Newly formed Maxar Intelligence hires CEO

WESTMINSTER — Maxar Intelligence, one of the new business divisions created with the recent split of Maxar Technologies Inc., has hired Dan Smoot as CEO.

Smoot, who will start next week, was most recently the CEO of national security IT company Riverbed Technology LLC.

He replaces interim Maxar Intelligence CEO Daniel Jablonsky, who was previously the CEO of the combined Maxar company and will now move to the board of directors. 

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Maxar Intelligence, which was formed after a $6.4 billion acquisition of Maxar by Boston-based private-equity firm Advent International, is in the process of filling out its executive roster, which includes chief financial officer Mike Mohn, chief product officer Scott Herman, chief human resources officer Anat Gan Eden, chief transformation officer Will Cocos and general managers Susanne Hake and Anders Linder.

“We have carefully selected this senior leadership team to grow Maxar’s position as the world leader in secure, precise geospatial intelligence with new mission-focused solutions and digital platforms that help customers generate more insights from our best-in-class data, faster,” Advent managing partner Shonnel Malani said in a prepared statement. “We are excited to back this talented group of individuals led by Dan and look forward to the next chapter of Maxar’s growth story. We’d also like to thank Daniel Jablonsky for his leadership throughout his tenure as CEO of Maxar Technologies.”

In addition to Maxar Intelligence, which provides geospatial monitoring services to governments and companies, the combined company includes the aerospace division Maxar Space Infrastructure.

Maxar is “still one company. We’re just creating two formal businesses within the company,” Maxar spokesperson Tomi Maxted told BizWest in September when the divisions were announced. “Each will have its own leadership structure but both will report to the same board of directors.”

The space division is led by CEO Chris Johnson, who previously helmed Boeing Satellite Systems International and joined Maxar in 2021 as senior vice president of space programs delivery.

“This new structure enables both businesses to deliver for customers and innovate leading-edge technology with dedicated focus,” Maxted said. “The two businesses will continue to work together on joint programs, such as WorldView Legion. This is an exciting time for both businesses, as demand for space and geospatial solutions continues to grow and Maxar Space Infrastructure and Maxar Intelligence are well positioned to grow.”

Advent closed in May on the deal to acquire Maxar and take the company private. The deal came five years after Canadian company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. merged with Westminster-based DigitalGlobe in a $2.4 billion deal, with the combined company renamed Maxar Technologies.

“As a private company,” Jablonsky said when the acquisition was announced, “we will have enhanced flexibility and additional resources to build on Maxar’s strong foundation, further scale operations and capture the significant opportunities in a rapidly expanding market.”

The acquisition and the split of Maxar has resulted in unspecified job cuts in Westminster. 

“As part of this reorganization, Maxar reduced headcount by a small amount in some corporate functions,” Maxar told BizWest in an email. “We thank those individuals for their contributions and wish them well in future endeavors.”