Advanced Television

Telesat makes leadership changes

January 13, 2025

Satellite operator Telesat has announced that Michel Forest will be its new Chief Technology Officer following the retirement of David Wendling at the end of February 2025. In this role, Forest will report to Dan Goldberg, Telesat’s President and CEO, and oversee Telesat’s satellite operations, satellite and systems engineering, launch activities and programme management.

Serving most recently as Telesat’s Vice President of LEO System Engineering, Forest has been leading the end-to-end architecture and system performance of the advanced Telesat Lightspeed constellation. Prior to his decade-long career at Telesat, he held leadership positions in satellite systems and antenna engineering at MDA Space.

“Michel has a strong track record of leading the development of innovative solutions and delivering exceptional results to optimise the performance, reliability and cost of Telesat’s satellite assets,” stated Goldberg. “I have great confidence in Michel’s leadership, expertise and vision in supporting our global customer base and executing on the Telesat Lightspeed programme.”

“I am honored to succeed Dave as Telesat’s Chief Technology Officer and thank him for his years of leadership and mentorship throughout my career with the company,” said Forest. “I am excited for the bright future ahead as we execute on the Telesat Lightspeed programme and our vision to redefine space-based connectivity throughout the world.”

With regard to Wendling’s departure, Goldberg added: “In his nearly 40-year stellar career with Telesat, Dave has been the driving force of technical innovation at the company, resulting in several satellite industry firsts and the state-of-the-art design of Telesat Lightspeed. All of us at Telesat are deeply grateful for Dave’s outstanding contributions, dedication and leadership.”

“It has been my honour to work with the brightest minds in the satellite industry during my tenure at Telesat and help create a culture of engineering excellence that drives continual innovation,” said Wendling. “It’s a pivotal time at Telesat and Michel is the right leader to take charge of the Telesat Lightspeed programme to deliver revolutionary capabilities to our customers.”

Also announced, Asit Tandon is joining Telesat in the role of Chief Network and Information Officer, reporting to Goldberg. In this role, Tandon will be responsible for the terrestrial elements of the Telesat Lightspeed network, including Network Operations systems, the Network Operations Center, facilities, programme management and customer fulfillment, and network and corporate IT systems.

Tandon was most recently the Vice President of Network Technology at Rogers Communications, where he was responsible for the technology development, design, engineering and operations of wireline access and core networks. Previously, he held leadership roles in Network Operations at Hutchison-3 Indonesia, Bharti Airtel and Siemens.

“I’m excited to welcome Asit to our senior leadership team, where he will play a crucial role in building and integrating best-in-class technical operations systems and worldwide facilities that will be essential elements of the Telesat Lightspeed network,” stated Goldberg. “Asit’s deep expertise and global experience will be invaluable as we execute on our ambitious growth plans.”

“I am thrilled to join Telesat at such a pivotal time of growth and innovation,” added Tandon. “Telesat has a proven 55-year track record of revolutionising satellite connectivity, and I look forward to leveraging my extensive network expansion experience to advance global operational excellence and service delivery in the fast-growing global broadband connectivity market.”

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