Westpac hires ex-Telstra CIO

exclusive Former Telstra chief information officer (CIO) Vish Padmanabhan, who walked out on the carrier after his position was usurped last year, has quietly worked his way into the finance sector.

ZDNet Australia has learned that Padmanabhan is working at Westpac Bank as program director on a range of projects.

A Westpac spokesperson confirmed his role, saying Padmanabhan (right) has been working at the bank since mid-January under the guidance of chief security officer David Backley. The role is not permanent.

The spokesperson would not reveal more details on the nature of his work.

An industry veteran who spent 20 years at IBM prior to Telstra, Padmanabhan's Big Blue experience could be valuable as Westpac has a wide-ranging IT services contract with IBM Global Services.

He started his career at the telco in June 2004, working closely with then CIO Jeff Smith.

In April 2005, Padmanabhan was promoted to CIO but his tenure was short-lived. In April 2006, the appointment of Fiona Balfour -- who spent Qantas after 14 years -- saw him demoted to his previous role of deputy CIO. He left Telstra later that year and his position was abolished.

While Balfour continued in the CIO role, she only lasted 10 months. She resigned abruptly earlier this month.

Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo this month cited differences between Balfour and Telstra's chief operating officer Greg Winn as the reason for her departure.