Andrew Cole brings 25 years of cross-sector experience from senior finance, operational and advisory roles. He previously worked as the group financial controller at SES, a company with a constellation of geostationary and medium earth orbit satellites, and was an external auditor for EY and KPMG in London.
Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, CEO of Yahsat, said: “I am most happy to welcome Andrew into our midst as the new CFO of Yahsat. As we continue to intensify our expansion program across the globe, Andrew’s wealth of experience, especially in the satellite sector, will be highly beneficial to us. He has an excellent record at all finance and operational leadership levels, and I am sure he will bring great value to Yahsat.”
Cole is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). He has an executive MBA degree from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées and a Post Graduate certificate in international business from the University of Edinburgh.
Andrew said: “Yahsat is a young, ambitious company that has grown exponentially in a short span of time. I am delighted to join its dynamic leadership team at a most exciting phase and thank the board of directors for the confidence they have placed in me. I look forward to working with its multicultural workforce, and together we aim to continue the legacy and deliver a strong future for the company.”
Yahsat’s five satellite fleet reaches more than two-thirds of the world’s population, enabling broadband, broadcasting, backhauling and mobility solutions. Yahsat provides a wide range of C, Ku, Ka, and L-band solutions for land, maritime and aero platforms to consumers, governments and enterprises. Its businesses consist of Yahsat Government Solutions, YahClick, YahLink, Yahlive and Thuraya.
Cole joined Yahsat on 1 July and Balakrishnan will continue to be part of the company as strategic advisor. In December, Yahsat appointed a new chairman, Khaled Al Qubaisi, CEO of aerospace, renewables and ICT at Mubadala Investment Company, which owns Yahsat.
