'Ideas man' the latest exec to leave Telstra * Fran Foo * From:...

'Ideas man' the latest exec to leave Telstra


* Fran Foo
* From: The Australian
* May 21, 2010 12:00AM


TELSTRA'S main "ideas man" and the brains behind the T-Hub touchscreen device, Christophe Bur, is the latest executive to hang up on the telco.

Mr Bur joined consultancy Capgemini Australia to run its telecommunications and media practice on May 19, the date David Thodey became Telstra CEO a year ago.

Well-known in industry circles, Mr Bur's departure brings to six the number of senior-level resignations at Telstra since Mr Thodey took the top job.

As Telstra's strategy, planning and operations executive director for the past three years, Mr Bur was responsible for the company's products and services strategic roadmap.

So crucial is the T-Hub -- a combined telephone and internet device -- to Telstra's fortunes, chief marketing officer Kate McKenzie described it as "probably the most significant technology leap since Alexander Graham Bell and the first telephone 130 years ago".

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Related Coverage

* Telstra's fixed line challenge The Australian, 25 Apr 2010
* Telstra puts hope in hubs Australian IT, 5 Apr 2010
* Thodey to turn into Mr Fixit The Australian, 29 Mar 2010
* Thodey to shuffle Telstra deck The Australian, 28 Mar 2010
* Telstra's net man has new line The Australian, 21 Feb 2010

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About 10,000 T-Hub units have been sold since it was launched about three weeks ago.

The softly-spoken Mr Thodey has reshuffled the top deck twice since replacing the outspoken and combative Sol Trujillo.

Consumer boss David Moffat was the first headline act to quit, raising the white flag six months after Mr Thodey was promoted to the top job.

Mr Moffat's interim replacement, Glenice Maclellan, has also left Telstra.

Just as Mr Thodey was preparing his first leadership change in November, Telstra product management chief Holly Kramer resigned. But she has landed on her feet -- last week Pacific Brands appointed her to run its homewares division.

Broadband and media boss, Justin Milne, was next to leave, quitting just 72 hours before Mr Thodey announced his second executive reshuffle in late March.

Telstra has also lost Drew Kelton, its international retail head, while seasoned campaigner and lead national broadband network negotiator Geoff Booth retires at the end of June.

French-born Mr Bur, who has high regard for Mr Thodey, was quick to dismiss talk of any discontent at Telstra, saying he could work there for another two decades.

"Telstra is a great place to work . . . I could spend another 20 years there," Mr Bur said.

"Leaving Telstra was a hard decision but I left on good terms. I wasn't really looking for a change but what Capgemini proposed was too good an offer."

Mr Bur said Mr Thodey and Mr Trujillo were "very, very different people" but both great leaders.

A telecommunications veteran, Mr Bur joined Telstra in 2006 after more than 10 years with SingTel-Optus in various senior roles, including strategy and transformation.

Capgemini chief executive Paul Thorley described Mr Bur's appointment as a coup for the company. Mr Bur was also behind Telstra's T-Suite offering that allows businesses to lease software products from Microsoft and others on a fixed monthly fee.