Communications Alliance CEO Anne Hurley to leave in 2010 - UPDATED

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 25 August 2009 09:33

IT Industry - Strategy

Communications Alliance CEO, Anne Hurley, has announced that she will step down from the role in 2010. Her decision comes at a time when the NBN and re-energised consumer representation are putting increased pressure on the organisation.

Hurley said: "I have been thinking about this for some time and flagged it with the board when I renewed my contract earlier this year. While it has been a difficult decision, I feel privileged to have represented the communications industry for the past five years."

She told iTWire that she had announced her plans early "to give the board the best opportunity to secure a high-calibre replacement."  Her exact departure date is yet to be agreed with the board but is expected to be in the first quarter of 2010.

Chairman Neville Stevens praised Hurley's contribution. "Anne has presided over Communications Alliance during the most significant growth period in the communications industry's history. Under Anne's leadership, Communications Alliance has become the industry's peak body with a large and committed membership. Anne has cemented the organisation's reputation as the voice of the industry and ensured that Communications Alliance is consulted on all key industry issues."

Hurley took on the job when the organisation was the Australian Communications Industry Forum - a body formed in response to government requirements under the 1995 liberalisation that the telecoms industry become self regulating. ACIF formally came into existence in 1997 with Joanna Plante as its CEO who held the post until Hurley took over in 2004.

Under Hurley's leadership ACIF absorbed first the Australian Voice over IP Association (AVoIPA) in June 2006 - Hurley said the move would "provide a stronger voice for the [VoIP] industry, and lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services" - and shortly afterwards the Service Providers Industry Association (SPAN), a body formed in the early nineties to lobby government against the monopoly power of Telstra but which changed its role following liberalisation. The merged body adopted the name Communications Alliance.


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