// ABOUT US
Space Operations New Zealand
SpaceOps NZ is headquartered in Invercargill, New Zealand, with operational sites at Awarua Satellite Ground Station (near Invercargill) and Warkworth Space Centre (near Auckland). Our purpose is to deliver sustainable, innovative services to the global space market.
We are an engineering-led organisation with professional engineers and skilled technicians supported by specialist contractors. We work directly with customer mission teams to deliver practical outcomes.
Our People
Robin McNeill MNZM
Chief Executive Officer
Robin heads Space Operations New Zealand. He has designed and built ground stations in Antarctica, Tokelau and in Southland, NZ. Prior to joining Space Operations New Zealand he worked in Great South (formerly Venture Southland), New Zealand Post Office, Telecom New Zealand and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). He co-founded Thermocell, a start-up thermodynamics research and development company, and managed it through to sale in 2010. Robin has an honours degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from the University of Canterbury, and is a member of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, senior member of Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and Fellow of Engineering New Zealand. He was presented the Rabone Award for Engineering Excellence in 2016 and was appointed Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2017.
John Yaldwyn
Chairman
John Yaldwyn is Chief Technology Officer and founder of global telecommunications company 4RF. John focuses on the security and technical considerations of radio technology for critical infrastructure applications. Previously, he worked at MAS Technology at the time the company became the first New Zealand technology company to list on the NASDAQ. He is a member of the Victoria University of Wellington Engineering Faculty Advisory Board.
Peter Heenan
Board Member
Peter Heenan, is the Executive Director of Finance at HW Richardson Group. During his tenure, he has been a part of the significant growth in the Group including several key acquisitions. Peter is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. He is a Director of Great South, Southland Regional Development Agency.
Chami Abeysinghe
Board Member
Chami is the Chief Executive of Great South, Southland Regional Development Agency, the Council controlled organisation that wholly owns Space Operations NZ. She is an international marketer by profession and after growing up in London, Chami worked in Sri Lanka and Dubai before moving to New Zealand as a post-graduate student. Her prior role was as International Director and Marketing Manager at the Southern Institute of Technology in Invercargill.