Optus appointed head of Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN) Co Stephen Rue as CEO, nearly six months after Kelly Bayer Rosmarin stepped down following a massive network outage.
Rue’s appointment at Australia’s second largest operator doesn’t take effect until November, with board member Michael Venter to continue as interim CEO until Rue comes onboard. The new CEO also will join the board and report to the chairman.
He started at NBN Co as CFO in 2014 before taking over as CEO in 2018.
In a statement, Optus explained in the wake of the outage it introduced a new governance model in line with the Singtel Group’s move in 2022 to adopt a decentralised operating structure to empower its businesses. The Optus CEO and executives will report to the board, with all working together to “reset strategy and rebuild customer trust in the Optus brand”.
Members of the board include Paul O’Sullivan (chair), Yuen Kuan Moon (Singtel CEO), John Arthur, Lim Cheng Cheng and Venter.
Yuen claimed the new governance model will set the Optus management up for success and help the company “restore and cement its position as a leading player in the Australian telecommunications market”.
The operator’s MD of networks Lambo Kanagaratnam resigned four months after Bayer Rosmarin departed.
A release from NBN Co said Rue resigned and CFO Philip Knox will become interim CEO in due course.
