Planet Labs (PL) Appoints Gary B. Smith to its Board

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a leading provider of daily data and insights about Earth, today announced that its board of directors has nominated Gary B. Smith, President and CEO of Ciena, as a Class I director for election at the upcoming Annual Meeting.

"Gary’s expansive career and leadership across technology, operations and sales is invaluable to Planet’s continued growth as a data platform company," said Will Marshall, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of Planet. "As Planet and the space industry at large continue to evolve and mature, ensuring board alignment with our business objectives is critical – and we know Gary’s expertise will be instrumental in helping us reach our goals.”

"I am honored to be nominated to join Planet's Board of Directors at such an exciting time as the company drives growth and bottom-line performance," said Gary B. Smith. "What drew me to Planet, like so many, was its mission: to use its deep and unique dataset and collaboration to drive meaningful impact. I look forward to contributing to Planet's continued success and its vital role in shaping our understanding of the world."

Gary brings a wealth of experience to Planet’s board, as President, CEO, and Board Member of Ciena, a global industry leader in networking systems, services, and software. He previously held senior executive roles at Intelsat; Cray Communications, Inc.; and Case Communications Group. Appointed by former President Barack Obama, Smith served on the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) from 2011 to 2023. He also previously served on the boards of directors for Commvault and Avaya, was the Chair of the Wake Forest Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Council, and currently participates in initiatives with the Center for Corporate Innovation.

This announcement follows the recent addition of General John W. "Jay" Raymond to Planet's board in March 2025. As the first Chief of Space Operations of the U.S. Space Force, and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Raymond brings unparalleled expertise in government space operations, underscoring Planet's commitment to working closely with its U.S. government customers.

With the addition of these two new board members, Heidi Roizen will not be standing for re-election and Niccolo de Masi will be stepping down at the upcoming Annual Meeting in July. Heidi has served as a director of Planet since March 2018 and as a director of Planet Labs PBC since December 2021. Niccolo joined Planet's board in 2021 following its public listing. Planet extends its sincere gratitude to both Heidi and Niccolo for their dedicated service during pivotal moments in Planet’s history and their valuable contributions to the company's growth.

Gary is expected to be elected as a board member at Planet’s upcoming Annual Meeting of Stockholders on July 10.

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