SES AMERICOM ANNOUNCES NEW GENERAL COUNSEL

Industry Experience Abounds in AMERICOM Executive Team

February 5, 2003 – Princeton, NJ – Dean Olmstead, President and CEO of SES AMERICOM, Inc., an SES GLOBAL company (Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG; Frankfurt Stock Exchange: SDSL) announced that Scott Tollefsen has joined the business as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary. Tollefsen is responsible for all legal, regulatory and contract activities at the company. His duties include managing the company’s interaction with the U.S. government and international regulators, and developing legal structures for the company’s transactions and new business initiatives. Tollefsen joins a team of eleven senior executives reporting to Dean Olmstead. 

Tollefsen has extensive experience with the legal issues associated with developing and operating satellite-based businesses. His background in the commercial satellite services industry includes 11 years as general counsel of Hughes Communications, Inc. Most recently, he served as the general counsel of Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing North America, Inc. He has also been a partner in private law practice. He received his undergraduate and legal education at the University of Virginia and his business education at the Harvard Business School. 

“Scott’s depth of experience, legal acumen and industry savvy make him an ideal member of AMERICOM’s leadership team; he knows the players, the issues and the landscape,” said Dean Olmstead, President and CEO of SES AMERICOM. “As we extend our influence into diverse markets and strive to expand our suite of end-to-end solutions, Scott’s legal guidance through our industry’s increasingly complex business environment is essential. Scott joins a leadership team that is the best in the business, delivering our industry-leading quality of service.” 

The AMERICOM leadership team is organized around market-facing, technical services, and organizational support. All in all the team of eleven executives has superior industry knowledge and combines more than fourteen decades of telecommunications and satellite industry experience. 
The market-facing executives are Brent Bruun, Vice President, Product Management & Lead Generation; Andreas Georghiou, Senior Vice President, Domestic & International Sales & Services; David Helfgott, President & CEO, AMERICOM Government Services; and Kevin Smyth, Senior Vice President, Residential Satellite Services. This team addresses customer requirements with effective distribution and network solutions for broadcasters, programmers, enterprises, government agencies and consumers.

AMERICOM’s technical leaders are Dany Harel, Vice President, Space Systems and Operations, and Mike Noon, Vice President, Terrestrial Systems and Operations. These two experts have a combined history of more than four decades in the satellite industry; they manage AMERICOM’s fleet of 15 satellites, with six additional spacecraft to be launched before year-end 2004; plus an intricate network of TT&C and transmission facilities stretched from Gibraltar to Hawaii.

Organizational support for the AMERICOM enterprise is led by Paula Fairley, Senior Vice President, Human Resources & Operational Excellence; Anders Johnson, Senior Vice President, Risk Management; Robert Kisilywicz, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Monica Morgan, Vice President, Corporate Communications; and the newest member of the AMERICOM team, Scott Tollefsen, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.

About SES AMERICOM
With thirty years’ experience, SES Americom, Inc. is recognized as a pioneer and leading provider of global satellite communications services currently operating 15 spacecraft in orbital positions providing service throughout the Americas, across Europe, over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and throughout Asia. As a member of the SES GLOBAL family, AMERICOM is able to provide end-to-end telecommunications solutions to any region in the world. Through its two operating companies, AMERICOM and ASTRA, SES GLOBAL has a fleet of 28 satellites and can deliver broadband satellite services to more than 90% of the world's population. In addition, SES GLOBAL’s strategic partnerships and participations in AsiaSat, NSAB, Star One, Americom Asia-Pacific and Nahuelsat will combine to give entertainment, telecommunications, Internet, news and enterprise customers access to a fleet of 41 satellites.


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Contact: Monica Morgan, +1-609-987-4143