Jack Mandala
Chief Executive Officer
Seamless Air Alliance
Jack Mandala is a visionary business strategist adept at identifying and rapidly growing disruptive technologies, and bringing them successfully to market. A renowned C-level executive, Jack has propelled startups and Global 500 organizations alike to notable achievements and built complex partnerships and alliances across a broad array of industries.
Jack is currently CEO of the Seamless Air Alliance, which has brought together airlines and technology providers to collaborate on global standards to accelerate the adoption of new technology for inflight connectivity. With this he fulfilled an ambitious goal uniting competitors and industry giants in a common vision. In less than two years, he transformed a simple press release into an industry wide effort completing a comprehensive set of specifications that allow airlines to bring new technology onboard faster and more cost effectively than was ever before possible.
Prior to that, Jack helped pilot two technology startups to successful near-billion-dollar sales to technology giants. Jack first directed operations at telecom firm Dialogic as it grew to $300 million in revenue before selling to Intel for $780 million. Then, he joined wireless pioneer Flarion Technologies during its first year of operations through the successful sale of the company to Qualcomm Technologies for $805 million.
After the sale, Jack was appointed Qualcomm’s director of global market development. He raised $40 million in funding and successfully spun off Lifecomm, the firm’s first healthcare wireless venture. He then went on to forge partnerships between Qualcomm and operators, signing multiple technology trials and helping construct new industry alliances. He also contributed to Q-Labs, the Qualcomm organization responsible for commercialization of new technologies from Qualcomm’s corporate R&D group, signing new partnerships and agreements that are still growing revenues for Qualcomm to this day.
Jack is also the inventor of patents granted worldwide in augmented reality. A charismatic leader, he leverages both his technical and communication skills to develop compelling stories that motivate industry partners, investors, and employees alike.
In his personal life, Jack is an automobile and motorcycle enthusiast. He lives with his wife and two children in New Jersey.
Peter W. Lemme
Thought Leader
Seamless Air Alliance
Peter Lemme has worked in the aviation technology industry for over four decades. He is an accomplished president, chairman, founder, and blogger who brings world-class leadership that integrates multiple suppliers, service providers, and regulators.
Peter’s track record has produced notable “first type certification” of automatic flight controls, satellite communications, aeronautical operational data communications, air-traffic control communications (voice and data), and airline passenger entertainment communications.
With MIT engineering degrees in both Electrical Engineering and Aeronautics and Astronautics, Peter began his career at Boeing Commercial Airplane where he spent 16 years, leaving as Manager of Terminal Area Projects. He had been lead engineer for Thrust Management and both supervisor and FAA DER for ACARS, satcom and flight recording (757, 767, 747-400).
Peter has been a satcom, data link, and IFC subject-matter expert to IFC suppliers and to airlines looking to launch or improve their IFC service. He took a direct role as CTO to pioneering IFC supplier Tenzing Communications as founder to aviation startups Aircloud, Mobile Prime Time, and JetwayNet.
His contribution to aviation technology also includes many voluntary roles. Peter is member and past chairman of the Ku/Ka-band Satcom Subcommittee at SAE-ITC/AEEC and is also member of the Network Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee. He shares much over his blog, satcom.guru.
Through successive projects, Peter has continued to assemble diverse teams that are able to overcome a myriad of technical, economic, strategic, regulatory, and organization challenges.
Peter brings deep technical skills to many disciplines, combined with a product-focus that balances the needs of the customer, the partners, and the company, maximizes competitiveness, success, satisfaction, and economy, whilst engendering a goal-oriented, collegiate, and fun approach to team-building.
