Kieren Cooney (pictured) has been named Telecom's new Director of Mobile.He replaces the departing Paul Hamburger – once dubbed "Mr XT" in Telecom promotions - who is departing in June. A Telecom spokesman told NBR the Florida-based Mr Ham
Kieren Cooney (pictured) has been named Telecom's new Director of Mobile.
He replaces the departing Paul Hamburger – once dubbed "Mr XT" in Telecom promotions - who is departing in June. A Telecom spokesman told NBR the Florida-based Mr Hamburger had chosen not to renew his contact for "a mix of personal and professional reasons."
Mr Hamburger had responsibilities across retail, roaming deals and handset deals.
Telecom said in a statement that "Mr Cooney’s responsibility will be the commercial operations of Telecom’s mobile business such as product management, plans, handsets, and roaming as well as supply chain, retail promotions and sales. The role doesn’t include the management of network infrastructure."
Whereas the Miami-based Mr Hamburger (number 15 on NBR's Tech Power List) was rarely sighted, Mr Cooney used a lot of flash and panache during his time in charge of Vodafone's live! portal and various new media ventures during its initial transition to 3G.
And where Mr Hamburger was reclusive and a little bit Sienfeld, Mr Cooney, an ex-punk, was not shy of deploying rock bands and other noise to pump up his message as he fronted various Vodafone launches.
Check out Mr Cooney's LinkedIn profile here.
And read Rod Drury's free advice for the new boy here.
PLUS! Flashback: Mr Cooney in his floppy-forward Vodafone days.
RAW DATA: Telecom's press release:
Telecom has appointed Kieren Cooney as Director of Mobile.
Mr Cooney is chief executive of Leading Edge NZ, Telecom’s retail dealer partner which runs a network of 60 Telecom branded outlets.
Beforeo his four years at Leading Edge, Mr Cooney held key senior roles at Vodafone including general manager new markets and general manager media & content. During this time he led the launch of the company’s 3G service and the development and growth of its content portal.
He has also held leadership roles at New Zealand technology companies such as Touchpoint, eVentures and Tacit Group.
Alan Gourdie, Telecom Retail chief executive says Kieren was a standout for the role given his close workings with Telecom’s mobile operations over recent years and his impressive local market experience.
“Kieren has been working alongside our mobile and retail teams for some time and has in-depth understanding of the customer experience, sales and service models we work towards.
“His knowledge of the New Zealand mobile market and understanding of the competitive landscape make Kieren an excellent addition to the retail organisation.”
Mr Cooney’s responsibility will be the commercial operations of Telecom’s mobile business such as product management, plans, handsets, and roaming as well as supply chain, retail promotions and sales. The role doesn’t include the management of network infrastructure.
Kieren starts in the role in June ensuring a transition period with current Director of Mobile Paul Hamburger whose contract ends in July.
Career Highlights – Kieren Cooney
07/2006 – Present: Leading Edge NZ - CEO
12/2001 – 04/2006: Vodafone NZ (and APAC), General Manager, New Markets
General Manager, Media and Content
04/2000 - 12/2001: Touchpoint NZ Aust Ltd - Founding General Manager
06/1998 – 04/2000: eVentures / eLoan - Head of Development & Strategy
01/1997 – 06/1998: Tacit Group Ltd - Global Product Manager, Internet
