Ben Palmer OBE

Captain
DISC Type : SD

President, Viasat Commercial at Viasat

Battle, England, United Kingdom

Overview

Ben Palmer is the President of Viasats Commercial business, leading global strategy for a $2. 4Bn portfolio across aviation, maritime, and enterprise sectors. An alumnus of the University of Oxford and London Business School, he previously led Inmarsats maritime division and held senior roles at Northrop Grumman. Colleagues describe him as analytical, persuasive, and a strategic thinker.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, indicating a passion for aerospace. His work involves extensive global travel to places like India and Germany, and he enjoys exploring local sights. Ben is married with three teenage children and lives south of London.

Interesting fact: Ben was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) at the age of 30 by Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to supporting military operations.

Personality Overview

Output-Driven

Consummate Professional

Dynamic But Sincere

They are very professional in their approach and can weigh multiple perspectives together.  They might take some time to make their mind up but once they do, they don't change it easily. They exhibit a rare combination of being result-oriented but patient at the same time.

Topics They Care About

Satellite Communications
Leads Viasat's commercial satellite business and is focused on harnessing multi-orbit network capacity to meet dynamic customer needs for seamless global connectivity.
Maritime Technology
As the former President of Inmarsat Maritime, he drove the adoption of digital solutions and launched the game-changing NexusWave connectivity service for the shipping industry.
Aerospace & Defence
He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and formerly led Northrop Grumman's Mission Systems in Europe. His early career was at the UK's Ministry of Defence.

Media Appearances

Ben Palmer | President, Viasat Commercial. Featured in Viasat (Official Leadership Page)

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Ben Palmer to Lead Viasat's Commercial Business - Via Satellite. Featured in Satellite Today (Via Satellite)

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Viasat exploring partnerships across India's space value chain – global president Ben Palmer. Featured in Times of India

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Work History

9-2025
President, Viasat Commercial at Viasat
6-2023 - 9-2025
President, Inmarsat Maritime and member of the Viasat Executive Leadership Team at Viasat
11-2021 - 5-2023
President, Maritime and member of the Executive Leadership Team at Inmarsat
2-2019 - 11-2021
Group Director, Mission Systems Europe and member of the NG Missions Systems ELT at Northrop Grumman
3-2018 - 8-2018
Interim Chief Executive UK & Europe at Northrop Grumman

Education

2006 - 2007
MSc(Sloan) from London Business School
1990 - 1993
BA (Hons) 2:1 from University of Oxford

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 29 Location : Battle, England, United Kingdom Job Level : N/A Designation : President, Viasat Commercial at Viasat
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Insights For Selling To Ben

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Ask them at the end if they see a strong value prop in your product; expect an honest answer
  • During followups, use phone or text if needed, they should be fine
  • Let them know of potential risks but suggest mitigation methods alongside

DONT's

  • Don't shy away from asking hard questions, but be extra polite
  • Don't take their patience for granted, avoid long-winding sermons
  • Don't get into pricing discussions early on, steer conversation towards proven results

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Ben is

  • Strong proof of impact and their conviction will matter the most, but they wouldn't want to act unilaterally either
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Ben

  • They will say no if they are not convinced but you will have to prompt them.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Ben move?

  • They will want to understand things well but can move fast once they have a clear picture.
  • Can Ben take some risk or not?

  • They have good risk tolerance but are likely to think it through once or twice.

You And Ben

Personality Compatibility


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