Iridium’s Matt Desch Bags Sixth Straight Wash100 Award From Executive Mosaic

Matt Desch, chief executive officer of Iridium Communications, received his sixth consecutive Wash100 award from Executive Mosaic for his contributions to the government contracting industry. 

Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson presented the award to Desch in recognition of his IT and telecommunications efforts in advancing new satellite capabilities, the internet of things and cloud technologies while expanding the company’s growth. 

During his tenure, the company saw a 12 percent increase in revenue in the first three months of 2019. He attributed the growth to the organization’s L-band broadband technology service coupled with its current efforts to promote the IoT, cloud and satellite technology. 

In the third quarter of 2019, the organization’s commercial IoT data subscribers went up by 25 percent to 767K. In September, the Virginia-based telecommunications company partnered with Amazon Web Services to develop a satellite cloud-based offering for internet-of-things users.

Desch has been leading Iridium’s overall strategies, management and operations since 2006.

He has also been a member of the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee for nine years and a part of the board of trustees at Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for 11 years.

Desch, a Potomac Officers Club member, has been responsible for taking the company public on the Nasdaq in 2009, for a $3B investment in modernizing the satellite system called Iridium Next and the launching of the multi-service broadband network known as Iridium Certus. 

Under his leadership, the company tripled its subscribers, exceeding the one-million mark in 2018. It also quadrupled revenues and ventured into the latest technology services, including global flight tracking in partnership with Aireon. 

A software developer early in his career at AT & T Bell Laboratories, Desch earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Ohio State University and his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago.

Wash100 is a yearly selection of the most influential personalities in government contracting. The award honors executives and government officials who have demonstrated skills in leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision in the sector.