Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin resigns from top job following telco outage

The CEO of Optus has resigned following a horror week for the telecommunications company.

Kelly Bayer Rosmarin was grilled last week in a Senate hearing over the outage earlier this month that saw millions of customers without any reception.

Optus' parent company Singtel released a statement today (November 20) confirming Rosmarin has stepped down.

The outgoing CEO said: "On Friday I had the opportunity to appear before the Senate to expand on the cause of the network outage and how Optus recovered and responded.

"I was also able to communicate Optus’ commitment to restore trust and continue to serve customers.

“Having now had some time for personal reflection, I have come to the decision that my resignation is in the best interest of Optus moving forward.

“It’s been an honour and privilege to lead the team at Optus and to serve our customers.”

Singtel praised Rosmarin for delivering 'improved financial performance, market share gains, innovation and higher employee engagement' during her time.

She was appointed to the role in 2020.

Singtel Group CEO Yuen Kuan Moon added: “Optus appointed Kelly at the beginning of the pandemic, and we acknowledge her leadership, commitment and hard work throughout what has been a challenging period and thank her for her dedication and service to Optus.

“Kelly has always led with integrity and had all stakeholders’ best interests at heart. We understand her decision and wish her the very best in her future endeavours.

“We recognise the need for Optus to regain customer trust and confidence as the team works through the impact and consequences of the recent outage and continues to improve. Optus’ priority is about setting on a path of renewal for the benefit of the community and customers.”

Chief Financial Officer Michael Venter has been appointed the interim CEO while the search for a new leader begins.