Gladys Berejiklian says ‘yes’ to Optus

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian will join telco operator Singtel Optus at the end of the month, in her first major role since resigning from her position last October.

Optus confirmed reports in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Friday morning that Ms Berejiklian would join the telco as head of enterprise, business and institutional on February 28.

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has a new job.Credit: Louie Douvis

Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said Ms Berejiklian was a proven leader who showed strength, leadership and discipline.

“To deliver on our vision we need to think and do things differently, and we need to attract amazing people who bring diverse experiences and new ways of thinking to our industry,” Ms Bayer Rosmarin said.

“I believe she will be a game-changer for Optus. In bringing our business-focused teams together under this newly created role I truly believe that our collective energies can deliver superior customer outcomes in market segments that continue to be dominated by the incumbent.”

The move to appoint Ms Berejiklian has surprised some industry insiders, who claim Optus was sounding out rivals in the market about potentially offloading its enterprise business and focusing on its consumer business about a year ago. Others have suggested it is a fitting move for Ms Berejiklian, who is close to Communications Minister and former Optus executive, Paul Fletcher. While Mr Fletcher has not worked at Optus since 2008, he remains close to chairman Paul O’Sullivan (who is the chair of Western Sydney Airport, which is in Mr Fletcher’s portfolio).

The position is the first since Ms Berejiklian resigned as premier of NSW after the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said it was investigating whether she breached public trust or encouraged the occurrence of corrupt conduct during her relationship with disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire. Ms Berejiklian gave evidence last year but ICAC has not released its final report.

Her appointment comes the same week as the release of an audit of the Stronger Communities Fund, which found 96 per cent of funds from a $252 million council grant program overseen by Ms Berejiklian and her then-deputy John Barilaro were awarded to Coalition-held electorates. The audit found Ms Berejiklian identified 41 projects for $142 million in funding despite repeated denials that she was a decision-maker in the program.

Ms Berejiklian was premier of NSW from January 2017 and previously served as transport minister and treasurer. She held senior executives roles at Commonwealth Bank before joining politics. Optus’ Ms Bayer Rosmarin was group executive for CBA’s institutional banking and markets before she joined the telco in 2019.

In her new role, Ms Berejiklian will try to grow the telco’s share of the enterprise, business and institutional markets. She will report directly to Ms Bayer Rosmarin. The amount Ms Berejiklian will earn working in the private sector has not been disclosed. But Telstra’s group executive enterprise, David Burns - whose role is similar to Ms Berejiklian’s - had a fixed salary of $1.1 million in 2021, according to the telco’s annual report. His total remuneration package was valued at $2.6 million. Ms Berejiklian’s annual salary as premier was $407,980.

“I am excited and proud to join an organisation that impacts the lives of millions of Australians every day and prides itself in providing outstanding customer service,” she said.

Ms Berejiklian is not the first former premier to return to the corporate world. Shortly after his resignation in 2017, former NSW premier Mike Baird joined National Australia Bank as chief customer officer before leaving the bank in 2020.

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