Telstra has appointed three new Group Executives to further drive the company’s strategic growth agenda.
The new Group Executives are:
- Karsten Wildberger, Group Executive Retail, currently Group Managing Director Consumer and acting Group Managing Director Products
- Cynthia Whelan, Group Executive International and New Businesses, currently Group Managing Director Strategic Finance and acting Group Executive International
- Joe Pollard, Chief Marketing Officer and Group Executive Media, currently Group Managing Director Media and Marketing.
They will all report to Telstra CEO, Andrew Penn.
“Karsten, Cynthia and Joe are outstanding executives who have already made significant contributions to our
growth ambitions and will take even larger roles in this new structure. They bring significant international
experience prior to joining Telstra,” Penn said.
“These positions reflect our commitment to improving consumer and product offers to customers through one
laser-focused team, to elevate our media and marketing activities and align them across the business, and
our continued focus on growth.”
Dr Wildberger will manage the retail business including consumer and business divisions, product and digital
business units with broader enterprise-wide responsibilities and a strong focus on customer advocacy. The
portfolio represents a significant portion of the company’s revenue and profit.
He joined Telstra in January 2013 as GMD Consumer and also assumed accountability as GMD
Products from May 2015.
Dr Wildberger is a former partner and managing director with The Boston Consulting Group
advising on telecommunications, technology, industrial goods and utilities globally. He held executive vice
president roles in Finance, Sales and Marketing for Deutsche Telekom in the UK and Germany and senior
leadership positions with Vodafone including Chief Financial Officer and interim CEO in Romania. He is a
Director of the Telstra Foundation and Telstra Ventures.
Whelan’s responsibilities will include driving growth initiatives into new markets, including Telstra Health,
Telstra Ventures, Smart Home Solutions and new premium services, as well as Telstra’s international
operations. Responsibilities for Strategic Finance, including mergers and acquisitions, will remain with Chief
Financial Officer Warwick Bray.
She came to Telstra in 2013 from her role as CEO of Barclays in Australia and New Zealand since
2010, having previously led Debt Capital Markets for Barclays across Asia-Pacific, based in Hong Kong. Her
investment banking career included roles at Merrill Lynch and UBS in Australia. She is a Director on the
Board of Autohome and the Chair of Telstra Ventures.
Ms Pollard will continue to lead all of Telstra’s media and marketing functions including the Chief Marketing
Office. She joined Telstra in November 2014 as GMD Media and Marketing after an extensive career in
marketing, media and digital in Australia, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, United States and Japan. Her work
history includes a decade with Nike globally, Nine Entertainment Co, CEO of ninemsn and CEO of Publicis
Mojo. She is a non-executive director of AMP Bank.
The new appointments are effective immediately.
