NBN CEO Bill Morrow has confirmed he will step down at the end of calendar 2018, adding that he has “decided to leave NBN to pursue the next chapter of my career”.
Morrow said the remaining nine months of this tenure would allow the company’s Board of Directors to undertake an extensive search for a replacement “while we remain focused on lifting the customer experience and reaching our three-quarter network completion milestone”.
“Two days ago was my four year anniversary here at NBN and over this entire time, I have repeatedly been inspired by and in awe of you,” Morrow told his staff in a message this morning. “As many of you know, I’ve had the pleasure of leading many companies all over the world but it is here, in Australia, at NBN, where I’ve witnessed a team of like-minded individuals pull together and overcome obstacles in the face of adversity like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” he said.
Morrow listed a number of achievements made by NBN while he was at the helm. “I know the reason you work so hard isn’t so much about building a network, it’s about closing the digital divide and narrowing the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. It’s about all Australians having greater access to education, health care, career opportunities, entertainment and feeling more connected than ever before,” he added, flagging the release, in a fortnight, of a “recent study by well-respected economists who have researched the societal and economic impacts brought about because of NBN”.
“We can see the evidence of job creation, improved equality and greater levels of self-employment, particularly for women,” Morrow continued. “You will hear more about this shortly but know that while many of us have always believed this to be the case, we now have evidence proving how the people behind NBN are making a difference.”