCommunication Systems Inc. (TCS) and Comtech. At TCS and Comtech, he was responsible for Strategic Business Development for major U.S. Government programs and held leadership positions in Cyber Security, Satellite Managed Services and Professional Services. Prior to Comtech and TCS, Jay worked for Oracle, MCI and in the Department of Defense acquisition community.
Nitin Bhat is the Senior Vice President of Engineering at SES Space & Defense. Nitin has over 30 years’ experience designing and developing wireless, terrestrial, Information Technology (IT), and cyber solutions for the U.S government and military.
In addition, Nitin has an extensive technical background in designing end-to-end solutions for mission-critical, large-scale Department of Defense tactical networks.
Nitin manages a diverse and skilled team of engineers focused on aerospace, terrestrial, cyber, networking, advanced technologies, Network Operations and Security Center (GNOSC), and software development.
Prior to joining SES Space & Defense, Nitin served at DRS Global Enterprise Solutions (GES) for nine years most recently as Vice President, Engineering and Technical Operations.
Scott Galus is the Senior Vice President of Finance & Accounting at SES Space & Defense. Scott is a seasoned leader with more than 20 years of federal contracting sector experience.
Scott joined SES Space & Defense in 2009, during his tenure he has led multiple departments, from finance to sales and operations. As Senior Vice President of Finance & Accounting, Scott is responsible for the company’s financial operations, overseeing all financial functions from accounting to financial planning and reporting.
Prior to joining the SES Space & Defense team, Scott worked at SAIC for 12 years and at SES Satellites.
Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics (Dual Major) with a Minor in Mathematics from the University of New York at Brockport.