Mark Dankberg to Return to Chairman, CEO Roles at Viasat; Richard Baldridge to Become Vice Chairman

Mark Dankberg, co-founder and executive chairman of Viasat (Nasdaq: VSAT), will return to his roles as chairman and CEO of the company starting July 1.

Viasat President and CEO Richard Baldridge will transition to the newly created role of vice chairman and will focus on finalizing the Inmarsat acquisition, manage execution strategy and integration planning for the combined entities and continue to oversee Viasat’s assessment of strategic initiatives and organizational efforts, the company said Wednesday.

The leadership changes came a week after shareholders at Viasat approved the company’s proposed acquisition of Inmarsat, which is expected to close in the second half of 2022.

Dankberg co-founded Viasat in 1986 and held the roles of CEO and chairman until his appointment as executive chairman in 2020. He will oversee the company’s daily operations with the support of Chief Operating Officer Kevin Harkenrider, who has been with Viasat since October 2006.

Sean Pak, lead independent director at Viasat, said the executive moves allow the company to optimize the contributions of Dankberg and Baldridge as leaders and reflect Viasat’s commitment to a planned integration with Inmarsat needed to advance growth initiatives in the satellite industry.

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