CEO of Singtel-owned Optus resigns following Australia-wide outage
In the aftermath of a massive service disruption affecting millions, Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin steps down, marking a significant leadership change at Singtel's Australian subsidiary.
Big news in the telecom world: Singtel’s Australian arm, Optus, is undergoing a major leadership change.
Chief executive officer Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has resigned, just over a week after a colossal outage left around 10 million Australians disconnected for half a day.
In the interim, Optus chief financial officer Michael Venter will be juggling the roles of CFO and CEO as the hunt for a new leader goes global.
This story is more than just corporate musical chairs. It's about the challenge of leading a major telecom company through crisis, the importance of robust cybersecurity, and the impact of leadership decisions on both the company's reputation.
And there's more on the management shuffle front: former StarHub CEO Peter Kaliaropoulos is stepping in as COO, a freshly minted position at Optus.
He's no stranger to the company, having previously been Optus’ business managing director. Kaliaropoulos is set to rejoin the team on November 22, reporting directly to Venter.
Singtel’s group CEO, Yuen Kuan Moon, expressed the company's commitment to rebuilding customer trust in light of the recent outage, emphasising the importance of network resilience and security as a top priority.
The outage wasn’t just a minor hiccup – it was a major blow, coming just a year after a cyber attack where over two million customers had sensitive data like passport details leaked.
Despite the chaos following the cyberattack, Singtel had kept faith in Ms Bayer Rosmarin. But the latest outage proved to be a game-changer, leading to a dip in Singtel's stock value and making her position increasingly shaky, as reported by Bloomberg.
Facing tough questions at an Australian Senate inquiry hearing, Ms Bayer Rosmarin denied being under pressure to resign. However, in a recent statement, she reflected on her decision, stating it was in the best interest of Optus moving forward.
Mr Yuen acknowledged Ms Bayer Rosmarin's leadership during the tumultuous pandemic period, thanking her for her dedication and service.
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