ViaSat
Varsha Rao Appointed to ViaSat, Inc. Board of Directors
In July 2017 Varsha joined the Board of Directors of ViaSat, Inc. as a Class III director. Reflecting on Rao's appointment, ViaSat Chairman and CEO, Mark Dankberg, noted that her expertise in global operations at Airbnb and other organizations makes her an invaluable asset to the Board, as does her vast experience in leading global startups, launching digital products and penetrating new markets.
Following her stint at LivingSocial and Singtel Digital Media, Varshao Rao was hired by Airbnb in November 2013 as Head of Global Operations, on the executive staff. Specifically, she was hired to lead local operational teams around the world as well as customer experience and and trust and safety. In practice, she managed Airbnb operations in 16 cities, supervising teams across Europe, Asia and in the US (SF, NY and others cities), and more. Varsha's work focused on growth in many international markets, supply acquisition, vacation rentals, customer service, and most notably, the company’s expansion across Asia.
During her time at Airbnb the company experienced significant growth in revenues, global headcount and overall valuation.
ViaSat – Keeping the World Connected
ViaSat, Inc. is a global tech company that provides advanced broadband services. The company has several offices in the US and additional bases in Europe, Australia, and Asia. The ViaSat team consists of 3700 professionals who strive to bring high-quality broadband connectivity to anyone and everyone no matter how challenging the local conditions are.
Viasat serves a commercial and governmental clientele and specializes in developing creative connectivity and communication applications that enhance productivity, life quality, and safety. They could be described as the innovative problem solvers of broadband technology, as they offer satellite solutions where terrestrial networks fail to deliver.
Their commercial applications include satellite systems, mobile and portable services, consumer services, antenna systems, and gateways. Government applications consist of mobile services, military SatCom, tactical data links and line-of-site networks, cybersecurity and information assurance solutions.
Groundbreaking Projects
On June 1st, 2017 ViaSat launched ViaSat-2, a new satellite that will provide internet services in North America, parts of South America and air and sea routes across the Atlantic Ocean. Coming up next is the planned launch of the ViaSat-3 class satellites, which will propel the company to the role of first international internet service provider. According to Dankberg, once launched, ViaSat-3 will more than double the amount of bandwidth in orbit. Each ViaSat-3 satellite is expected to offer as much bandwidth as all the rest of the satellites in the world combined.
In this context, Varsha's global perspectives and international insights will contribute significantly, as the company seeks to penetrate new markets and deliver worldwide advances broadband services.