TELECOMMUNICATIONS 2025: DESCH, MATTHEW J.

Desch joined Iridium as CEO in 2006, took the company public in 2009 and subsequently replaced its first-generation network with new satellites that are expected to last into the mid to late 2030s.

Last year, after the global satellite communications company acquired Reston-based Satelles, Iridium unveiled the Iridium Satellite Time and Location service, which is expected to generate more than

$100 million in service revenue annually by 2030. Iridium posted revenues of $830.7 million in 2024.

In May, Iridium announced a $13 million relocation  of its Tysons headquarters to a 55,000-square-foot space at 1676 International Drive in McLean. The site is expected to add 117 jobs and be ready in March 2026. It also announced a partnership with Tampa, Florida- based Syniverse to bring direct-to-device satellite connectivity to mobile network operators worldwide.

Desch graduated from Ohio State University and has an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has served on the President’s National Security

Telecommunications Advisory Committee since 2011 and on the board of directors for Unisys since 2019. In 2025, he was named to Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 list for the 11th consecutive year.

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