Executive Board
Leading the Way into the Stratosphere
The HAPS Alliance Board is comprised of thought leaders in their respective fields. They have in-depth knowledge and extensive experience in their areas of specialization, including telecom, aerospace, communication technologies as well as emerging applications of Internet of Things (IoT), regulatory policy development, and more. To learn more about our executive team and directors, please access their bios below.
To learn more about our executive team and directors, please access their bios below.
Officers
Interim President
Russ Van Der Werff
VP Stratospheric Solutions
Aerostar
Russ Van Der Werff serves as VP Stratospheric Solutions at Aerostar. Prior to this role he managed the Stratospheric Platform Design Team. Aerostar has been in the stratosphere since their founding in 1956, building systems for NASA, the US military, and commercial enterprises such as Loon. Aerostar balloons have logged over a million hours in the stratosphere over the last five years.
With over fifteen years of engineering and leadership experience, Russ helped grow the Aerostar engineering team from a couple dozen to more than one hundred engineers, designers, and technicians. He also serves as stratospheric ambassador, spreading the Gospel of Ballooning, and recently presented a HAPS-related TED talk
Prior to Aerostar, Russ was Director of Product Management for Sencore, a private company building video transcoders and satellite modulators for broadcast applications.
Russ holds Bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics, as well as a Master's degree in Business Administration.
Vice President
Antje Williams
Senior Vice President in Group Technology
Deutsche Telekom AG
Antje Williams is appointed as Senior Vice in Group Technology for Business Creation since April 2022. In 2024 she additionally took over satellite program lead for the group being responsible for the development of satellite connectivity offering in different aeras of DT, the negotiations with the satellite provider, the engagement in different publicly funded research activities and the ground network support for European Satellite Systems.
Prior to this she was product owner regarding 5G Campus Networks which she took over in October 2018. Antje started 2015 in the former CTO department and was leading for 3 years the 5G program within Deutsche Telekom focussing on standardization and the introduction of 5G.
Starting in 2010 Antje was Head of Inflight Connectivity and Managing Director of T-Mobile HotSpot GmbH (subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom). She was responsible offering WIFI access on board of 15 airlines (in 2014). Before joining Inflight, Antje was Head of Sales for the national Wholesale Department in Southern Germany for five years. She was responsible for the fixed line business with customers as Telefónica Germany, Kabeldeutschland, BT Germany among others. Antje started in 2001 in the Legal Department of Deutsche Telekom.
Executive Board of Directors
Sceye, Inc
Over the past 2 decades I have had several board seats in both membership-based organizations and organizations seeking to shape the regulatory and normative landscape. This experience has provided me with relevant qualifications to serve on the HAPS Alliance board as I’ve likely experienced most of the challenges the board will be faced with.
My interest in joining the board of the HAPS Alliance is to use my experience in providing appropriate governance and offering an eye-on-the-horizon as the HAPS Alliance harvest the collective powers of it’s members to change the normative landscape, and make HAPS in the stratosphere as normal as cars on the road or ships in the sea.
SoftBank Corp.
Advisory Board
Stratospheric Platforms Limited
Gregory Ewert serves as the Chief Commercial Officer & Managing Director, North America, at Stratospheric Platforms, Ltd., and as a Board Advisor for the HAPS Alliance. He is responsible for orchestrating global strategic partnerships and distribution across enterprises, military/government, and MNOs. Mr. Ewert has decades of experience in mobility, satellite, and traditional telecom applications. Prior executive experience spans international, MNOs and mobile satellites where he held various positions at Sprint, GlobalOne, BCE (Bell Canada), Iridium, Inmarsat, and Intelsat, most recently as Vice President of Strategy and Business Development.