Former SpaceX executive Ben MacWilliams has joined Nigerian defence technology company Terra Industries as Vice President of Strategy, bringing experience from Starlink’s expansion across Africa to the company’s next phase of growth.
Terra Industries is strengthening its leadership team as it looks to expand its autonomous security and defence systems across Africa and other markets in the Global South.
The company has appointed Ben MacWilliams, former Director of Starlink Market Access at SpaceX, as its new Vice President of Strategy.
MacWilliams joins Terra after leading Starlink’s market-access efforts across Africa, a role that covered all 54 African markets. During his tenure, he helped launch Starlink in more than 20 countries and worked with government officials, regulators and ministers to navigate the regulatory requirements needed to bring the service into new markets.
His experience extends beyond Africa. Before taking responsibility for Starlink’s African expansion, MacWilliams led market-access efforts across the Middle East and Central Eurasia, where he secured low-Earth-orbit broadband operating licences in the regions.
A Strategic Hire for Terra
At Terra Industries, MacWilliams will focus on market entry, licensing strategy and government partnerships as the company works to deploy its autonomous systems across new markets.
That role could become particularly important as Terra moves from building the technology to getting it adopted by governments and critical infrastructure operators.
“The next phase for us at Terra is getting our technology to governments that need it,” Terra CEO Nathan Nwachuku said, highlighting the importance of licences, regulators and government relationships to the company’s expansion.
For MacWilliams, the move represents a transition from expanding satellite connectivity to helping scale autonomous defence technology.
He said his experience expanding Starlink across Africa had reinforced his understanding of the importance of sovereign defence capabilities, adding that he intends to help Terra expand its mission across the Global South.
Terra’s Expansion Continues
The appointment comes during a period of rapid growth for Terra Industries.
The company recently closed a $52 million seed round, opened its first international office in London and announced plans for its Pax-2 manufacturing facility in Ghana, which is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Founded in 2024, Terra develops autonomous systems across air, land and maritime environments, supported by its ArtemisOS software platform. Its stated focus is protecting critical infrastructure and resources across sectors including energy, mining, urban infrastructure, maritime assets and border security.
MacWilliams’ appointment therefore comes at a pivotal stage for the company: Terra is not only developing autonomous defence technology, but increasingly building the regulatory and government relationships needed to deploy it at scale.
For an African defence technology company targeting the wider Global South, that distinction could prove just as important as the technology itself.
