United Nations Chief Appoints Aarti Holla-Maini As Director Of Outer Space Affairs

Aarti Holla-Maini, an Indian-origin satellite industry expert, has been named director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna.

Simonetta Di Pippo of Italy will be succeeded by Holla-Maini of the United Kingdom.

UNOOSA promotes international collaboration in the peaceful use and exploration of space, as well as the utilization of space science and technology for long-term economic and social development.

Holla-Maini has over 25 years of professional experience in the space sector, including managerial and advocacy roles.

She was most recently Executive Vice-President of Sustainability, Policy & Impact at NorthStar Earth & Space.

Prior to that, she was the Secretary-General of the Global Satellite Operators Association for almost 18 years.

Holla-Maini’s experience includes serving on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space, as a member of the Advisory Group of the Space Sustainability Rating managed by eSpace at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) Space Center, as a member of the Satellite Industry Association of India’s Advisory Board, as Senior Space Policy Advisor to Forum Europe and as Expert Advisor on Space Traffic Management for European Union studies 2021-2023.

She was also the chief architect of the Crisis Connectivity Charter, which was formed in 2015 with the UN World Food Program’s Emergency Telecommunications Cluster for emergency telecommunications via satellite.

Aarti Holla-Maini graduated from Kings College London, UK, with a bachelor’s degree in law and a master’s degree in business administration from HEC Paris, France.

She is also a graduate of the International Space University and speaks English, French, German, and Punjabi, as well as a little Dutch.

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