Indian-origin Aarti Hola-Maini appointed UNOOSA Director

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Aarti Holla-Maini of the United Kingdom as Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna.

Indian-origin Aarti Hola-Maini has been appointed as Director of the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna on Tuesday. Aarti is a satellite industry expert. She will take over from Simonetta Di Pippo of Italy.

The announcement of Aarti’s appointment was made by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Besides holding an experience of over 25 years in the fields of administration and as a lawyer, she is an expert in space science and technology.

Guterres said that Aarti played an important role as Executive Vice-president of North Star Earth and Space Stability, Policy and Effect Department. She also worked as General Secretary of Global Satellite Operators Association for about 18 years.

Aarti Hola-Miani was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space, member of the Advisory Group of the Space Sustainability Rating managed by eSpace at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) Space Centre, member of the Advisory Board of Satellite Industry Association of India, Senior Space Policy Advisor to Forum Europe and as Expert Advisor on Space Traffic Management for European union Studies 2021-23,

She played a key role in designing the Crisis Connectivity Charter, established in 2015, aimed to facilitate emergency telecommunications through satellite technology. Aarti holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Kings College, London and a master’s degree in business administration from HEC, Paris. She speaks English, French, German, and Punjabi and has a moderate knowledge of Dutch language.