Management

Corporate Management

Mark Slaughter: Chief Executive Officer & President

Mr. Slaughter leads RigNet's global business and serves as a member of the Company's board of directors.  He has more than 30 years of experience in the energy, telecommunications and remote communications industries, having served in management roles at Halliburton Company, Reliant Energy, United Technologies, and as president of Stratos Global Corporation's Broadband Division.  Named a 2009 finalist for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award, he also attended United Technologies' Executive Program at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business. He also serves on the board of directors at Boys and Girls Country, a charity supporting children from families in crisis. Slaughter received an Artium Baccalaureus from Harvard College and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

Marty Jimmerson: Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Jimmerson oversees RigNet's global financial operations, including accounting, treasury, tax, internal audit, and region finance management.  He has more than 13 years experience in the upstream oil and gas and wireless communications industries, working with companies such as Noble Drilling Corporation and American Tower.  Jimmerson has held accounting, finance and operations management positions with a focus on internal financial operations analysis and management, capital funding and strategic planning.  Jimmerson received a Bachelor of Arts in accounting from Baylor University.

William (Bill) Sutton: Vice President & General Counsel

Mr. Sutton is responsible for all Company legal matters worldwide, the global business compliance program, telecom regulatory licensing, and corporate secretary duties for the Board of Directors.  His legal duties also extend to mergers and acquisitions, litigation, contract administration, and employment law and benefits.  Sutton previously served as general counsel for Dailey International, an oilfield services company; Dash Multi-Corp; and Lawrence Industries. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston.

Hemispheric Managers

Lars Eliassen: Vice President & General Manager, Eastern Hemisphere

Mr. Eliassen manages RigNet's business in the Eastern Hemisphere.  Previously he directed global sales, marketing and new business development, and earlier served as vice president & general manager, Americas and vice president, global operations.  Eliassen has more than 10 years of management, marketing and business development experience in the oil and gas industry, serving technology, software and consulting companies.  Prior to joining RigNet, he served as director of marketing at Production Access, Inc., a provider of information management solutions for oil and gas producers.  He has completed an executive education course in Emerging Growth Companies at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Eliassen holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Rice University.

Hector Maytorena: Vice President & General Manager, Western Hemisphere

Mr. Maytorena manages the Company's offshore and onshore business segments in North and South America. Previously he served as vice president, global sales & marketing.  Prior to joining RigNet, he served as general manager of Southeast Texas for United Technologies' UTC Fire & Security (operating under the Chubb Security and Redhawk brands).  Prior to that role, he was director of sales at Chubb Security USA.  Maytorena has a long history within the remote communications industry, holding various sales, marketing, and business development leadership roles with increasing responsibility at Stratos Global Corporation's Broadband Division.  He attended United Technologies' Executive Program at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business and has completed an executive education course in Emerging Growth Companies at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

Business Services

Chad Winkle: Vice President, Sales and Business Development

Mr. Winkle leads RigNet’s sales and business development working to craft tailored solutions for clients’ communications needs in remote locations around the world. He has over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications industry focused on the enterprise segment, most recently serving as area vice president, Sales - Central Region for CenturyLink. A certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Mr. Winkle holds a B.S. from Baylor University and an M.B.A. from Sam Houston State University.

Joe Conboy: Vice President, Maritime Services

Mr. Conboy leads RigNet's emerging efforts to serve the maritime industry with remote communications solutions. He brings over 15 years of industry experience, including progressive business development roles with increasing responsibility at Stratos Global Corporation and Seven Seas Communications. Most recently at Stratos, he served as senior director, US & Latin America and as senior director for Mobile Satellite and Broadband (VSAT). Conboy has a Bachelor of Science in finance & international economics from Boston University and a Juris Doctorate from State University of New York.

Brian Keefover: Vice President of Production and Field Development

Mr. Keefover leads the Company's emerging efforts to serve the offshore and onshore oil and gas production industry with remote communications solutions, bringing 25 years of satellite and telecommunications experience with 18 years serving the oil and gas industry.  Brian joined RigNet from CapRock Communications, where he served as director of operations, North America.  Prior to that, he worked in a range of global remote communications and IT project and service management roles of increasing responsibility, including nearly a decade at Schlumberger.  He has completed advanced management programs in Project and Technical Management at Texas A&M University and the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, respectively.  He is also a decorated veteran of the US Armed Forces and was a non-comissioned officer and communications specialist for the US Army Signal Corps.

Morten Hagland Hansen: Vice President, Global Engineering and Operations

Mr. Hansen is responsible for the global engineering and operations group. He oversees RigNet's global MPLS, IP, satellite, and SOIL networks, including all supporting applications and related infrastructure.  Additionally, his team supports new product development and network design assistance for major drilling and oil and gas producing customers. Hansen has more than 12 years experience in information technology and telecoms engineering, design, and deployment.  Since joining RigNet in 2001, he has served in several key leadership roles and is presently a member of the corporate management team.  Additionally, Hansen is an officer in the Royal Norwegian Navy.

Corporate Services

Pam Thompson: Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer
Mrs. Thompson oversees RigNet's worldwide accounting efforts.  She has over 20 years of international and public company experience, previously working for Scorpion Offshore and Pride International.  In the past she has held positions of controller and director of financial reporting.  Pam is a certified public accountant and has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from Texas A&M.

Tonya McDermott: Vice President, Tax

Mrs. McDermott manages RigNet's tax function, including (i) global tax compliance; (ii) income tax accounting; and (iii) strategic planning and restructuring.  She most recently was director of tax at W-H Energy Services, an oilfield services company based in Houston with multi-national operations. Prior to that, she was a partner with a local private firm and tax manager with Arthur Andersen.  A certified public accountant, McDermott has a Master of Science in tax from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from The University of Texas at Arlington.