Chorus names new executive team - with a couple of gaps

Chorus has named the people who will fill its executive team, in the event that shareholders approve its proposed "demerger" from Telecom (a condition of the company's Crown Fibre contract with the government..

Current boss Mark Ratcliffe was earlier confirmed as chief executive of the spun-off company. Last week Telecom chief executive Paul Reynolds said he would lead the remaining company beyond the demerger.

The CFO role has yet to be filled. Brian Hall, who has been appointed financial controller, will act as interim CFO.

The GM Sales & Marketing position "is close to confirmation and will be announced in the next few days," the company said in a statement.

The appointees named today are:

• Ed Beattie, GM Property & Network Operations, responsible for managing the performance of New Chorus’ fibre and copper network and maintaining its portfolio of network assets.
• Sara Broadhurst, GM Human Resources, responsible for building organisational capability, culture and people management.
• Chris Dyhrberg, GM Network Build, responsible for network investment, planning, capital management and the roll out of the ultra-fast broadband and rural broadband initiatives.
• Irene Lovejoy, Executive Assistant to the CEO, responsible for management of the CEO office and business administration functions.
• Vanessa Oakley, General Counsel & Company Secretary, responsible for legal and regulatory affairs, government relations, compliance, audit and risk.
• Ewen Powell, Chief Information Officer, responsible for technology and enterprise infrastructure and managing the systems platforms to deliver business and customer operations.
• Nick Woodward, GM Customer Services, responsible for operational business transactions between customers, suppliers and partners.

Telecom has previously said that it aims to demerge New Chorus by the end of 2011, subject to debtholder and shareholder approval.

In Telecom's annual result announced Friday, Chorus had ebitda of $806 million (+5%). Telecom Wholesale, most of which is being rolled into Chorus, had ebitda of $119 million (-42%) for a combined $925 million.

The remaining divisions, which will constitute "New Telecom" (Retail, Gen-i, APPT and Corporate) reported combined ebitda of $876 million.