Speedcast appoints new chief executive as growth comes from LEO and AI

Speedcast has hired Ross Rosenberg as its new chief executive, enabling Jim Frownfelter to leave the position and return to his previous role as executive chairman of the board of directors.

These executive moves come as the satellite communications provider is encountering growth in maritime connectivity due to greater use of low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations and development of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms.

Mr Rosenberg has decades of experience in leading transformations at multi-national connectivity, hardware and software companies.

He most recently served as chief executive at Magic Leap, where he led the company’s shift towards a new AI platform and software ecosystem model.

Mr Rosenberg served as chief transformation officer at Belden Inc where he led the company’s evolution into a provider of connectivity, networking hardware and industrial cybersecurity software. He also held senior executive roles at Rocket Software, First Solar and Danaher.

Mr Frownfelter joined Speedcast during the company’s 2021 recapitalisation by Centerbridge Partners and held dual roles as Speedcast’s chief executive and executive chairman of the board since January 2024.

In the past five years, Mr Frownfelter has helped Speedcast strengthen partnerships with LEO constellation operators Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb, introduce the Sigma intelligent edge network management unit and invest in AI-powered platforms to help customers turn raw data into actionable operational insights and intelligence.

“We are entering a new era where LEO satellite constellations and edge computing are creating unprecedented opportunities to connect people, assets and operations with greater speed, reliability and intelligence,” said Mr Rosenberg.

“Customers can harness these technologies and turn connectivity into a strategic advantage,” he said.

“We can unlock operational data from the world’s most remote environments and make it available for AI-driven insight – giving customers intelligence, not just connectivity.”