The Second SGAC election of a new Co-Chairperson in 2025 has been completed and we are pleased to welcome Marcos Eduardo Rojas Ramirez (Mexico) as the new Co-Chair of SGAC.

Election Report

The Second 2025 Co-Chair Election took place in November 2025 and was contested by one candidate, Marcos Eduardo Rojas Ramirez, EPD Coordinator. The candidate had the required nomination and presented their manifesto, letter of intent, and CV. During November, 2025 the Candidates engaged in a single written Q&A.

Voting was open to all current members of the Executive Committee, except the Co-Chairs and the SGAC Staff. After concluding the interactive part of the Election, voting opened on November 21st and closed on November 28th. A total of 8 votes were cast in the election, alongside 2 abstentions. There were no declarations of conflict of interests. The Election Officer certified all casted votes. Marcos Eduardo Rojas Ramirez obtained 8 votes. The abstentions were recorded to be caused by the single candidate participant in this election.

As a result, Marcos Eduardo Rojas Ramirez has been elected as new Co-Chair of SGAC. Pursuant to Bylaw 5.4.5, he will shadow the current Chairs throughout December 2025 before assuming office. Thereafter, Marcos Eduardo Rojas Ramirez will assume the role of Co-Chair and Sapna Rao shall become SGAC Chair. Joshua Critchley-Marrows, the outgoing Chair, will remain available for handover and transition during the following two months, until February 28th, 2026.

Pursuant to Bylaw 5.4.5, in 2025 SGAC has held two Co-Chair Elections to re-align the election timeline with the calendar year. The first 2025 election was concluded with the election of Sapna Rao, who assumed the role of Co-Chair as of May 1st, 2025, ultimately becoming Chair as of January 1st, 2026. The second 2025 election has now concluded with the election of Marcos Eduardo Rojas Ramirez, who will assume the role of Co-Chair as of January 1st, 2026, ultimately becoming Chair as of January 1st, 2027. Given the recorded abstentions, and noticeably less participation compared to previous elections, it is recommended by the Election Officer that the election rules of the Co-Chair election be revised. Presently, the candidate pool consists of only Current and Former EC Members. This pool should be opened to a wider net of potential candidates, within the SGAC membership. This concludes the Election Report, which has been prepared by Joshua Critchley-Marrows as SGAC Chair and Election Officer of the Second 2025 SGAC Co-Chair Election on November 29th, 2025, and validated by the Elections Oversight Committee on November 30th, 2025.

We are happy to announce that Marcos Eduardo Rojas Ramirez (Mexico) will be the new Co-Chair of the Space Generation Advisory Council! He will be working alongside the Chair, Sapna Rao (US).

About Marcos Eduardo Rojas Ramirez

Marcos is an ISAE SUPAERO alumnus whose career began at the French Space Agency (CNES) on the Spaceship FR team, working on lunar and Martian exploration projects. He later joined Airbus Commercial as a Capgemini consultant, contributing to Next-Generation Aircraft Programs. He is now a Technical Leader at the French Business Unit of CT Engineering Group in Paris, serving as lead systems engineer for the INSIDeR active debris removal project and supporting CT’s contributions within the PADA-1 consortium developing the Baguette One launcher. 

In 2021, Marcos was recognized as an Emerging Space Leader by the International Astronautical Federation at the International Astronautical Congress in Dubai. He is currently a member of the IAF Space Systems Technical Committee. Within SGAC, Marcos has served as Event Manager for the 2023 Space Generation Congress and as Coordinator of the Education and Professional Development Platform.

When informed of the results, Marcos had this to say:

“Honored and humbled to be entrusted with such an important responsibility, and deeply grateful to the colleagues and friends whose support brought me here. I look forward to dedicating the next two years to sustaining growth, empowering people, and inspiring change across our organization.”

Joshua Critchley-Marrows, Outgoing Chair and Election Officer, concluded: 

“Marcos has a long history with SGAC, and with each role he has filled, the dedication he has given have led to powerful contributions to our organisation. I have absolute confidence with this new journey he will embark on, the same responsibility will be held and impact will be a achieved. With Sapna and Marcos at the helm, alongside the staff led by our ED, Nikol, SGAC is in great hands, and I cannot wait to watch and see all they will achieve.”

Sapna Rao, SGAC incoming Chair, said:

“I am very excited to work with Marcos for the next year. Together we will be able to strengthen SGAC’s foundation and grow opportunities for our members. Marcos’ experiences and skillset will be critical going into 2026.”

Nikol Koleva, SGAC Executive Director, further added:

“I am very pleased to welcome Marcos as the new Co-Chair of SGAC. He brings with him a strong track record of engagement, valuable experience across the organisation, and a deep commitment to our mission. Combined with his collaborative leadership style and thoughtful approach, I am confident that Marcos will play an important role in strengthening SGAC and advancing our impact for both our members and the wider space community.”