Noah A. Samara was born in Ethiopia in 1956 and raised there and in Tanzania; his Sudanese father was a teacher and diplomat. During his education in England and the United States, which culminated with him earning a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Georgetown University Law School, Mr. Samara began to develop the vision that information was the key to expanding opportunities. 

His vision of an information-rich society led him-at age 34-to found WorldSpace in 1990. The company's mission is to create information affluence by using a new satellite-based infrastructure to deliver programming to the three-quarters of the world's population that lacks adequate radio reception and program choice and that wants high quality news, knowledge and entertainment at an affordable cost.

Under Mr. Samara's leadership, WorldSpacestarted broadcasts to Africa in October 1999 and to Asia in September 2000. The company anticipates starting service to Latin America and the Caribbean in 2002. The total system will have a potential audience of more than 5.2 billion people. In Mr. Samara's view, WorldSpace is destined to have a substantial impact on the populations it serves.

"People are as developed as the information they can access," Mr. Samara says. "We are committed to creating information affluence. Radio also reaches out to people where other media simply can't. It goes deep into people's minds, appealing to their imagination, rather than overwhelming their senses. Radio gives people the space to create. When we listen to words, sounds and music via WorldSpace, we become active participants in the creative process; we remain active without being tied down." 

In the last three years, Business Week, Newsweek, The London Times, Billboard and The Washington Post have profiled Mr. Samara. Africa International magazine awarded Mr. Samara its 1997 Innovation Trophy for his development of the WorldSpacesystem. In 2000, Mr. Samara received the Peace Through Education award from the Pacem In Terris Institute of La Roche College.

In addition to being the innovator of satellite radio for emerging markets, Mr. Samara has - through his pivotal role in founding XM Satellite Radio - been a leader in bringing this new medium to the United States. As the Chairman and CEO of one of the firm's initial owners, Mr. Samara guided the creation of XM. He led the effort to win the FCC's auction of S-band frequencies for this service, personally hired the entire top tier of XM executives, negotiated contracts for the manufacture of XM's space segment, and oversaw the development of the company's business plan. Beginning this month, XM offers up to 100 channels of digital satellite radio coast-to-coast service to mobile users. XM is publicly traded on NASDAQ.

Mr. Samara's early career was in satellite telecommunications, first with Geostar Corporation and later with the Washington law firm of Venable, Baetjer, Howard & Civiletti. He has been involved in development of both geostationary and low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems. He was an advisor to numerous global telecommunications and broadcasting organizations on a wide range of business and regulatory issues. He has published articles in the fields of satellite communications and international law.

Mr. Samara is married and has two children. He is an avid reader-from technical journals to classical literature-and also plays golf.