Vodafone Australia CEO takes reins at NBN

The CEO of Vodafone Australia has resigned to lead the country’s National Broadband Network (NBN) project. Bill Morrow has been appointed CEO at NBN Co, the company responsible for delivering Australia’s nationwide fixed-line broadband upgrade. He will assume his role in the new year, based in Sydney.

Morrow’s appointment follows Australian communications minister Malcolm Turnbull’s call in September for the entire board of the NBN project to tender  their resignations.

The national wholesale network rollout has been hit by multiple delays for various reasons. Turnbull has previously been critical of the board in complaining that none of its members has any previous telco experience and that they did not do enough to rein in network costs and correct the mistakes that were being made.

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NBN Co said that for this appointment, it would seek a business leader with experience in telecommunications and network construction for the role of CEO. The firm appointed chairman Dr Ziggy Switkowski in October, who was previously CEO at Telstra and has also been interim CEO at NBN Co.

Commenting on Morrow’s appointment, he  said: “Bill’s experience extends not only to running major telecommunications businesses but, from his time at Clearwire in the United States, also building a large scale network. He possesses the right mix of talent, experience and deep knowledge of the telecommunications industry to ensure NBN Co can get the job done.”

Morrow voiced his belief that if the NBN project is rolled out correctly, it could boost the nation’s economy. “The digital revolution is picking up speed. With the right infrastructure and industry collaboration, Australia will reap the benefits for decades to come,” he said.

“While I am sad to be leaving a great company like Vodafone, I am looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and ensuring every Australian is able to benefit from a world class National Broadband Network.”