Telstra announced a management shake-up as part of its recently unveiled 2022 strategy, with the revamp resulting in the exit of former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop as the Australian operator’s head of technology.

Elop, who joined Telstra as group executive for technology, innovation and strategy in April 2016, will leave the company tomorrow (31 July), but “will maintain a close relationship with the business”, CEO Andrew Penn said in a statement.

A controversial figure, Elop, as Nokia CEO, was widely remembered for orchestrating the sale of the Finnish vendor’s devices business to Microsoft in 2013. He then served as EVP of Microsoft’s devices group before leaving in 2015 as part of a management reshuffle.

Now,  Penn said Elop had played a “key role” in bringing together the company’s chief technology office and corporate strategy groups.

Joining Elop on the way out are CFO Warwick Bray, head of wholesale Will Irving and Joe Pollard, who served as CMO and group executive media.

T22 Strategy
As the company pushes ahead with its Telstra 2022 strategy, announced last month, Penn said the management restructure was intended to introduce a “simpler, more streamlined structure which will remove duplication, heirachy and silos across the organisation”.

From 1 October, he added, the group will shift to a new structure and operating model, under a single strategy.

The company announced two new joiners. Nikos Katinakis, most recently EVP networks for India’s Reliance Jio, will head up a merged Networks & IT division, while ex Optus executive Michael Ebeid will head up the company’s enterprise team. Both will start their roles in October.

Ebeid will replace Brendon Riley, who was named as CEO of Telstra InfraCo, the company’s new infrastructure business.

Telstra2022 has four key pillars; streamlining its product offering, setting up a new infrastructure business, simplifying its structure and implementing further cost cutting.

The company also said last month it will cut 8,000 jobs over three years, while creating 1,500 new roles.

Last week, the company revealed it will invest AU$5 billion ($3.7 billion) in its network as part of the strategy.