EarthData appoints chief operating officer

March 06, 2006

Chief Executive Officer Anne Hale Miglarese announced today the appointment of Maxime Elbaz as chief operating officer of EarthData International. Elbaz will manage the mapping and GIS company's aviation, data processing, GIS, and research and development divisions, as well as lead worldwide corporate sales. Elbaz brings to these activities over 20 years of operational management and business development experience in remote sensing, geospatial, and high-tech industries, including experience as president and chief executive officer of KGI, a Kodak subsidiary specializing in geospatial solutions.

"Maxime is a hands-on leader whose commitment to operational excellence spans two decades," said Miglarese. "He has a proven record of helping organizations maximize profitability, expand globally, and improve customer satisfaction." Miglarese added that his educational background in engineering, together with the value he places on advanced technologies, makes Elbaz the ideal choice to lead EarthData's newly consolidated operational functions.

"I was attracted to EarthData because of its reputation as an industry leader, its commitment to technological innovation, and because of a corporate commitment to global expansion," said Elbaz, whose international business experience includes market development throughout China, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Prior to joining EarthData, Elbaz served as general manager of Underwriters Laboratories' Environmental Restricted Substances Business Unit, where he orchestrated the business expansion into Asian markets. Prior to that Elbaz had a distinguished career with Eastman Kodak, where his experience covered both operational management of the consumer and commercial digital and film imaging divisions, as well as worldwide business development.

Originally from France, Elbaz holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Rochester (NY, USA) and a master's degree in chemical engineering from the Louis Pasteur University (Strasbourg, France).