Celestia strengthens leadership team to drive next growth phase

L to R: Celestia Chair Steve Jones, Celestia CEO George Gardner

Celestia has strengthened its senior leadership team with new appointments to accelerate its growth strategy and unlock the full potential of the collective strengths of the individual companies in the international technology group.

The changes reflect Celestia’s commitment to meeting rising customer demand for its expertise in ground station systems, RF engineering, satellite testing and simulation, MMIC design and IoT applications. These appointments build on an already strong foundation and reinforce Celestia’s position as a leader in advanced multi-technology solutions.

George Gardner has been appointed as the group’s new CEO, tasked with leading Celestia into its next phase of expansion. With a proven track record in scaling complex businesses, George brings extensive experience from leadership roles in both defence and industrial sectors.

George will complement the company’s client network in large defence primes, national defence agencies and MODs.  He joins Celestia having led and delivered a flagship decarbonisation programme for global mining company Fortescue. In his previous role as Managing Director of L3Harris’ Release & Integrated Solutions business, he oversaw a strategic transformation, growing revenue significantly.

On joining the group, George said, “It’s an honour to be joining the Celestia team. I very much look forward to building on the current successes that the team has already achieved, during an exciting period of growth, delivering high value ground segment technology products that support our customers in their own growth ambitions.”

Steve Jones, current Celestia Group CEO, will take up a new position of Group Chair, with responsibility for representing Celestia in its global growth ambitions, specifically in building and influencing impactful partnership relationships, while continuing to guide and support the senior team in delivering their plans.

“I am excited to be stepping into a new role with the headroom to add value from a different perspective,” said Steve. “With the enthusiasm and commitment of our entire team, we have met the rigorous objectives we challenged ourselves to put in place over three years ago and have built on the foundations to provide an excellent basis for our future.

“I would like to thank the entire Celestia team as well as our customers for their valued support during my time as CEO. The amount of trust I have received is very much appreciated. I very much look forward to contributing to the next part of Celestia’s journey,” he added.