Alan Khalili Promoted to CEO Post at Kleos Space

Alan Khalili has been elevated from his former position as chief financial officer to CEO of Kleos Space, succeeding Andy Bower, who will now serve as chief strategy officer.

Leveraging over 20 years of leadership experience in various technology industries, Khalili will guide Kleos’ efforts to expand its engagement with the sizable U.S. defense intelligence market, the company said Tuesday.

“Kleos has a world-class global team, and I look forward to leveraging our European technology development and satellite operations to address real-world challenges for defense entities, national security agencies, and commercial organizations globally,” said Khalili.

He also commented on the significance of the European organization’s first U.S. contract win, which he said demonstrates the growing demand for Kleos intelligence offerings.

Khalili’s long history of senior management experience includes roles spanning the data-as-a-service, aerospace, satellite, wireless voice and internet of things industries. He previously worked on space commercialization initiatives while serving as chief financial officer and administrative officer at Aireon, an aircraft tracking company that utilizes a hosted payload on a third party satellite for data collection.

Kleos expects Khalili’s status as a U.S. citizen to aid in the organization’s efforts to progress further into its U.S. target market. The anticipated growth and increased engagement with the nation’s intelligence community is intended to better position Kleos to secure federal contract awards in other markets.

In addition to the CEO transition, Kleos appointed Sara Fanous to the vice president of finance position. Fanous holds over 17 years of experience in public accounting, SEC reporting and building accounting and finance departments in early-stage space-based data and communication companies.

Earlier this year, the National Reconnaissance Office awarded Kleos with its first U.S. government contract, under which the company is responsible for providing guidance on the advancement of commercial radio frequency geolocation capability to boost its current capabilities.