Days after we announced the exit of two senior Optus executives it’s been revealed that former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is joining the Singapore-owned telco as Managing Director of their Enterprise business.
The move is seen as a major problem for arch rival Telstra, as she has the contacts and relationships to open doors at the highest level of corporate Australia and in both Federal and State Governments.
Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said she believes the appointment of Berejiklian will be a “gamer changer for Optus”. She claimed the decision to appoint the former Premier, who left the employment of the NSW Government while being investigated by an Anti-Corruption body, was part of the company’s vision to “think and do things differently” and attract people with “diverse experiences and new ways of thinking to our industry”.
The telco announced that Berejiklian will take on the newly created role of managing director of enterprise, business and institutional markets and said her appointment will be a “game changer”.
“So, I am thrilled to announce that Gladys Berejiklian will join our talented and experience executive team to help transform our approach to business customers,” she said.
“Gladys is a proven leader who demonstrated her renowned strength, leadership, discipline, and composure in successfully guiding Australia’s largest state through one of the biggest challenges in its history while earning the support and gratitude of the community for her tireless contribution. She also builds and fosters loyal and dedicated teams who really go above and beyond for her.”
“In bringing our business-focused teams together under this newly created role I truly believe that our collective energies can deliver superior customer outcomes in market segments that continue to be dominated by the incumbent.”
Ms Berejiklian, who had previously reportedly been mulling a tilt at federal politics after her departure as Premier last October, will have the job of trying to “lift Optus’ focus on unlocking a greater share of the multi-billion-dollar enterprise, business, and institutional markets”, the telco said in a statement.
“I am excited and proud to join an organisation that impacts the lives of millions of Australians every day and prides itself in providing outstanding customer service. I look forward to working with Kelly and the Executive Team of Optus who are providing inspiring and innovative leadership in the telco sector.”
Before joining politics, Ms Berejiklian held senior executive roles at the Commonwealth Bank. She joins Optus on February 28.
