Telstra's Moffatt calls it quits

Would-be successor to both Sol Trujillo and Ziggy Switkowski, David Moffatt has called it quits after eight years with Telstra.

David Moffatt (Credit: Telstra)

Moffatt will stay in his current role as Consumer Group managing director (MD) for the next six months or until a replacement is found, according to a statement by Telstra.

After joining Telstra in 2001 as its chief financial officer, Moffatt was believed to twice be considered and passed over for the top job, first via the appointment of Sol Trujillo in 2005, and again by David Thodey this year.

In his role as consumer group MD, Moffatt was responsible for Telstra's largest portfolio, and was a key driver behind Telstra's revamped consumer strategy, which saw the launch of T[Life], and the delivery of its prized Next G mobile network.

Thodey thanked Moffatt for his leadership at the company: "David has successfully played a major role at Telstra in building a world-leading, fully integrated consumer retail business. He has been a champion of the development of Telstra's people, driven our customer-centric business model based on Market Based Management and was the major force behind the creation of our dynamic, consumer retail experience T[Life]."

As Telstra's CFO, Moffatt was also group MD of finance and administration before taking on group MD of consumer in 2003. He also held a spot on the Foxtel board since 2001.

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Talkback 5 comments

    Goodbye Mr Moffatt Anonymous -- 28/09/09

    Why stick around for 6 months. Just go now, and do everybody a favor, cos sticking around is surely not going to be in Telstra's best interests.

    Incidentally, good luck in your future endeavours !

    Mixed Muppet Feedback Walter Hawtin -- 29/09/09

    Having been a supplier and having a number of close senior contacts inside GE (where Moffat was Australia MD), I can relate that the worst kept secret during the Olympic Year 2000 was that Moffat had been dumped from all executive roles at GE by then-CEO Jack Welch for being quite ineffectual in growing the business. His role post Feb-2000 until after the Olympic Games was as a show pony for GE - just take a look at the AFR during that period - his profile appears twice in planned PR exercises that were designed to raise his profile for a career post-Olynpics outside of GE. He was eventually hired by Telstra in about November 2000, from memory. Telstra was a very close business partner at the Olympics, and Moffat made sure Ziggy knew all about him. No surprise to anyone at GE.

    Admittedly Welch would have been a tough taskmaster, but ask anyone running the range of GE businesses in Aus at that time (Plastics, Lighting, Capital, Fleet Mgt) and the consensus was that Moffat was a figurehead and a ribbon cutter in his time there: he had very little positive impact on the businesses. He also had a habit of hiring, for his corporate team at GE, a bevy of under-qualified, inexperienced but aethetically 'attractive' staff in support functions such as HR. His reputation when he left GE was of a relative lightweight who though an understanding of the role of symbolism and appearances was enough to be a qualified senior business leader. It is possible that the GE model made the Country Head role an impossible position - the GMs of the GE businesses in Australia were accountable to their global business heads, not to Moffatt, so my assessment may be overly harsh.

    What was he like at Telstra? Love to hear from an insider.

    What about who is left? Mel Sommersberg -- 30/09/09 (in reply to #320347444)

    I would be more interested in hearing what David Thodey is going to do. He's been as quiet as a mouse since he took his post.

    anonymous tip Anonymous -- 30/09/09 (in reply to #320347444)

    word on the "street" has it that he was a complete muppet.

    Unanonymous tip. Anonymous -- 01/10/09 (in reply to #320349983)

    Wonder how much time you spend on the "street", and at what time of day or night, doing what.

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