Satellite communications company New Skies Satellites [AEX, NYSE: NSK] has named Jurandir M. Pitsch as sales director for its commercial activities in Brazil and the Mercosur region of Latin America.

Pitsch will be responsible for sales of New Skies’ (The Hague, Netherlands) satellite services to broadcasters, cable programmers, telecommunications companies and Internet service providers in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, as well as Chile.

Pitsch has worked in telecommunications industry in Brazil for the past 20 years. In 1991, he joined Villares Control, a satellite earth station equipment manufacturer in Brazil, serving as head of the product development group. In 1994, Villares was acquired by COMSAT International Ventures and Pitsch assumed the position of vice president of engineering and operations, before taking over the newly created position of vice president of marketing and business development.