News
Long-serving Stuart Lee to be replaced by business head Will Irving.
Telstra announced this week that its wholesale chief Stuart Lee is stepping down after spending nearly 45 years with the company.
Lee first joined the Australian incumbent as a cadet engineer in March 1971, when it was still part of the government’s Postmaster-General’s Department (PMG). After serving in more than 20 different roles, he was appointed to the senior management team in 2005 and has been in charge of Telstra’s wholesale division since 2011.
"Stuart has been an amazing executive for Telstra. Telstra Wholesale has substantially improved customer focus under Stuart’s leadership while returning to growth after years of decline," said Telstra CEO Andrew Penn, in a statement on Thursday.
Lee is the only senior executive to have served all five of Telstra’s CEOs.
"I am grateful to Stuart for his support of me during my time at Telstra and appreciate his wise counsel," Penn said."
Replacing Lee is Will Irving, who currently serves as group managing director of Telstra Business.
"We are fortunate to have Will Irving as a ready replacement for Stuart Lee, given he is an experienced Telstra executive, proven commercial negotiator and strong relationship builder with external partners. This is an ideal combination for our wholesale role," Penn said.
Lee will step down on 31 March. Telstra said that a permanent replacement for the role vacated by Irving will be announced "once finalised".
