Bye-Bye Burgess: Dr Phil departs Telstra

Stuart Corner
Monday, 18 August 2008 12:24

IT Industry - Strategy

Dr Phil Burgess Telstra's outspoken public policy chief, is to leave Telstra at the end of August to return to the United States.

Announcing his departure, Telstra said he would return to his home in Annapolis, Maryland. "to support his wife, Mary Sue, whose mother is seriously ill, and to resume his life as an advisor to business and government on matters related to technology and society, a life he put on hold to join Sol Trujillo and Telstra three years ago."

His departure is likely to re-ignite speculation about CEO Sol Trujillo's plans. When asked at last week's annual results briefing: "given the success of the transformation plan, you are three years in, are you considering leave any time soon?" Trujillo declined to make any commitment saying: "That question has happened over and over again, and, obviously, the answer is the same. I am here; I am here to do a job. The job is defined by the challenge and defined by the fun. I will continue doing that as long as I feel that way." Should he choose to leave, Telstra's annual results statement showed that he is required to give only 30 days notices but would receive a full year's base salary of around $3 million.

Burgess was appointed group managing director, public policy & communications, when Trujillo took on the CEO role in July 2005. He has been responsible for regulatory affairs, government relations, media relations, corporate affairs and the $5.5 million Telstra Foundation. Burgess described his time in Australia as "one of the most memorable experiences of my life, both personally and professionally," adding that "I came here expecting to stay for 1-2 months."

Burgess claimed that Telstra's "new approach" to communications under his leadership had "achieved important results, including safeguarding new investments like Next G and ADSL2+ from value-destroying regulation, winding back regulation on more than four million copper telephone lines, and the reversal of a $1 billion taxpayer gift to SingTel-Optus."

Burgess' role as group managing director, public policy & communications, will be taken over by David Quilty, who has been Telstra's director of government relations since January 2006. However Burgess will continue to serve as a consultant to Telstra and advisor to the CEO after returning to The Annapolis Institute where he will resume research, writing and speaking on issues related to technology and society.

He has also been appointed as a senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he will address the impact of the Internet and advanced communications technologies on consumer behaviour, business practices and community development in the US and around the globe.