Telstra has poached Microsoft’s Australia and New Zealand boss, Steven Worrall, to take the reins of its A$15 billion infrastructure business, InfraCo, as the telco doubles down on its AI and cloud ambitions.

Worrall, who has led Microsoft A/NZ since 2017, will join Telstra on September 1, succeeding InfraCo CEO Brendon Riley, who is retiring after 13 years.

The move comes as Telstra deepens its $700 million AI joint venture with Accenture and accelerates its 14,000km intercity fibre rollout.

Telstra CEO Vicki Brady called Worrall “a perfect fit” to expand InfraCo into a sovereign digital infrastructure powerhouse. “Steven’s leadership through Microsoft’s $5 billion investment in Australian AI and cloud infrastructure speaks volumes,” she said.

InfraCo includes Telstra’s mobile tower business Amplitel, seven data centres, and its fibre backbone. It contributed $2.1 billion (16%) of Telstra’s revenue in the first half of FY25. The unit was once tipped for a $15 billion sale, but Telstra’s partnership with Microsoft on its Azure cloud and AI services convinced the company to retain the asset.

Telstra

Worrall described his new role as “a privilege” and said digital infrastructure would define Australia’s global AI competitiveness.

Under Worral’s leadership, Microsoft became Telstra’s biggest Copilot customer, with 21,000 licences, and a key tenant on the fibre network.

He previously held senior roles at IBM, including heading WebSphere globally and leading Asia-Pacific software services.

Brady paid tribute to Riley, crediting him with launching InfraCo and championing regional connectivity. More than 3,000km of fibre has already been laid, with new routes like Darwin to Adelaide in the pipeline.