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She joins Eutelsat from being the CEO of KMD, a Danish IT and software company that is now part of the NEC Group. She is credited by Eutelsat with the “transformation of KMD from a mainly government service provider to a modern, digital company competing in both the public and private sectors”.
Previously she held senior positions at TDC, the largest telecommunications company in Denmark, having begun her career at McKinsey where she was based for 10 years at the group’s Paris offices. Berneke also sits on the Boards of Lego, the wind turbine specialists Vestas Wind Systems and France’s Ecole Polytechnique.
She has an engineering background as a graduate of Denmark’s Technical University, where she gained a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, and she holds an MBA from INSEAD.
Announcing the appointment, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Eutelsat, Dominique D’Hinnin, said:
“It is my great pleasure to welcome Eva Berneke to Eutelsat. She brings to us an unparalleled skillset combining deep experience of both the telecoms and technology sectors at an international level as well as a proven and successful track record in transforming businesses in rapidly changing, highly technical, and regulated markets. Along with my Board colleagues, I am confident Eva is the right person to lead Eutelsat’s transition towards the connectivity businesses by executing its telecoms pivot and leveraging its investment in OneWeb.”
Note that in October 2021, Eutelsat increased its stake in OneWeb – which is partly owned by the UK government – to 23%, making it the second largest shareholder.
“I am hugely excited to join Eutelsat at this compelling stage in its development,” said Berneke. “As one of the world’s leading satellite operators, Eutelsat’s innovation track record, its exceptional suite of in-orbit assets, and its solid financial position, mean it is strongly positioned to be among the successes in the Space Sector in the years ahead.”
Rodolphe Belmer
Berneke replaces Rodolphe Belmer who notified Eutelsat of his intention to leave back in October, and to step down at the beginning of 2022. He had been CEO for more than five years, since March 2016.
Earlier in October, the company confirmed it had rejected an unsolicited takeover bid from the telecoms billionaire Patrick Drahi.
See also: Eutelsat raises shareholding in OneWeb, now second largest
