UN chief appoints Indian-origin satellite expert as Director of UNOOSA
United Nations (PTI): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Indian-origin satellite industry expert Aarti Holla-Maini as Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna.
Holla-Maini of the United Kingdom will succeed Simonetta Di Pippo of Italy.
UNOOSA works to promote international cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of space and in the utilisation of space science and technology for sustainable economic and social development.
Holla-Maini brings to this position over 25 years of professional experience in the space sector including in managerial and advocacy functions.
Most recently, she has held the role of Executive Vice-President Sustainability, Policy & Impact at NorthStar Earth & Space. Prior to that, she spent over 18 years as the Secretary-General of the Global Satellite Operators Association, a statement issued here said on Monday.
Holla-Maini's experience includes service as a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Space; member of the Advisory Group of the Space Sustainability Rating managed by eSpace at the cole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) Space Center; member of the Advisory Board of the Satellite Industry Association of India; Senior Space Policy Advisor to Forum Europe and as Expert Advisor on Space Traffic Management for European Union studies 2021-2023.
She was also one of the chief architects of the Crisis Connectivity Charter established in 2015 for emergency telecommunications via satellite with the UN World Food Program's Emergency Telecommunications Cluster.
Holla-Maini holds a bachelor's degree in law with German law from Kings College London, UK, and a master's degree in business administration from HEC Paris, France.
She is also an alumna of the International Space University and speaks English, French, German and Punjabi and has moderate knowledge of Dutch.
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Mumbai school principal asked to resign over social media views: Aide
Mumbai, May 2: The management of a reputed school in Mumbai has allegedly asked its principal to resign reportedly for liking social media posts on the issue of Palestine and the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict, her aide said on Thursday.
The aide of Parveen Shaikh, the principal of Somaiya School in the Vidyavihar area, said on April 26, she was called by the school management for a formal meeting and asked to resign allegedly over her comments and likes on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on the Hamas-Israel conflict and other issues.
"In the meeting, they (school management) said this (comments/likes) was not acceptable and asked her to resign. However, she refused to resign," the aide said.
Thereafter, for the next two days, she was pressured by the management to quit her post, according to her aide.
When contacted, Shaikh declined to comment on the issue.
The issue came to light after a web portal published a report highlighting the principal's comments/ likes on her X handle that were deemed as pro-Palestine and sympathetic towards Hamas.
The aide noted that Shaikh's work has been "exemplary" and the management should take into account the fact that the school had received several awards, including for academic excellence, under her leadership.
Shaikh has been associated with the school since the last 12 years and took charge as the principal seven years ago.
A spokesperson for the school management said, "The matter is still being investigated. As soon as they get an update, they will share it."
