Meet Aarti Holla-Maini, the Indian-origin British satellite expert who will head UN Outer Space office

Indian-origin satellite industry expert Aarti Holla-Maini will soon take over as the Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna. She has been appointed to the post by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Holla-Maini will replace Simonetta Di Pippo of Italy.

The post of the Director of UNOOSA is significant since the agency works to facilitate international cooperation in the utilisation of space science for sustainable economic and social development. Besides, the agency also helps in advancing the cause of space exploration.

Holla-Maini brings over two decades of professional experience in the space sector.

Holla-Maini, in her career spanning over 25 years as a professional in the space sector, has mostly served in managerial and advocacy functions. She is an alumna of the International Space University, France. Most recently she held the post of Executive Vice-President of Sustainability, Policy and Impact at NorthStar Earth and Space.

She has also served as the Secretary General of the Global Satellite Operators Association for over 18 years. She is fluent in English, French, German and Punjabi

Holla-Maini is a law graduate from the prestigious King's College London, UK and she also has a master's degree in business administration from HEC Paris, France.

The space industry expert’s impressive career includes her services 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 and a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Space. She was also a member of the Advisory Board of the Satellite Industry Association of India and an Expert Advisor on Space Traffic Management for European Union studies 2021-2023.

It is worth noting that Holla-Maini is credited as one of the chief architects of the Crisis Connectivity Charter, which was established in 2015. This charter caters to emergency telecommunications via satellite with the UN World Food Program's Emergency Telecommunications Cluster.