Ken Peterman is President Government Systems at Viasat. A world leader in satellite communications, networking and related technologies, Viasat (sales ~$2B/yr) employs well over 6,000 professional and support personnel worldwide. Viasat produces satellite payloads and ground infrastructure, satellite terminals, networked data links and cybersecurity solutions that provide high speed, assured, secure global communications serving both the commercial and government sectors. Viasat’s government business is a market leader in tactical networking and Link-16 datalinks; information assurance and cybersecurity; assured, high capacity satellite communications; and air/ground situational awareness.
Under Ken’s leadership as President Government Systems, Viasat has built a culture of passionately focusing on the warfighter’s mission and applying technical innovation to empower the warfighter in new and different ways – ways that many never dreamed possible. He has led Viasat’s transformation in becoming a prime communications provider to the US DoD, with a commitment to connecting the world’s toughest missions and ensuring that mission operators have the information they need, where and when they need it.
A distinguished leader in Defense & Aerospace, Ken Peterman has helped shape the strategic landscape in tactical and satellite communications, cybersecurity, and C4 defense technology sectors through successful tenures at the President/CEO and VP/GM level of several top defense companies, including ITT Exelis, Rockwell Collins, and Raytheon. He has accumulated deep credentials via successful leadership experiences in a diverse array of organizational cultures and geo-political environments across over 40 years in the defense segment and is a respected thought leader among US and international senior leaders.
Along with his wife, Jennifer, Ken’s charitable and philanthropic efforts primarily focus on environmental conservation and providing assistance to socially and economically disadvantaged in certain US communities, as well improving education and economic stability for women and children in certain developing countries. Ken serves on a variety of boards and advisory groups where he helps advance the strategic trajectories of the military communications and technology sectors.