Appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Aarti Holla-Maini has led United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) since September 2023, bringing three decades of experience in the space and satellite sector.

Prior to the UN, she served as Secretary-General of the Global Satellite Operators Association, where she expanded the organisation from a regional body to a global one. She was a chief architect of the Crisis Connectivity Charter (2015), securing satellite-based emergency telecommunications in partnership with the UN World Food Programme.

A recognised leader in public–private partnerships and high-level advocacy, she has served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space and has been a member of the International Academy of Astronautics since 2024.

Ms Holla-Maini holds degrees from King’s College London and HEC Paris and is fluent in French, German, Punjabi and English.