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Phil Burgess quits Telstra

Phil Burgess, Telstra's controversial group managing director of Public Policy and Communications, has announced he will leave his Australian post for good at the end of August.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer

Phil Burgess, Telstra's controversial group managing director of Public Policy and Communications, has announced he will leave his Australian post for good at the end of August.

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Telstra's Phil Burgess
(Credit: Telstra)

Burgess will return to the US in September to care for his wife's mother who is seriously ill, according to a statement released by Telstra today.

Burgess has been in the role with Telstra since July 2005, heading up the telco's regulatory affairs, government relations, corporate affairs and media relations.

"My time in Australia and with Telstra has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life, both personally and professionally. I came here expecting to stay for one to two months. Three years later, Mary Sue and I leave having been welcomed guests in this wonderful country," Burgess said in a statement.

Filling Burgess' shoes will be David Quilty, Telstra's current director of government relations, according to the telco.

Telstra's CEO Sol Trujillo said he valued Burgess' "principled approach to public policy and communications".

"Phil has great integrity and has not been afraid to show leadership, often speaking the truth when it was inconvenient for established interests to hear it," said Trujillo.

Burgess will remain as a consultant to Telstra and advisor to Trujillo, according to Telstra's statement. Burgess has planned to take up a research role at The Annapolis Institute in September.

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