Maxar Intelligence taps tech veteran to lead commercial business

WASHINGTON — Maxar Intelligence has appointed longtime technology executive Todd Surdey to lead its commercial operations as the company seeks to expand the market reach of its AI-powered geospatial technologies.

Surdey takes on the role of senior vice president and general manager of Maxar’s enterprise business segment, which supplies geospatial data and analytics to sectors including consumer mapping, energy, automotive and telecommunications.

Based in Westminster, Colorado, Maxar Intelligence operates a constellation of high-resolution Earth observation satellites and uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to extract insights from vast troves of geospatial data. The company’s commercial offering includes products used for intelligent mapping, infrastructure monitoring, and autonomous navigation.

Surdey replaces Paul Granito, who left earlier this month after leading the enterprise business since 2023.

Maxar CEO Dan Smoot said in a statement May 29 that the company selected Surdey for his experience scaling go-to-market teams and ntroducing innovative software technologies to new markets.

Surdey’s appointment comes as Maxar seeks to expand beyond its core base of government and defense clients into commercial markets. The company has increasingly leaned on artificial intelligence to enhance the utility of its satellite imagery and differentiate itself in a competitive geospatial intelligence market.

Surdey’s resume includes leadership roles at enterprise software and cybersecurity giants including Salesforce, VMware, Palo Alto Networks, Google, CrowdStrike, and Zoom. Most recently, he served in executive positions at HireRight, and is currently an advisor to portfolio companies at Bessemer Venture Partners, a Silicon Valley-based VC firm known for backing software startups.

In a statement, Surdey said Maxar Intelligence is “on an exciting journey to transform what’s possible in the geospatial industry.”

The appointment reflects broader industry trends as satellite imagery companies seek to monetize their data assets through software-based solutions rather than relying solely on raw imagery sales. A shift toward value-added analytics and AI-driven insights represents a key growth avenue for the geospatial intelligence sector.