Virgin Galactic Announces Michael Colglazier as Chief Executive Officer in Preparation for Commercial Service - Seite 2

Michael Colglazier said, “I am thrilled to join the talented team at Virgin Galactic at this inflection point in the Company’s journey. Like so many others, including hundreds of signed-up customers, I have been inspired by this purpose-driven, world-class brand and the incredible opportunity it offers to open space to change the world for good. George’s vision and outstanding leadership have enabled Virgin Galactic to reach this point, and I am excited to work with him in his role as Chief Space Officer where he will spearhead our future development efforts. On a personal note, I’d like to thank my friends and colleagues at Disney, especially Bob Chapek for his mentorship and guidance over the years, and Josh D’Amaro, who is bringing superb leadership to Disney’s Parks, Experiences, and Products. I am grateful to the Virgin Galactic Board, our chair Chamath Palihapitiya, and our founder Richard Branson for their support and trust as we make history together in this amazing company.”

George Whitesides added, ‘’Serving as the first CEO of Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company for the past ten years has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime. The next decade for Virgin Galactic will be commercially-focused, and it is the perfect moment for us to bring a visionary commercial leader like Michael to take the Company forward. Michael brings enormous experience in building customer experiences for Disney all around the world, and scaling businesses into multi-billion dollar organizations. I look forward to supporting Michael as the Company realizes Richard Branson’s vision to share the experience of spaceflight with people around the world, now turning my focus to building the next generation of aerospace vehicles and experiences.”

Sir Richard Branson said, “I want to thank George for his outstanding leadership of Virgin Galactic over the last decade. He has shown dedication and determination as its first CEO to build the Company from early stage development through to space flight, the first from American soil since the retirement of the Space Shuttle. In the past year, George has taken the Company public and moved it to Spaceport America. He transitions into his new role as Chief Space Officer having created substantial value as CEO and with Galactic poised for an exciting next chapter.”