JB Rousselot to take over as CEO at Chorus

JB previously held senior positions at Telstra and NBN Co. Most recently he was Chief Strategy Officer at NBN, and before that he oversaw NBN’s network and service operations.

Chorus has today announced that experienced telecommunications and media executive JB Rousselot will take over as CEO on 20 November 2019.

JB previously held senior positions at Telstra and NBN Co. Most recently he was Chief Strategy Officer at NBN, and before that he oversaw NBN's network and service operations.

Prior to NBN, he held senior roles at Telstra including the Executive Director of Voice, BigPond, and Media. JB was also the CEO of IP telephony start-up Interline, an Executive Director of the Australasian Media and Communications Fund and has worked in consulting and investment banking. He was born in France.

"The Board was fortunate to be able to consider several high-quality candidates for the role, and we are pleased to have secured JB to lead Chorus through the next phase of its evolution," said Chorus Chairman Patrick Strange. "As the build nears completion, the company's focus turns to deliver on the full potential of the world-class fiber infrastructure that has been built for New Zealand. JB has the right mix of skills and experience to drive innovation, efficiency and customer focus."

"New Zealand has a world-class asset, with gigabit fiber to the home available to 87% of customers, and New Zealanders have shown a great appetite for high-speed broadband," said JB Rousselot. "I am eager to continue the great work of the team to date, and truly deliver on the benefits of Chorus' world-class network by allowing New Zealand's consumers and businesses to capitalize on an increasingly digital world.

"I would also like to thank Kate McKenzie for the great job she has done in her time leading Chorus, I take the role on with Chorus in good shape and well prepared to adapt to the challenges and opportunities of the future," he said.

Kate McKenzie will step down from the Chorus Board on 19 November but will stay on until 20 December in an advisory capacity to ensure a smooth transition to the new CEO.

JB holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management (USA) and a Masters Degree in Engineering from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (France).