Victoria-based satellite communications manufacturer Beam Communications this week announced the appointment of Dean Sleigh as Chief Financial Officer, effective 1 December. He will join Beam on 1 October and work alongside current CFO Dennis Payne for a smooth handover, according to the ASX announcement. After the handover, Payne, who has been Beam's CFO for 16 years, will continue as company secretary on a part-time basis.

Sleigh has extensive experience in managing the finance, compliance, and audit functions of large organisations. He was formerly CFO of PlayUp Limited, where he oversaw the company's raise of $12.5 million pre-IPO equity funding and worked on its expansion into the US. Prior to that, he was Head of Group Finance at global chemicals company Ixom and General Manager of Group Finance at Tabcorp. He also spent several years as CFO and COO of Western United Football Club, where he established the group's end-to-end financial processes.

Michael Capocchi, Managing Director of Beam, said that Beam is at a "key transition point" in becoming a global recurring revenue business, and that Sleigh's experience will benefit the company going forward. "[Sleigh's] financial and operating track record will be particularly relevant as we launch into the next phase of growth," he said.