Telstra realigns management team, names new COO

Telstra is shuffling its top management deck as it moves to become part of the government's National Broadband Network (NBN).

Brendon Riley, TelstraChanges at Telstra: Brendon Riley is taking the COO reins. (Photo courtesy of Telstra)

The once government-run telco monopoly, which is being to split into to two separate retail and wholesale units as part of the government's National Broadband Network (NBN), has appointed Brendon Riley as its new COO and Paul Fegan as group managing director of Telstra's new Strategy & Corporate Services business unit.

Taking over the COO reins from 43-year Telstra veteran Michael Rocca, who will leave the company in February, Brendon Riley was most recently the general manager of IBM's northeast Europe operations.  

Fegan, who served as the CEO of St. George Bank, will oversee Telstra's Strategy & Corporate Services business unit that will combine its public policy, communications, corporate strategy and mergers acquisition functions. Previously, these functions were overseen by Michael Quilty, who is also leaving the service provider, and Robert Nason, who will retain responsibility for Project New and advise the company on its program of customer service improvements.

Overall, the new appointments are all part of a broader strategy to prepare to become part of the NBN, arguably one of the biggest changes to happen to the service provider since it was privatized in 1990s.

"Today's appointments are part of a series of changes Telstra will continue to make as we adapt to new market opportunities, develop a group of talented leaders for the future and build a sales- and marketing-led culture," said David Thodey, CEO of Telstra, in a release

For more:
- see the release
- Total Telecom via Dow Jones has this article

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