Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said Ms Berejiklian was a proven leader who showed strength,leadership and discipline.
“To deliver on our vision we need to think and do things differently,and we need to attract amazing people who bring diverse experiences and new ways of thinking to our industry,” Ms Bayer Rosmarin said.
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“I believe she will be a game-changer for Optus. 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.”
The move to appoint Ms Berejiklian has surprised some industry insiders,who claim Optus was sounding out rivals in the market about potentially offloading its enterprise business and focusing on its consumer business about a year ago. Others have suggested it is a fitting move for Ms Berejiklian,who is close to Communications Minister and former Optus executive,Paul Fletcher. While Mr Fletcher has not worked at Optus since 2008,he remains close to chairman Paul O’Sullivan (who is the chair of Western Sydney Airport,which is in Mr Fletcher’s portfolio).
The position is the first since Ms Berejiklian resigned as premier of NSW after the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said it was investigating whether she breached public trust or encouraged the occurrence of corrupt conduct during her relationship with disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire. Ms Berejiklian gave evidence last year but ICAC has not released its final report.
Her appointment comes the same week as the release ofan audit of the Stronger Communities Fund,which found 96 per cent of funds from a $252 million council grant program overseen by Ms Berejiklian and her then-deputy John Barilaro were awarded to Coalition-held electorates. The audit found Ms Berejiklian identified 41 projects for $142 million in funding despite repeated denials that she was a decision-maker in the program.