Elodie Collins
Craig Miller and Girish Chandran have assumed new responsibilities at Viasat as part of the company’s ongoing restructuring for long-term growth. The global communications provider said Wednesday that Miller, former president of global space networks, will now serve as senior vice president for strategic initiatives while Chandran, current chief technology officer, will also sit as president of global space networks at Viasat.
Additionally, Guru Gowrappan is stepping down from his role as president. He will continue to be at the company until April in an advisory role to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities.
Who is Craig Miller?
Miller joined Viasat in 1995 and has been instrumental in the company’s evolution throughout the years. He was involved in launching the Viasat Government Systems Space Business and the development of the company’s Link-16 low Earth orbit satellites. He also played a role in Viasat’s work with NASA to develop space-to-space relay technologies under the Communications Services Project.
Before Viasat, Craig led the implementation of electronic countermeasures for Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile at Hughes Missile Systems Group.
In his new role, Miller will work closely with Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg to develop and execute the company’s strategic growth initiatives.
Get to Know Girish Chandran
Chandran has held multiple engineering roles since he joined Viasat in October 2007. Prior to becoming CTO, he was a principal engineer who led efforts to build the ground segment for geostationary satellites.
Before Viasat, he served as vice president of engineering at Newtec America, where he designed end-to-end IP networks for multimedia exchange.
Chandran is now in charge of Viasat’s global network while he continues to lead the company’s central engineering team.
Guru Gowrappan Departs Viasat
Gowrappan led Viasat through its acquisition of and integration with Inmarsat in 2024. The company said the executive’s departure was mutually agreed upon and there currently are no plans to fill the president role.
“We are appreciative of Guru’s leadership integrating Inmarsat and achieving accelerated synergies,” commented Dankberg. “Guru built a great team, oversaw consolidation of operations, and we wish him continued success in his future endeavors.”
