Telecom New Zealand makes transformational appointments

Telecom New Zealand today announced two key appointments to its executive
team.

Alan Gourdie has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer Retail, and
Frank Mount has been appointed as Telecom’s Group Chief Transformation
Officer.

Telecom CEO Paul Reynolds said he was delighted to have secured two
world-class people for these roles at the heart of Telecom’s
transformation process.

“Building on other recent appointments to the executive team, Alan and
Frank will play key roles in driving the company’s transformation for
long-term growth. It’s great to have them on board,” Dr Reynolds said.

“Alan and Frank will be responsible for delivering a new generation of
world-class services to our customers in new and innovative ways, while at
the same time energising our people and maintaining a clear focus on
putting customers first.

“That is the essence of Telecom New Zealand’s transformation in the era of
operational separation, and of the strategy for long-term growth we
unveiled on 10 April.”

Mr Gourdie has extensive experience working in very senior leadership and
consumer marketing roles in New Zealand, Singapore and Europe.

Dr Reynolds said Alan’s considerable experience developing key consumer
brands in intensely competitive markets, coupled with his strong
leadership ability, will be a major asset for Telecom’s management team.

“Alan has a proven talent for energising brands through a strong customer
focus, and this will be invaluable as he drives the retail division’s
commitment to improve the experience of Telecom’s consumer and business
customers,” Dr Reynolds said.

“I’m very much looking forward to helping transform Telecom into a brand
that kiwis love,” said Mr Gourdie.

“I’ve been following Telecom’s transformation over the last year or so
with great interest, in particular Paul’s commitment to putting customers
at the heart of the business, which I believe is fundamentally important
to the success of any brand.”

Dr Reynolds said Frank Mount has an impressive track record in leadership
roles at some of the world’s leading telecommunications companies across
Europe, the United Kingdom and the US.

“I’m delighted to secure a candidate with Frank’s extensive knowledge of
the telecommunications sector. At globally important telcos such as Cable
and Wireless, Frank has shown a world-class ability to consistently
deliver outstanding results through creating high performing teams.

“Frank has exceptional experience in driving transformational change, and
an exhaustive knowledge of the full spectrum of telecommunications and IP
technologies. This equips him perfectly to execute our long-term
technology strategy,” said Dr Reynolds.

Frank Mount said the dynamic environment in which Telecom is operating,
coupled with the company’s commitment to delivering a world-class next
generation network, drew him to a role on the other side of the world.

“The Telecom New Zealand story is a compelling one for me, as indeed it
should for any observer of the global telco sector right now.

“Telecom is reinventing itself and is clearly committed to delivering its
next generation network and the enhancements it brings for an improved
customer experience. The scale of the New Zealand market will allow us to
bring world-leading technology faster, to a more receptive market, than
perhaps any other country in the world.

“As a technologist it was a challenge I couldn’t pass up and I can’t wait
to get started at Telecom on 9 June,” Mr Mount said.

Alan Gourdie and Frank Mount will both be based in Auckland. Mr Gourdie
will commence his new role on 25 August.

Career summaries are below.

ENDS

Contact:

Mark Watts, Head of External Media, Telecom New Zealand, +64 (0)272 504
018

Alan Gourdie

Career history

Alan received a Bachelor’s degree in Science in 1986 and two years later a
Master’s Degree with First Class Honours in Chemistry from University of
Auckland, New Zealand.

He began his career as a research and development chemist at Reckitt and
Colman in New Zealand and was later promoted to brand manager
Pharmaceuticals within the same organisation.

In 1994 he joined DB Group as General Manager Marketing for Wines and
Spirits then in 1998 was promoted to General Manager Marketing for the
Brewing business. Later his responsibilities were further expanded to
include sales.

Alan’s activities with Heineken attracted the attention of the principal
Heineken NV and in early 2001 he was transferred to Amsterdam to take up
the role of Global Marketing Manager Heineken. Following this, Alan was
invited back to Asia Heineken’s sister company Asia Pacific Breweries
(APB) to lead the key Singapore operation of their business as General
Manager.

Earlier this year Alan was posted to London as Managing Director of APB’s
UK and European operations.

Frank Mount

Career History

Francis (Frank) Mount was educated in Europe and the USA in moderns,
classics and sciences and has a degree in mathematics and IT from Mercy
College, New York.

He began his career with AT&T and spent 20 years working in various roles
for the company.

Frank has been Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
for Viatel Inc and held similar senior roles with Primus Communications,
US Cable and MCI Telecommunications Inc.

Frank held the position of CTO at T-Mobile UK Ltd and following that led
the company’s European Operations, with responsibility for all network
operations outside North America.

Most recently Frank worked at Cable & Wireless plc from November 2004 to
December 2007 as Director Group Operations, Group CTO, and CTO Cable &
Wireless International. He also served as a member on the Boards of the
International Company and Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd.

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