Optus confirms Ben White as new head of consumer marketing
White confirmed as Optus’ new head of consumer marketing
Six months after Optus head of consumer marketing, Vicki Brady, jumped ship for Telstra, Optus has confirmed caretaker Ben White in the position.
Brady left Optus in December to head its consumer division as the telco continued to overhaul its marketing teams.
White stepped into the role of managing director marketing and product for Optus’ consumer business on an interim basis and has now been announced as Brady’s permanent replacement.
The move comes at a time when Optus is fighting a rearguard action against the backlash to the structuring of its English Premier League (EPL) packages which will force consumers to sign up for another Optus product in order to be eligible to subscribe.
Two weeks ago Optus announced it was delaying pre-orders for its EPL packages, saying it was taking time to create a better customer experience.
The announcement was followed by White coming out in defence of the Optus EPL strategy, telling The Australian Financial Review that Optus was “trying to disrupt the market”.
“We are very confident that our EPL offering is going to be far superior to what has been seen in Australia to-date, with not just live games, but much better pre-game, half-time and post-game shows and a host of other programs,” White said.
Announcing the appointment, Optus CEO Allen Lew said that the company had decided to look internally after a global search.
“His deep knowledge of Optus and the Australian telecommunications market will ensure we are well-positioned to drive consideration of Optus by delivering innovative solutions that entertain customers and enhance their lives,” Lew said.
“Over the past several months, Ben has been the driving force behind Optus’ recent successes including Yes TV by Fetch, Optus Music, Home Wireless Broadband and our refreshed brand.
“With his extensive product and marketing background, Ben is well-placed to lead the next phase of our transformation, starting with the launch of the English Premier League.”
White welcomed his confirmation in the role after acting as caretaker for the past six months.
“This is an exciting time to be part of Optus and I look forward to leading the team as we continue to transform our brand into a mobile-led entertainment business,” White said.
Well done Ben, I’m a a massive EPL watcher but you wont get me giving up my Telstra cable and singing with optus broadband on a super slow ADSL2 delivery package for 2 years under any circumstance. It’d be a technological suicide, to say the least……
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