Commercial clarity in a changing industry.

Jim contributed telecommunications expertise alongside HoustonKemp to advice for the ACCC on NBN Co’s expenditure and service-standard costings. The work connected network and operating realities with the questions being assessed in the replacement module process. Jim is a named co-author of the public expenditure reports and the August 2026 service standards memorandum. His experience demonstrates the ability to work across technical, commercial and regulatory considerations within a specialist advisory team.

While working at Telstra, Jim helped lead a corporate portfolio review spanning domestic and international businesses. The review considered market attractiveness, relative performance, risk and the advantages the group could bring as an owner. It used these perspectives to distinguish businesses requiring investment, improvement, restructuring or further consideration of ownership. Jim helped connect the analytical findings with practical questions for management and the corporate planning process. The experience shows how he brings different business models into a coherent discussion of strategic focus and resource allocation.

Jim led corporate strategy work on a major wholesale network access decision for a telecommunications provider. The work brought together marketing, technical, regulatory, legal, pricing and financial considerations as the company assessed the commercial implications of granting another operator partial access to its mobile network. His contribution was strategic leadership alongside the relevant functional experts. The experience demonstrates his ability to frame a decision that crosses specialist functions and connect the operational realities of a network with commercial choices.

Michael played a key role in developing the commercial case for an A$2.4 billion full fibre overbuild programme of a fibre-to-the-node footprint. His work centred on maintaining a focus on commerciality while connecting network investment options with the transition from initial rollout to optimising ongoing operation. He also developed modelling to examine the timing of migrating remaining copper-based users and decommissioning network nodes. This experience connects infrastructure strategy with the practical timing and economics of network transition.

Michael managed the commercial relationships and network economics associated with major internet traffic partners at a telecommunications provider. His work balanced network performance, connection costs and service quality, including bringing major traffic sources closer to Australian users. He also built expertise in measuring received speeds and competitive performance across fixed and mobile services. The work connects commercial partnership management with the technical and operational choices that shape the customer experience.

Michael led major corporate strategy assignments at a telecommunications group, translating analytical work into recommendations for senior executives and the board. His experience included examining growth options, reviewing capital expenditure priorities, developing the corporate plan and coordinating specialist external input. The work connected growth ambition with commercial modelling and practical choices about where to invest. It gives him experience in bringing complex strategic questions into a form that leadership teams can assess and act on.

Thao provided financial analysis and strategic assessment in telecommunications, including benchmarking to inform a regulatory engagement supported by KA. Her work connected financial and operational evidence with the questions underlying a major expenditure review, helping develop a consistent basis for comparison and decision making.

Thao’s earlier telecommunications strategy roles included leading strategic and productivity-improvement projects, running an enterprise group’s planning process and supporting board and investor communications on strategy and execution. She also worked on corporate initiatives on the CEO and board agenda, with a strong focus on business-to-business portfolios. Her experience combines cross-functional coordination, strategic insight and the preparation of clear recommendations for senior decision-makers. It is relevant to clients needing both sound analysis and the ability to bring complex work together into planning and communication material that executives and directors can use.

In an earlier role at Telstra, Thao contributed to a study comparing capital intensity across telecommunications operators. The work examined international and domestic data, considered differences in reporting scope, and tested how market growth and competitive conditions related to investment levels. It also documented the limitations of the comparisons. The experience combines careful analysis with the commercial judgement needed to interpret infrastructure benchmarks in context and support an informed management discussion.