WASHINGTON — Commercial imaging satellite operator DigitalGlobe has named Jeffrey R. Tarr as its new president and chief executive effective April 5, replacing Jill Smith, who also served as DigitalGlobe chairman but announced in September her intention to leave the Longmont, Colo.-based company.
In a Feb. 28 announcement posted on its website, DigitalGlobe, whose primary customer for satellite imagery and related services is the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, said retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Howell Estes will take over as nonexecutive chairman, also effective April 5, the company said. Estes is a former commander of Air Force Space Command and U.S. Space Command.
DigitalGlobe described Tarr as an information industry veteran who most recently served as president and chief operating officer of IHS Inc., an Englewood, Colo.-based research and analysis firm.
IHS was founded in 1959, went public in 2005, and reported $967 million in revenue for 2009. The company owns Jane’s Information Group, among other information specialists.
