Executive Team

Rick Somerton is an entrepreneur, with a wealth of business experience, having served in CEO roles in a number of technology businesses. He is primarily responsible for the development of customers, partners and ecosystem in our high priority Australian and New Zealand markets.

Rick brings direct IoT industry experience to eSat. He was the Asia-Pacific licensee for Ingenu’s RPMA LPWAN technology and was responsible for the establishment of the first RPMA network in China.  During this period, he developed strong industry relationships across Asia and Europe. 

Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Rick had a successful career in investment banking, including serving as the Head of the Power Energy and Utility business at Salomon Brothers, Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Masters of Commerce degree in International Business Studies from University of New South Wales.

Mike Parr has worked as a communications system engineer for over 30 years and serves as eSAT Global’s chief technology officer. Since the late 1990s, he has concentrated on mobile satellite systems and the related terminal designs; for companies including Ligado, Thuraya, Inmarsat, Globalstar, Terrestar, and MexSat.

Mike holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. He has 34 issued US patents, with one patent pending.

Michelle Hays, chief financial officer and founder of eSAT Global, is an experienced financial leader with over 25 years of experience driving the financial growth of organizations in both the software and hardware technology market segments. She is responsible for managing and directing eSAT Global’s financial operations, human resources and administration activities.

Michelle has held key leadership roles with several venture-backed, early-stage and turnaround companies, and is highly energized by the challenges and opportunities that accompany preparing small companies for growth and success. 

Fergal Quinn is an experienced technologist focused on strategy development and implementation of programs and platforms to support those strategies. With expertise in enterprise and solution architectures, Fergal supports eSAT in designing and building technology solutions that address our customers' business requirements and performance expectations. 

Fergal holds a Bachelor of Science in Computing from University of Dublin, Trinity College and a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management. 

Dave Lyon is an entrepreneur and telecommunications engineer. In the early 1980s, while working for the company that would become Hughes Network Systems, Dave and fellow board member, Tom Scholl led the definition and development of the first successful Ku-band VSAT networks with anchor customers including Walmart, Exxon, Southland Corporation and Schlumberger. 

Dave subsequently co-founded Pacific Communication Sciences Inc. (PCSI) and as CEO managed the company through its ground-breaking developments of the first packet data system to run over cellular networks (Cellular Digital Packet Data) and the silicon and software underpinning DDI’s first microcellular Personal Handy Phone networks in Japan. PCSI was acquired by Cirrus Logic in 1993.

Dave founded and continues to operate Sage Strategies, a technology and management consulting firm specializing in wireless telecommunications. He currently serves as a board member or advisor to several growth-stage companies in the US and Asia.

Dave earned his BS, MS, and PhD degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), all in the field of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.