Terra Industries, a defence technology company building autonomous security systems for critical infrastructure across the Global South, has appointed Ben MacWilliams as its Vice President of Strategy, the company announced.

MacWilliams joins Terra from SpaceX, where he served as Director of Starlink Market Access, overseeing the satellite broadband service's expansion across all 54 African markets. He launched Starlink in more than 20 countries across the continent, working directly with presidents, regulators and ministers. Before taking on the Africa remit, he led market access for the Middle East and Central Eurasia, where he secured the first low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband operating licences in both regions.

New role and mandate at Terra Industries

Terra Industries, founded in 2024, builds air, land and maritime security systems for governments across Africa and the Global South. The regions it targets have faced well-documented security pressures, from maritime piracy and insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea to insurgencies in the Sahel and illegal fishing off the West African coast, and several governments there have expanded investment in surveillance and border security capabilities in recent years.

In his new role, MacWilliams will lead market entry, licensing strategy and government partnerships as the company expands into new markets. The appointment also reflects a broader pattern in the venture-backed defence technology sector, where startups moving from product development into international sales have increasingly recruited executives with operating experience inside large space and technology companies.

"The next phase for us at Terra is getting our technology to governments that need it. That means licenses, regulators, and relationships across dozens of markets at once. Ben has done this at the highest level, and we're proud to have him," said Nathan Nwachuku, co-founder and CEO of Terra Industries.

MacWilliams said his experience scaling Starlink's presence across Africa gave him an understanding of why sovereign defence capability matters to governments in the region, adding that he aims to help Terra secure infrastructure, people and natural resources across the Global South.

The appointment follows a period of rapid growth for Terra, which builds its systems on a software platform it calls ArtemisOS. The company recently closed a $52 million seed round — an unusually large sum for a seed-stage company — opened its first international office in London, and announced Pax-2, a new manufacturing facility set to open in Ghana in the fourth quarter of 2026.