Intelsat, operator of one of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks and leading provider of inflight connectivity (IFC), today announced the appointment of Gaurav Kharod as the regional vice president for its Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Kharod comes from Intelsat’s India office, where he served as the managing sales director of South Asia and India.

Kharod will assume the responsibilities from Terry Bleakley, who previously led the APAC team. Bleakley will transition on April 1 to a part-time senior advisory role at Intelsat and will continue to support key growth opportunities in the region.

“Intelsat is on an ambitious growth trajectory in the APAC market, and Gaurav brings with him the expertise that will help us achieve these goals,” said Senior Vice President, Global Sales, Network and Media, Jean-Philippe Gillet. “I look forward to achieving many milestones under Gaurav’s leadership in the region.”

In Kharod’s last assignment, he led the Media business sales team, driving the organization’s strategy in the region. Kharod also implemented a successful entry strategy for Intelsat’s high throughput satellite (HTS) IS-33e in the Indian market. This created a roadmap for the growth of all the different business verticals of Intelsat, including Media, Networks, FlexMaritime, and Commercial Aviation, to be fully represented in the Indian and South Asia markets.

Before joining Intelsat, Kharod held leadership roles at Hughes India and Viasat Inc. in the satellite domain, along with a stint at Conax AS in the media industry. He brings a mix of expertise across sales, product management, business development, regulatory and policy affairs.

Kharod holds an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering as part of his college education in Gujarat, India.