PlanetiQ, a leading provider of GNSS/GPS radio occultation (RO) data for weather, climate, and space applications, today announced that Ira Scharf has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and will also join the company’s Board of Directors.
Scharf brings more than 30 years of senior operating experience in enterprise weather solutions, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and enterprise SaaS. He most recently served as CEO and Founder of Spark Insights, an AI and geospatial analytics insurtech company. Prior to that, he held key executive roles including Chief Operating Officer at Tomorrow.io, Chief Strategy Officer at BitSight Technologies, and President of Commercial Services at AirDat (acquired by Panasonic). Earlier in his career, as Vice President and Division General Manager at The Weather Company (acquired by IBM), Scharf led the development of enterprise weather solutions for industries including aviation, energy, agriculture, and financial services. His insights have been featured in publications such as BusinessWeek and The Economist.
“Ira’s unique combination of technical depth and business leadership makes him the ideal person to guide PlanetiQ into its next phase of growth,” said Chris McCormick, Chairman and President of PlanetiQ. “He understands the challenges of translating advanced science into enterprise-scale solutions, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the team.”
Scharf holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School.
“I’m excited to join PlanetiQ at such a pivotal time for the company and the industry,” said Scharf. “PlanetiQ’s data is already transforming weather forecasting and space weather monitoring. I look forward to working with the team to expand our reach and deliver even greater impact for customers worldwide.”
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