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 Master's 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.

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. 

Kevin Xu possesses deep and varied expertise in the realm of wireless communication; spanning across business development, ecosystem development, supply chain management, product management, marketing, and sales. Throughout his career, Kevin has contributed his skills and knowledge to renowned companies like Intel, Sequans, Powermat, and Quanta; where he has held various executive positions. 

Kevin now holds the position of VP of Program Management at eSat, where he not only oversees crucial program initiatives but also comprehensively manages the company's supply chains. This responsibility encompasses managing partnerships with IP providers, semiconductor chip suppliers, contract and original design manufacturers, as well as original equipment manufacturing partners.  Kevin's efforts ensure smooth collaboration and efficient operations across this broad span of cutting-edge supply chain partners. 

Kevin holds a MS and PhD from UCLA, and B.S. from Beijing University. 

Brandon Freeman is a strategic advisor and startup executive specializing in helping companies pivot their product lines and go-to-market strategies as market opportunities shift. Brandon's experience comes from building the smartphone, Internet-of-Things (IoT), and smart cities industries as an executive at technology startups and multinational corporations.

Brandon is a board member for various technology ventures. Prior to his current roles, Brandon led the development and go-to-market strategies of billion dollar strategic campaigns at Leidos - the nation's largest government IT solutions provider. Brandon also helped lead the smartphone revolution as the first Chief-of-Staff at HTC America, where he led management of the business unit’s PMO and oversaw execution of the annual operating plan, flagship campaigns, and special projects for the region. He additionally served as the Vice President of Product and then Strategic Partnerships at Ingenu, a wireless communications company that helped create the modern IoT industry.  

A UC San Diego alumnus with a B.S. in Management Science and focus in Computer Engineering, Brandon is a 2008 Webby Award Honoree and is also the author of a theoretical physics book, entitled Grand Symphony.