Echostar Corporation CEO Hamid Akhavan abruptly resigned from the company this week, according to documents submitted to federal regulators on Tuesday.
The move comes about a week after Echostar’s pay television subsidiary Dish DBS filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in an effort to restructure a sizable amount of debt associated with Dish Network, Sling TV and other businesses, and about a month after the Denver Post reported Akhavan had listed his multi-million Colorado mansion for sale.
Akhavan’s resignation was tendered on Monday after discussions with Echostar’s board about “a change of strategic direction,” the filing made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said.
Echostar founder, Chairman and CEO Charlie Ergen will fulfill Akhavan’s day-to-day roles going forward. At the same time, Echostar Capital will be folded into the company’s Corporate Development organization, which is led by Executive Vice President Thomas Cullen.
Although Akhavan has resigned from his executive and board positions, he will remain available as a consultant to Echostar and Hughes through the end of the year while the company finds a permanent successor.
Akhavan joined Echostar as President and Chief Executive Officer in March 2022, succeeding longtime executive Michael Dugan. He retained the CEO title after Echostar and Dish Network merged their operations in 2024. Following a corporate reorganization in late 2025, he transitioned to lead the newly formed Echostar Capital while continuing to oversee Hughes Satellite Systems.
The investment unit was established to manage the company’s strategic investments, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and proceeds generated from approximately $42.6 billion in spectrum transactions. It was intended to pursue investments across satellite communications, wireless, defense, enterprise services and strategic manufacturing.
His departure comes during one of the most consequential periods in Echostar’s recent history: The Dish DBS bankruptcy filing was long-anticipated, and is meant to help support a pre-packaged restructuring agreement involving its debt. In a statement, officials at Dish DBS said the company’s pay TV businesses like Sling TV and Dish Network and other businesses like Boost Mobile, Hughes and Gen Mobile will continue to operate as normal.
Dish Wireless is being wound down while the company works through the sale of its spectrum to AT&T and SpaceX, which requires Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval.
Akhavan also oversaw a failed merger of Dish’s pay TV business with that of DIRECTV, which crumbled about two months after it was announced due to Dish’s inability to secure much-needed approvals from creditors. The deal would have created one of the largest pay TV businesses in the United States.
