Indian-origin satellite industry expert of the UK to succeed Simonetta Di Pippo of Italy
Our Bureau
Vienna
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Aarti Holla-Maini, an Indian-origin satellite industry expert as Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna. From the United Kingdom, she will succeed Simonetta Di Pippo of Italy.
UNOOSA promotes global cooperation for the peaceful use and exploration of space and aims for sustainable economic and social development by utilizing space science and technology.
Holla-Maini has rich professional experience of over 25 years in the space sector, managerial and advocacy functions. In 2015, she also worked with the UN World Food Program’s Emergency Telecommunications Cluster for developing the Crisis Connectivity Charter established for emergency telecommunications via satellite.
Most recently, she was holding the position of Executive Vice-President of Sustainability, Policy, and Impact at NorthStar Earth & Space. Before that, she worked for over 18 years in the capacity of the Secretary-General of the Global Satellite Operators Association.
Holla-Maini has proven experience, serving as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space; a member of the Advisory Group of the Space Sustainability Rating managed by eSpace at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) Space Center; member of the Advisory Board of the Satellite Industry Association of India; Senior Space Policy Advisor to Forum Europe and as Expert Advisor on Space Traffic Management for European Union studies 2021-2023.
