Myriota continues expansion into EMEA with appointment of VP

Ex-ARM & AccelerComm executive joins Myriota – the fastest-growing and top five satellite direct-to-device provider in the NewSpace market – to accelerate the company’s international growth

21st February 2024 – Myriota, the direct-to-satellite IoT (non-terrestrial network) communications pioneer, has made its latest investment in the company’s global expansion with its first senior hire in EMEA. Robert Barnes takes up the role of VP EMEA, to lead the company’s ambitious growth goals in the region. The EMEA expansion follows strong growth in the North and Latin American markets in 2023. 

Australian-born Myriota quickly carved out its pioneer status in the global satellite tech industry with the world-first transmission of IoT data direct to a nanosatellite. Today, its technology is unrivalled in its reliability; it comes as ready-to-deploy ground hardware which – in tests against the nearest direct-to-satellite alternative for the same use case – has been proven to deliver up to ten years’ battery life with two AAs, versus just months by the other provider. As a result, it produces significantly lower carbon emissions, and can provide a total cost of ownership that is up to 50 times lower than the nearest monitoring alternative.

As the world’s lowest-powered industrial IoT (IIoT) solution, Myriota Module enables customers to deploy scalable IoT devices that capture data anywhere. Used by the likes of Denmark-headquartered Grundfos, the world’s largest pump manufacturer, the technology enables users to optimise operations over huge distances, reduce energy consumption, and maximise sustainability. In 2023, Grundfos used the low Earth orbit satellite technology supplied by Myriota to create ‘Solar Connect’, which safeguards animals and crops against distress by delivering remote water monitoring systems.

Tom Drew, Global Business Development Manager, Solar, Grundfos commented: “Myriota is a crucial partner for our business, having helped us to implement the world’s lowest-powered IIoT connectivity in our pumps. Their technology not only aligns with Grundfos’s commitment to innovation and sustainability but also sets a new standard in energy efficiency and operational longevity. The Grundfos and Myriota partnership has enabled us to bring a unique solution to market, allowing customers to monitor their complete water asset. Our ambition is to continue to bring these benefits to our customers on a global scale.”

The company’s expansion into the EMEA region comes at a time of significant demand and investment in a number of markets. In Africa for example – where the harsh landscape and the challenges that brings are similar to that of Australia – the IoT market is expected to be worth $239 billion by 2028, driven by the need for digitisation across industries such as agriculture, transportation and environment. 

Myriota’s remote sensing and tracking abilities are being used in other parts of the world in a myriad of ways by customers like Gasbot and the Australian Department of Defence. Uses range from closing the water sanitation access gap by enhancing treatment standards for improved public health and safety, to monitoring environmental and foot traffic in remote areas and culturally significant sites, to supporting animal wildlife conservation in Africa.

As a pivotal leadership role, the new VP EMEA will report to Myriota’s Chief Commercial Officer Mike Kerrigan, and will be responsible for overseeing sales, marketing and customer success in the region. Robert has over 25 years’ experience working in the advanced wireless technology business for satellite communications and IoT, including at AccelerComm, ARM, and Oracle.

With Robert on board, Myriota aims to strengthen relationships with bluechip OEMs, solution providers and systems Integrators in the EMEA region, as well as enable existing customers to take advantage of its low-power, cost-effective, direct-to-satellite IoT connectivity. 

Commenting on his appointment, Robert said, “It is an incredibly exciting time to be joining the business – satellite-based IoT solutions will play a key role in achieving a more sustainable future. I can’t wait to help customers in EMEA take advantage of Myriota’s unrivalled patented technology. Our technology addresses the communication challenges of power, performance and spectrum limitations. Simply put, it just works.”

Mike Kerrigan, Myriota CCO, added, “we have redefined space-based communications to deliver simple IoT solutions across the world. There is nobody better to spearhead our EMEA growth than Robert. He brings the perfect blend of product strategy, technological knowledge, and customer empathy to map Myriota’s capabilities to business needs.”

Myriota will be at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2024 later in February, with a booth at the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Pavilion in Hall 7, stand 7H5.

Book a meeting with Robert and the Myriota team at MWC Barcelona.