Meet the team
Our Team – Driving Innovation in Earth Observation
Beautiful Blue is powered by a dedicated team of experts with a shared vision of democratizing access to satellite imaging. Our team’s expertise in satellite technology, data analytics, and business strategy ensures that Beautiful Blue remains at the forefront of the geospatial and Earth Observation industries.
Philip Constantine
Founder & CEO
Philip Constantine is a seasoned entrepreneur with extensive experience in high-tech business development, applied AI, and geospatial integration. Trained in Electro-Mechanical Engineering with a focus on nuclear power generation, Philip has transitioned into scaling businesses globally through innovative technologies and intellectual property.
His career includes significant contributions to LiDAR systems development for defense, robotics, and unmanned platforms, and integrating geospatial data with ERP platforms like SAP. Philip’s work in geospatial integration has been instrumental in managing large asset networks for industries such as power generation, pipelines, and urban planning.
With a strategic background honed through consulting roles at McKinsey & Company, Accenture, and Deloitte, Philip brings a unique blend of technical and business expertise to Beautiful Blue. His international experience across the USA, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, combined with his advanced qualifications from Harvard University and an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science, positions him to lead Beautiful Blue in revolutionizing satellite imaging and data accessibility.
Chris Barker
Advisor
Chris Barker is a Mechanical Engineer (highest GPA in prior 10 years), with BSc, GDE and MSc degrees.
After working for Unilever, ultimately running Lipton’s Teas, he somehow managed to get into McKinsey where he stayed for 3 years.
Chris spent the last 18 years building businesses in SA, ranging from co-founding Neotel (fixed/mobile MNO), leading MTN on the winning bid for Iran, taking over and rescuing TopTV & Aquarius Platinum, founding & building Africa’s largest weather biz, SA’s 3rd largest pharmacy retailer, and pioneering everything to do with HIV treatment in SA resulting in the co-founding of Africa’s largest NGO.
After selling out of Neotel in 2017, Chris joined Monitor Deloitte as a Director heading Innovation and Growth. Here his focus was on blue ocean opportunities, helping corporates react to the insane pace of change the world is going through. When COVID interrupted us all, he led SA’s operational response; doubling beds across SA, getting Oxygen to 6.5x normal supply, implementing our world-leading testing capacity at NHLS, and finally leading the full vaccination program, building a business of R40Bn/yr annualised revenue management in 4 months.
Chris brings his experience in building and selling the above weather business. Here issues were very similar to satellite; raw data turned into commercially viable products and sold to a very broad market of differing sectors. Chris led the thinking and development of several world-first products, most notably SMS notifications to move your car for impending hail, sold to every short-term insurer in SA and Australia. Another was a GSM enabled box that sat on any property and sounded an alarm and series of SMSs for lightning detection, driven by Met office lightning detection network (sold to every golf course and private school in SA).
Chris also brings donor agency experience for Africa, from his Africa-leading HIV NGO, and COVID vaccination work.
Currently Chris trains on Critical Thinking, and Generative AI, both in corporates at board, exec, and employee levels.