SES Global on Sept. 10 announced the abrupt departure of Dean Olmstead as president of SES Americom, the company’s U.S. subsidiary. Olmstead will “pursue other interests,” according to a terse company statement.

Olmstead was one of the engineers of the 2001 purchase of GE Americom by SES. SES Global Chairman Romain Bausch and the company’s three-member management committee will assume the direction of Americom until a successor to Olmstead is found.