Optus make major move after massive network outage sees NBN boss headhunted following CEO’s exit

Optus has appointed a telecommunications veteran as its new CEO, six months after a nationwide outage at the telco left almost a third of Australians without internet or mobile service.

Stephen Rue will become CEO of Optus in November, after six years as head of Australia’s National Broadband Network and four years as Chief Financial Officer.

During his time at Network, he oversaw the rollout of broadband to more than eight million homes and businesses across the country.

“I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to lead Optus, a company that has strived to serve Australians for more than two decades,” Rue said in a statement on Monday.

“My role will be to look after Optus’ customers, people and business and deliver strong competition and choice.

“I look forward to accelerating the transformation at Optus so that fellow countrymen continue to have the choice of a strong alternative telecom provider.”

Optus chairman Paul O’Sullivan said Mr Rue’s appointment came after an extensive internal, external and international search.

“We expect Stephen’s operational and financial background to significantly elevate service standards for the benefit of our customers,” he said.

“His experience in building Australia’s digital backbone will serve us well as we revive Optus as Australia’s leading telecommunications brand.”

Optus has also introduced a new governance model that will force the CEO and executives to report to the board and rebuild customer trust.

Former Optus chief Kelly Bayer Rosmarin resigned in November after the telecommunications giant suffered two major PR disasters.

In September 2022, Optus suffered a major data breach that affected 10 million Australians and resulted in the theft and online leakage of driver’s license, Medicare and passport numbers of 10,000 customers.

Former Optus chief Kelly Bayer Rosmarin resigned in November after the telecommunications giant suffered two major PR disasters

About fourteen months later it was hit by a twelve-hour outage that left millions of Australians without internet access and mobile services, and thousands of emergency calls halted.

The federal government has since assessed the outage and is planning changes to protect Australians from future problems by increasing oversight of the emergency network and improving accountability of telecommunications companies.