Organizers of the first International Space Business Assembly (ISBA) today released a preliminary list of speakers for the Nov. 2-4 conference. The list of confirmed speakers for ISBA comprises a virtual "Who's Who" of top CEO's of the global space industry.
Conference speakers announced by ISBA organizers today include:
Bernard Schwartz, Chairman & CEO, Loral Space & Communications
Mike Smith, Chairman & CEO, Hughes
Werner Inden, Executive Vice President, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG
Gunter Stamerjohanns, CEO, Eurockot Launch Services GmbH
Wilbur Trafton, President, International Launch Services
Michael Topolov, CEO, Inspace Inc.
Jean-Yves LeGalle, CEO, Starsem Inc.
Jean-Marie Luton, CEO, Arianespace Inc.
John Higginbotham, Chairman, Spacevest Inc.
Mary Ann Curnan, Chairman, Marsh Space Projects
Vijay Jayant, Managing Director, Bear Sterns
Dr. Peter Cochrane, Head of BT Labs
Marc Giget, Director General, Euroconsult
Mac Evans, President, Canadian Space Agency
Nick Franks, Deputy CEO and COO, Matra Marconi Space
Dr. Hans Kappler, Director, Industrial Matters & Technology, European Space Agency
David Leadbeater, Deputy Director General, British National Space Centre
Robert E. Tack, President, Radarsat
"The strong positive response by the most senior executives of the global space business confirms the value of ISBA to industry," said Bill Knudsen, President and CEO of the United States Space Foundation. The Foundation, in partnership with Space News and in association with the American Astronautical Society, is launching the new conference on international space commerce at the Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. this November.
The ISBA will be an unprecedented gathering of the business leaders of the global space industry. Once regarded as a network of government contractors, the industry today is integrated, heavily commercialized, and global. Since 1996, revenues from purely commercial space activities such as space-based telecommunications have consistently surpassed those from government space programs. According to the Space Foundation, industry revenues exceeded $100 billion in 1998, and are growing 20 percent annually.
"The space industry has changed dramatically over the past several years, and the ISBA is the first truly International, truly business-oriented conference to recognize this," said Elaine Howard, President, Space News. "The strong early support of the titans of our industry is evidence that the ISBA will indeed be the place where the world gets down to the business of space."
ISBA participating space agencies include the British National Space Centre, Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency, French National Space Agency (CNES) and Indian Space Research Organization. ISBA Affiliate Organizations include the Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council, International Astronautical Federation, Aerospace States Association, Space Transportation Association, Satellite Industry Association, National Space Society, Canadian Astronautics & Space Institute, Space Policy Institute of George Washington University, Space Awareness Alliance and others.
