Comtech, a global technology leader, today announced the appointment of satellite communications (SATCOM) and defense technology industry leader John Ratigan as the company’s first Chief Corporate Development Officer (CCDO).

With differentiated expertise across the global satellite technology sector, Ratigan brings over three decades of leadership experience to his position as Comtech’s CCDO. Ratigan’s experience is uniquely well aligned with Comtech’s strategic business priorities and continued expansion into new growth markets.

Prior to joining Comtech, Ratigan served as CEO and President of iDirect Government as well as holding a position as an Executive Committee Member of ST Engineering iDirect. As its first employee, Ratigan established iDirect Government and grew the company to over $100 million in annual revenue. During his tenure as CEO and President, Ratigan assembled a team of over 200 outstanding professionals and was responsible for taking iDirect Government from a startup to a well-known technology leader that deployed thousands of innovative modem solutions and satellite technologies supporting U.S. government and Department of Defense (DoD) customers across the globe. Ratigan was also responsible for acquiring GlowLink and its unique interference mitigation technology (CSIR) and fused it with iDirect’s own Evolution technology, which helped the company become the largest provider of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) SATCOM capabilities for the U.S. DoD.

“As a renowned leader in the satellite and defense industry, John’s deep expertise and unique experience will help enhance our strategic positioning, accelerate Comtech’s new technology trajectories, and further improve our ability to accomplish our near and long-term strategic priorities,” said Ken Peterman, President and CEO, Comtech. “John will be instrumental in identifying new opportunities, strategic partnerships, and technology synergies that will help Comtech democratize access to communications technologies, bridge the digital divide, and empower a truly connected planet. We are thrilled to have him on board as we enter our next chapter as One Comtech.”

In his position as CCDO, Ratigan will oversee new business initiatives aligned with Comtech’s strategic pursuits as the company continues its One Comtech journey.

“I’m excited to be part of Comtech’s transformational growth and it’s an honor to help lead a company where I spent 10 years earlier in my career,” said Ratigan. “I’m thrilled to be working with Ken Peterman and this incredible Comtech team where we’re bringing some of the best and brightest minds together to push the limits of innovation and make a lasting, positive impact in the world. As CCDO, I’m looking forward to helping the company identify and secure new opportunities that can unleash the full potential of the One Comtech transformation.”

Earlier in his career, Ratigan ran east coast operations for Fairchild Data, and EF DATA (now Comtech). As a company leader, Ratigan was instrumental in helping EF DATA grow from $20 million to $120 million in revenue in under eight years. During his tenure, Ratigan played a key role helping EFDATA become the preeminent leader in Single Channel Per Carrier (SCPC) satellite technology, which provided him with valuable insights related to technology migration and leadership experience that has continued to serve him well in subsequent roles. In addition to starting his own company, Ratigan held the position of Senior Vice President of North and South American sales for the start-up Broadlogic, just as companies started to run IP directly over satellite.

Ratigan began his career in the United States Senate working for Senator Bill Armstrong (R-Colorado) and held multiple sales positions with the Xerox Corporation as a member of the legal sales team.

Ratigan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Maryland.