Optus has announced Kevin Russell as the company’s new Chief Operating Officer with immediate effect. The appointment will see Mr Russell depart his Chief Executive role at mobile operator Hutchinson Three in the United Kingdom.

 

Mr Russell will take responsibility for the operations of the mass market segments of Optus’ business as well as the company’s Wholesale and Satellite division. Mr Russell will also be responsible for the Optus Consumer, Optus Small and Medium Business.

 

“Kevin’s experience and this appointment will strengthen our ability to take full advantage of the opportunities emerging in our market. His track record in the industry speaks for itself and I am delighted to welcome him to the Optus team,” Optus Chief Executive, Paul O’Sullivan said.

Mr Russell brings extensive experience in leadership roles in the telecommunications industry, having worked in various senior leadership positions with Hutchinson Whampoa Group for sixteen years before working as COO and CEO.

 

 “I’m returning to Australia at a very exciting time in the telecoms industry with the roll-out of 4G and the National Broadband Network both gathering pace. I’m looking forward to working with Paul and the Optus team to take full advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead,” Mr Russell said.

 

Mr Russell joins as Optus has announced it will sign a wholesale agreement with the National Broadband Network Co (NBN Co) following weeks of dispute between over regulatory agreement, liability and oversight.

 

The wholesale-broadband agreement will see Optus become the 25th ISP to sign on to an NBN Co contract. The dispute between the two stemmed from a series of draft contracts that were drawn up last year, before a final document was provided in November. Optus voiced its reservations over a number of clauses in the contract that would see NBN Co accept no responsibility for network outages, customer service disputes or negligence while also stipulating that no regulatory oversight will be implemented.