TUCSON, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–World View, a global leader in stratospheric exploration and flight, today announced the appointment of Ian Thomas as Chief Revenue Officer. Thomas brings more than 30 years of experience scaling global businesses, including 15 years with The Boeing Company, where he served in a variety of senior leadership roles in the United States and Europe, and then led the company’s operations, successively, in the United Kingdom, India, Australia, and China.
“World View is proud to be at the forefront of stratospheric exploration and as we continue to expand our global reach, it is key that our company is helmed by leadership that embodies our mission: to inspire, create, and explore new perspectives for a radically improved future,” said Ryan M. Hartman, World View President and CEO. “Ian’s extensive experience in successfully scaling businesses in relevant markets and his ability to drive strategic partnerships that fill a critical gap in the existing space imaging and analytics sector will be integral for World View’s next phase of growth.”
Thomas will lead the company’s international business development and be responsible for expanding World View’s global market share as the company continues to grow and diversify its remote sensing business. Part of his focus will be to target new industries that stand to benefit from the unique advantages offered by remote sensing via the stratosphere and on delivering capabilities not available with traditional satellite imaging or fixed-wing aircraft monitoring.
Thomas led Boeing’s operations in four of the world’s largest aerospace markets, helping secure the sale and approval of billions of dollars of commercial airplanes and defense products and services. Prior to his time at Boeing, he served in office of NATO policy at the Pentagon and has written widely on U.S. and Allied defense and security issues.
“I’m honored to join the World View team during this exciting time of dynamic growth for the company and for the global remote sensing market,” said Thomas. “World View’s technologies bring critical capability to a wide range of government and industry customers across an expanding field of use cases. I look forward to supporting the expansion of our World View’s business and to scaling a highly profitable global enterprise.”
Earlier this year, World View announced plans to go public through a SPAC deal with Leo Holdings Corp. II (“Leo”) (NYSE: LHC). The transaction values the combined company at a pro forma enterprise value of approximately $350 million. World View plans to use the capital to expand its global remote sensing business into new markets, pioneering new and existing use cases in this evolving domain and growing economy.
To learn more about World View’s expertise pioneering the stratospheric economy, visit worldview.space.
About World View
World View Enterprises Inc. (“World View”) is a leading global stratospheric exploration company, founded in 2012 and headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. World View has a demonstrated record of accomplishments in the stratospheric ballooning industry, and is leading a new era of stratospheric exploration to take humanity’s understanding and appreciation of Earth to inspired new heights. With a sharper vision for a brighter future, World View exists to inspire, create and explore new perspectives for a radically improved future. Through its legacy remote sensing business and Stratollite® imaging, and exciting future capabilities with research and engineering missions and space tourism and exploration, World View is working to ensure its ultimate objective: honor the planet so that future generations will feel blessed to call it home. For more information, visit worldview.space.
About Leo Holdings Corp. II and Leo Holdings
Leo Holdings Corp. II (“Leo”), currently listed on the NYSE under the ticker LHC, is a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that seeks to invest in entrepreneurially driven growth companies that aim to disrupt existing industries or business models, as well businesses positioned to thrive in the evolving digital information age where changing consumer behavior creates the opportunity for outsized returns. Leo Holdings Corp. II is part of a special purpose acquisition company initiative, Leo Holdings. Leo Holdings was formed by the principals of Lion Capital, which is led by Founder and Managing Partner, Lyndon Lea. Leo Holdings’ management team has extensive experience owning and operating businesses on a global scale and has collaboratively worked together for over 20 years. For more information, visit https://leoholdings.com/.