Richard A. Baldridge
CEO of ViaSat
Education
- Graduated : BS in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Information Systems - New Mexico
- State University, Las Cruces - NMSU School of Business Hall of Fame
Overview
Rick Baldridge is the Vice President and CEO of Viasat, Inc.(VSAT) and has been a director since 2016. He is focused on the remaining steps to closing the Inmarsat acquisition, and the organizational integration planning and execution strategy to position the combined companies to achieve the financial and operational objectives underpinning the transaction – including cost, capital, and revenue synergies already identified
Rick joined Viasat in 1999, serving as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer from 2000, as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from 2002, and as President and Chief Operating Officer from 2003. He was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in November 2020 and assumed the role of Vice Chairman in July 2022.
During Rick’s tenure, Viasat has grown organically and through acquisitions by more than a factor of 10, to a multi-billion dollar technology company. Rick’s leadership has helped Viasat evolve from a product manufacturer to a global services provider, now serving as a major prime contractor and technology partner to companies worldwide.
Rick has been featured in The San Diego 500, a list of influential business leaders in Southern California. He was elected to the Board of Directors of Viasat in 2016, as well as serves as a director of Ducommun Incorporated, a provider of engineering and manufacturing services to the aerospace and defense industries, and EvoNexus, a San Diego based non-profit technology incubator.
Rick came to Viasat from Raytheon Corporation where he was Vice President and General Manager of Raytheon Training Systems. With more than 4,000 employees in the division, Rick held day-to-day management responsibilities, overseeing finance, legal, marketing and overall corporate operations.
Other experience includes roles as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Administration for Hughes Information Systems and Hughes Training Inc., before the divisions were acquired by Raytheon in 1997. Rick also held various senior management roles within General Dynamics Corporation.
Rick graduated with a BS in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Information Systems, from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, where he is a member of the NMSU School of Business Hall of Fame.
Career
- Viasat - CEO
- Viasat - President