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First day on the job as Tuanz boss, Brislen outlines agenda


The former Vodafone corporate communications boss begins his new role as chief executive of the influential lobby group Tuanz (the Telecommunications Users Association of NZ).

Chris Keall
Tue, 01 Feb 2011

Former Vodafone’s head of corporate communications, Paul Brislen starts his new role as chief executive of the influential lobby group Tuanz (the Telecommunications Users Association of NZ) today.

Mr Brislen's appointment was announced on October 29 last year. He left his former employer's office that day to begin three months of garden leave.

His last Vodafone pay was banked last week. Today, his feet are under the desk at Tuanz' office in the Auckland suburb of Takapuna.

The new role will require a change of tack from telco industry insider.

For Tuanz represents the interests of around 400 corporate customers, and was pivotal in the government's recent decision to regulate mobile termination rates (a decision much criticised by Mr Brislen in his Vodafone role), among many other crusades.

The Brislen agenda
Mr Brislen steps into the big shoes of Ernie Newman, who resigned to set up his own consultancy, and is now working with Kordia on its rural broadband bid (with FX Networks and Woosh), among other projects.

An informal changing of the guard took place before Christmas, with Mr Brislen and Mr Newman swapping notes over a long lunch.

This morning, Mr Brislen told NBR he had a "busy year ahead".

Issues on his agenda included the government's ultrafast broadband (UFB project), the rural broadband initiative (RBI), the MED's transtasman roaming investigation, seeing through mobile termination rate regulation, Telecom's possible structural separation, the Telecommunications Amendment Bill and - in shift in focus from his predecessor - also the issues of net neutrality and copyright.

"Plus I want to get out and meet the members as much as I can to hear what issues they face to see where we should prioritise," said the new Tuanz boss.

Recruit more telcos?
Late last year, the issue emerged of whether the perennially cash-strapped Tuanz should allow representatives from telecommunications companies sit on its board.

Such a constitutional change would make it easier to recruit telcos as corporate members (currently, of the majors, only Telecom and 2degrees have corporate memberships to Tuanz, as far as NBR is aware; carrier members cannot vote).

Tuanz chairman Pat O'Connell told NBR last year that he had no problem with phone companies joining Tuanz, or taking power positions in the organisation. They, as much as anyone, were telecommunications users.

Asked this morning if he planned to recruit more telcos to the Tuanz fold, Mr Brislen offered that "I'm more interested in getting users involved than the telcos. If they join they join."

"Good operator"
Mr Brislen's appointment was popular with journalists. Before joining Vodafone, the one-time Hamilton pizza parlour waiter wrote for Computerworld, where he rose to become editor.

There, as at Vodafone, he gained a reputation for tackling issues on the front foot, and candidly expressing his opinions.

First reaction to Mr Brislen's appointment came from Labour's communications spokeswoman Clare Curran who said, "I know him and he’s a good operator. And I hope he’ll be a strong independent voice in the telecommunications industry which we urgently need at this time."

Vodafone is still recruiting for a replacement for Mr Brislen, GM of corporate affairs Tom Chignell told NBR this morning.

Before joining Vodafone, Mr Brislen was editor of well-regarded niche trade publication Computerworld.
An informal changing of the guard took place late last year, with Mr Newman and Mr Brislen swapping notes over a long lunch.
An informal changing of the guard took place late last year, with Mr Newman and Mr Brislen swapping notes over a long lunch.
An informal changing of the guard took place late last year, with Mr Newman and Mr Brislen swapping notes over a long lunch.
Chris Keall
Tue, 01 Feb 2011
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First day on the job as Tuanz boss, Brislen outlines agenda
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