Telesat is experiencing Lightspeed growth

A work trip to Iqaluit shortly after he joined Telesat was a real eye-opener for Stephen Hampton. He was captivated by the splendour of the Canadian North – dramatic landscapes, warm hospitality, the unique culture of the Inuit. But there was something else that drew him in – something in the way that everyone reacted to Telesat’s presence in the community.

“I got to hear first-hand stories about the impact connectivity was having on peoples’ lives,” Hampton recalls. “It was little things like streaming Netflix, but it was also big things like access to education and health care. I already knew that I got to work on cool things, but this reinforced what an impact my company was having in Canada and around the world.”

Telesat has been making an impact on Canadian lives for a long time. The company was founded in 1969 to pioneer satellite connectivity. In 1972 it became the first company in the world to place a domestic communications satellite into geostationary orbit – the Anik A1 (Inuktitut for “brother”).

Today, there’s a new space race in low Earth orbit (LEO) where “constellations” made up of hundreds of satellites offer faster speeds and more complete coverage of the globe. Telesat has taken a leadership role in satellite constellation technology and will be launching its own LEO satellite constellation called Telesat Lightspeed. “We’re launching 200 highly advanced satellites that are going to revolutionize that level of connectivity,” says Hampton. “Getting to be a part of that is pretty special.”

Being on the forefront of a communications revolution comes with its challenges. Telesat has been experiencing unprecedented growth recently, adding 30 per cent to its workforce in the last year alone.

Building and operating satellites means hiring aerospace and telecommunications engineers, software engineers, flight dynamics engineers and others. Another engineering and operations group deploys and maintains ground services and connections. There is also a large marketing, sales and support team, a legal team that keeps track of regulatory filings and contracts, and a financial reporting team.

“Most of the people we employ are highly skilled individuals,” says Michèle Beck, Telesat’s senior vice president, Canadian sales. “Ideally we look for people who have the background knowledge to hit the road running.”

If it sounds like it might be tough to fill those roles, Beck says the company is currently suffering an embarrassment of riches when it comes to new hires. “We’re creating a new kind of space economy and a lot of people want to be part of it. We’re interviewing and hiring at a rate we’ve certainly not seen in decades.”

What new employees find is a culture that is highly supportive and collaborative, according to Beck. “If there’s a challenge in front of us, we all work together. It doesn’t matter what rank, what level.”

Hampton has had several roles in his six years at Telesat. Today, he is senior director, government affairs and strategic accounts, responsible for government engagement of the Telesat Lightspeed project. He says his job feels like an adventure at times.

“It’s probably the most exciting and disruptive time in the history of the satellite sector,” he says. “There aren’t many opportunities to get in on the ground floor and help shape it. Every day I get to go to work with truly world-class people and learn from them, engage with them and solve big problems with them.

“If you look at the work that we’re doing and the progress we’re making on the Telesat Lightspeed program, it speaks volumes to that team we’re building here.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's National Capital Region's Top Employers winners, published March 4, 2025 in the Ottawa Citizen. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.