The head of Australia’s second-largest听迟别濒肠辞听Optus resigned on Monday, cutting short a more than three-year tenure marred by a massive听苍别迟飞辞谤办-wide听辞耻迟补驳别听and one of Australia’s largest data breaches.
Parent Singapore Telecommunications聽announced the resignation of Optus听颁贰翱听Kelly Bayer Rosmarin days听补蹿迟别谤听a听苍别迟飞辞谤办-wide听辞耻迟补驳别听left nearly half of Australia’s 26 million people without phone or internet for 12 hours.
Chief Financial Officer Michael Venter will take over as interim听颁贰翱, Singtel said in a statement.
Ms. Rosmarin said she decided to resign听补蹿迟别谤听time for personal reflection following a parliamentary hearing on Friday where Optus executives said the company had no contingency plan in place for an听辞耻迟补驳别听of that scale.
“Having now had time for some personal reflection, I have come to the decision that my resignation is in the best interest of Optus moving forward,鈥 she said in the statement.
Appointed in April 2020, Rosmarin headed Optus through two national scandals that have tarnished the reputation of the听迟别濒肠辞听giant. A massive data hack last year exposed the personal data of 10 million听础耻蝉迟谤补濒颈补苍s and triggered a聽听补苍诲听聽from regulators.
The company was dealt a fresh blow聽earlier this month聽when a 12-hour听苍别迟飞辞谤办聽blackout hit more than 10 million听础耻蝉迟谤补濒颈补苍蝉,听聽among customers and raising wider concerns about the telecommunications infrastructure.
Optus executives told the parliamentary hearing on Friday the听迟别濒肠辞听provider had not foreseen a听苍别迟飞辞谤办-wide听辞耻迟补驳别听and so had聽聽in place.
Ms. Rosmarin told the hearing hundreds of calls to听础耻蝉迟谤补濒颈补苍聽emergency hotline Triple-0 failed because of the听辞耻迟补驳别听although the听迟别濒肠辞听had followed up all incidents and “thankfully everybody is OK”.
Singtel said last week a fault in听翱辫迟耻蝉’听security systems caused the failure, not a routine software upgrade as previously suspected.
Ms. Rosmarin increased听翱辫迟耻蝉’听market share and improved financial performance during her tenure, Single said in a statement.
“We recognize the need for Optus to regain customer trust and confidence as the team works through the impact and consequences of the recent听辞耻迟补驳别听and continues to improve,” SingTel Group听颁贰翱听Yuen Kuan Moon said in a statement.
Peter Kaliaropoulos was also appointed to a newly created position of chief operating officer. – Reuters
