Dr Neryl East – Mumbrella
International speaker; expert on communication, media, credibility, influence and reputation
‘The very definition of a safe bet’: Did Optus make the right CEO choice?
Optus has finally appointed a new CEO — the current chief of NBN Co, Stephen Rue — who won’t start until November, a full year after former boss Kelly Bayer Rosmarin resigned in the wake of a disastrously handled national outage.
As the boss of the National Broadband Network, Rue is currently the highest-paid government employee in the country, and seems — on paper — uniquely suited to run a national communications network. But is he the right choice to steer the telco’s reputation back on track? We ask the experts.
Dr Neryl East, speaker and leadership credibility expert
It’s crucial that Optus and its incoming CEO draw a line in the sand and introduce a new standard of authentic communication that rebuilds credibility and trust. This needs to happen immediately and be consistent from now on.
Reputation damage has a cumulative effect; join a series of mishaps together and you’re on the back foot in a big way. Now there’s a chance for Optus to get proactive and show a change in culture and approach.