The Hon Lindsay Tanner MP
Minister for Finance and Deregulation

Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate

Board appointments for National Broadband Network

The Rudd Government today announced the appointment of five new directors to the board of NBN Co Limited – the company established to deliver the National Broadband Network.

The directors are Mr Doug Campbell, Mr Peter Hay, Ms Siobhan McKenna, Ms Diane Smith-Gander and Mr Gene Tilbrook.

The five new directors will join the Executive Chair, Mr Michael Quigley, on the board. Mr Quigley has also been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of NBN Co.

"These appointments move us to an important next stage in the implementation of this historic nation-building infrastructure project," the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy said.

"Mr Quigley and the five new directors bring a strong set of skills necessary for a task of this scale and importance."

"The NBN Co Board will help drive the rollout of the National Broadband Network and guide the development of company operations," the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Lindsay Tanner said.

"These Board appointees are expertly qualified and experienced to establish this important component of our future economic infrastructure."

Senator Conroy and Mr Tanner acknowledged the contributions made by the interim directors, who will be replaced by the incoming directors.

Background on the five new Board appointees follows below.

Date: 6 August 2009
Contact: Tim Marshall (Senator Conroy’s office) 0408 258 457
Nardia Dazkiw (Lindsay Tanner’s office) 0418 144 690

NBN Co Limited Board Appointments

Doug Campbell – BACKGROUND

Mr Campbell brings significant telecommunications experience and expertise to the National Broadband Network project.

Mr Campbell was awarded an Order of Australia for his service to business and to the community, particularly as a contributor to the development of communications services in regional and remote areas of Australia. He was the founding group managing director and key architect of Telstra Country Wide.

Mr Campbell has 48 years of industry experience: 30 years in Canada competing with established telecommunications providers, and 18 years in Australia as a senior executive at Telstra.

The Government recently announced Mr Campbell’s appointment as Chair of Tasmanian NBN Company Limited (TNBN Co), a new company which will be established and jointly owned by NBN Co and Aurora Energy to rollout the NBN in Tasmania.

Peter Hay – BACKGROUND

Mr Hay brings substantial legal and regulatory experience that will be crucial in establishing and operating NBN Co. He will also contribute 20 years experience from working on a wide range of companies and other boards.

His background in company law and investment banking, and his substantial experience built up over 30 years in the legal profession, will be a huge asset to NBN Co.

Mr Hay is a former Chief Executive Officer of law firm Freehills. Previously, he practised company law with a particular expertise in mergers and acquisitions. He spent much of 1993 to 1999 advising governments and government-owned enterprises on industry reform and preparing for and implementing energy sector privatisation.

Mr Hay brings to the NBN Co board considerable legal experience and advisory skills in relation to public company takeovers, corporate governance matters and risk management.

Siobhan McKenna – BACKGROUND

Ms McKenna brings an excellent breadth of local and international experience, including consulting, commercial, and government roles to the NBN Co board. Ms McKenna was appointed a part-time Commissioner of the Productivity Commission in June 2009, working on the Social and Economic Infrastructure Services study, which is part of a five year rolling review of regulatory burdens on business.

Previously, Ms McKenna was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, an international management consulting firm, where she provided advice to companies on productivity matters and the development of effective regulatory strategies. She was also a member of the Advisory Board of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

Diane Smith-Gander – BACKGROUND

Ms Smith-Gander brings a depth of experience in financial, commercial and management consulting to the NBN Co board. Previously, she was head of Westpac Banking Corporation’s Business & Technology Solutions & Services division.

Before rejoining Westpac, Ms Smith-Gander was a Partner with McKinsey & Company in the USA where she led major transformation projects with a focus on post merger integration (including IT integration) and organisational restructuring. In this role, she served some of the most complex merger integrations and restructures internationally in industries such as financial services, pharmaceuticals, high tech and chemicals.

Between 1990 and 2000 she worked for Westpac in a range of executive level roles. Prior to 1990, she worked in Sydney and Hong Kong for PA Consulting Group, focusing on performance improvement for retail financial institutions.

Ms Smith-Gander is a board member of Basketball Australia and a past chairperson of the Australian Sports Drug Agency.

Gene Tilbrook – BACKGROUND

Mr Tilbrook brings substantial financial, valuation and capital management experience to the NBN Co board. The breadth and depth of his business experience in corporate strategy and finance, acquisitions and capital projects will be crucial in establishing and operating NBN Co.

While at Wesfarmers Limited, a major Australian-listed company with diversified interests, he was Finance Director from 2005 to 2009, and prior to that Director, Business Development. During his time at Wesfarmers, Mr Tilbrook was involved in many of the transactions that made Wesfarmers a successful diversified group, as well as corporate planning, information technology and project financing.

Previously he worked in corporate finance and systems engineering.

Mr Tilbrook is also a councillor of Curtin University of Technology and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Western Australia division; and a member of the boards of the Perth International Arts Festival and Committee for Perth.