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Thodey reorganises Telstra into new units
30 November 2009
New CEO David Thodey has put his own team in place in Telstra, losing Holly Kramer and appointing separate heads of its fixed and wireless networks, plus a new international operation for its Chinese investments
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Telstra
Australia
CSL
PCCW
Reach
China
Hong Kong
Thodey
Trujillo
Comment: Every new CEO wants to make changes, and so it should be no surprise that David Thodey, who took over from Sol Trujillo as head of Telstra only a few months ago, should put his own team in place. He has grouped its Chinese investments — including those made in Trujillo’s time — into a single unit, but it’s odd that there is no mention of its admittedly small European business, which has traded under the same name.
Telstra has revamped its organisational structure by splitting it into four business units. The Australian incumbent has formed two new product units by dividing fixed-line and mobile services, an international unit and a customer service unit.
Telstra’s new CEO, David Thodey, has appointed Michael Rocca as the interim COO.
Rocca will succeed Holly Kramer, who has left the company to pursue other opportunities as part of the restructuring of the product group. She was group managing director.
Rocca, who was group managing director of networks and services
, will head network, technology and IT functions.
Robert Nason, the managing director of Tabcorp, an entertainment and gambling company, will head Telstra’s customer service unit. The company’s product portfolio will be divided into two specialist groups.
The fixed phone network, fixed broadband, BigPond — the company’s ISP — and media will be managed by Justin Milne and the wireless, data, applications and services will be headed by Philip Jones on interim basis.
Meanwhile the company has created an international division, to include Hong Kong and Chinese investments, to be headed by Tarek Robbiati, currently CEO of CSL, Telstra’s mobile operation in Hong Kong. Telstra International will include Telstra’s 50% stake in Reach, its joint venture with PCCW that provides international services in Asia.
However the announcement makes no mention of Telstra’s investments in Europe, which have traded under the brand Telstra International. Simon Vye, the CEO of the London-based operation, said: "There’s no impact and its business as usual.” GTB