Gilat Satellite Networks has announced the appointment of Glenn Katz as CEO of its wholly owned subsidiary, Spacenet Inc.

Currently serving as President and Chief Operating Officer of Spacenet, Glenn Katz will assume the responsibility of CEO effective January 1, 2012. Mr. Katz has been serving in his current role since 2006, fostering the company's year over year growth in revenue and managing its strategic business initiatives. An industry veteran, Mr. Katz serves as the driving force behind Spacenet's ongoing improvements to its product portfolio and service delivery.

Andreas M. Georghiou, Spacenet's current CEO, will continue to serve as external advisor to Gilat's executive management team. Mr. Georghiou was appointed CEO in 2006, and under his leadership Spacenet has demonstrated improvements across key business indicators, delivering growth in revenues and profitability. Mr. Georghiou has been instrumental in broadening the strategic direction of Spacenet to include Managed Network Services for both enterprise and government customers.

With the acquisition earlier in 2011 of CICAT Networks, a US nationwide provider of broadband network solutions, Spacenet expanded its business in the broadband Managed Network Services market and is further leveraging its core network management, call center and field services capabilities. The acquisition marked an important step as Spacenet solidifies its position as a leading provider of a comprehensive range of communications solutions to help nationwide multi-site organizations manage their networks more efficiently and effectively.

"I would like to thank Andreas for his valuable contribution during the past few years, and I am pleased that we will continue to benefit from his familiarity with Spacenet and his tremendous knowledge of our industry," said Amiram Levinberg, Gilat's Chairman of the Board and CEO.

"In the past year, Spacenet has made strategic steps to become an important player in the Managed Network Services market, and has enjoyed a strong track record with enterprise customers across the industry. Glenn has contributed significantly to this positioning, and I am confident that with his business and managerial experience he will lead Spacenet to future achievements in this new stage of growth."

"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to lead Spacenet as it continues its strong momentum in the enterprise and government markets, and as it further builds its position in the Managed Network Services industry," said Glenn Katz, Spacenet's CEO-elect. "With a strong management team in place, new products and services, and a trusted customer base, we have a great opportunity to continue showing profitability and delivering ongoing growth."

Prior to joining Spacenet, Mr. Katz was the Interim CEO and CIO of StarBand Communications Inc., a consumer broadband satellite company. As the Interim CEO he led the merger between StarBand and Spacenet Inc. that was concluded in 2006. Prior to joining StarBand, Mr. Katz held several executive roles with Gilat Satellite Networks in both Gilat's headquarters and US subsidiary, and helped launch Gilat Latin America, Inc. serving as Chief Technical Officer and VP of Operations.

Before joining Gilat in 1993, Mr. Katz worked with Digital Transmission Systems, and Scientific Atlanta, serving as a design and development engineer in both companies. Mr. Katz holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia.