If the writing wasn’t already on the wall, the imminent fate of Telstra chief ‘Sol Trujillo’ was definitely made more evident after blundering the NBN bid. It’s been officially revealed that the Telstra CEO will in fact step down on June 30th this year after 4 years with the incumbent.
During his period at Australia’s largest telecommunication provider, Mr Trujillo says the results he’s achieved in this respective time has made him incredibly proud. He certainly has Telstra’s world leading Next G Mobile broadband network to his credit, however others would argue his success was limited, especially Telstra’s shareholders.
There’s no doubting that Mr Trujillo’s almost ruthless approach at dealing with the Industry’s challenges; it’s competitors; Australian Government relations; and regulatory conflicts earned him some stripes if not stars, however history will possibly reveal down the track that the one thing that he didn’t know too well was the environment he worked in and it’s people.
So who’s next in the seat? If the board share similar opinions to those just described, I’d be inclined to lean toward an in-house appointment. Telstra may be twice shy when it comes to obtaining a foreigner for the top roll, and someone that will be subject to an unfamiliar, and at times, hostile environment. My guess Telstra’s next boss is an Aussie!
