Ex-Telstra CEO tipped for NBN Co top job

One-time Telstra CEO Ziggy Switkowski has been tipped this week to take a high-ranking role at NBN Co, following the Coalition’s win at the federal election.

Ziggy - whose full name is Zygmunt Edward Switkowski - has served as CEO at Telstra and Optus. He is currently chancellor at RMIT University and has a PhD in nuclear physics.

A colourful News Ltd article posted early Tuesday morning said that Malcolm Turnbull, the man widely expected to become Communications Minister in the new Coalition government, has “tapped Ziggy Switkowski ... to sort out” the NBN.

Specifically, it said that Switkowski is likely to be made “executive chairman” of NBN Co.

(Note that the article also discusses “Labor’s mad FTTP” network, the “narcissistic boy prime minister government of Kevin Rudd” and “Murdoch haters and conspiracy theorists”.)

When the ABC asked Turnbull if he wanted Switkowski to “run the NBN”, Turnbull did not confirm or deny the appointment.

In reply to the ABC’s question, Turnbull said: “Ziggy Switkowski is, obviously, one of our most distinguished business leaders. He would be very well qualified to be chairman of the NBN Co.

“But I can’t comment on any particular board appointments or changes. That’ll be, any such decisions will be taken by a new government after it’s sworn in.”

One report said that the role of executive chairman - which doesn’t currently exist at NBN Co - could be created by combining the roles of chairwoman Siobhan McKenna and retiring CEO Mike Quigley.

Switkowski said he had “no comment” on the supposed appointment.

According to an SMH report, Turnbull is understood to have approached telecoms and construction executives in the weeks preceding the election in an effort to find candidates for NBN Co’s board.

“While I have no criticism to make of any of the individuals [on NBN Co’s board], it is remarkable that there is nobody on that board who has either run or built or been responsible for building or managing a large telecommunications network. And given that is the core business of NBN Co, that is a singular deficiency,” Turnbull said on ABC radio.

Switkowski’s Liberal Party connections “run deep”, the ABC said.

Switkowski’s supposed appointment could bring Telstra and the government closer together, a writer at The Australian said, triggering a “revolt” from rival telcos.

The writer stated that if Switkowski is appointed to an executive role at NBN Co, it “should be for a limited period to let NBN Co boss Mike Quigley escape because while Switkowski might be the ideal chairman he is not the ideal chief executive for the company”.

Pictured: Ziggy Switkowski