Telstra appoints Warwick Bray as new CFO
Telstra's group managing director of products Warwick Bray will step into the role of chief financial officer from Friday, when Andy Penn moves into the top job, replacing David Thodey.
Thodey announced his retirement in February this year, to be replaced by Penn as of the end of this week. Thodey will remain with the company during a transition period until August.
Bray, 53, has been with Telstra for close to six years, joining in 2009 as the head of corporate strategy before heading up Telstra's mobiles business in 2010, when the company began its boom period, notching up several million new mobile customers on its network.
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Since 2013, Bray has been responsible for Telstra's wider product portfolio, including fixed, mobile, mobile broadband, and Wi-Fi. Bray was also the chairman of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association between 2012 and 2014.
Prior to joining Telstra, Bray worked at a number of banking firms and independent consultancy firms, but began his career as an analyst programmer with Shell, and worked as a systems engineer at Hewlett Packard in the early 1980s. He has a Bachelor in Science and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Melbourne.
Penn said in a statement on Thursday that Bray's telecommunications knowledge being brought to the CFO role would help the company grow.
"Warwick has decades of knowledge in and around telecommunications and technology, and significant financial experience proven by his business results in Telstra and other companies," Penn said.
"We are pleased to have appointed Warwick from within our executive ranks, highlighting the depth of talent within the business. He is well regarded in the industry, and has a proven track record in leading and significantly growing multibillion-dollar businesses."
Telstra has yet to announce a permanent head of product, but the company's group managing director of consumer Karsten Wildberger will take on the responsibilities until a replacement is found. The company said it has also yet to appoint a head of Telstra International.