Our Board and Executive Team
Meet the team providing strong leadership to Optus. Our leadership values excellence, integrity, service and innovation.
John joined the board of Sydney Metro in January 2019, and was Chairman from July 2019 until he stood down from the board on 31 December 2024. He has been a Director of NCS Pte. Ltd. and Singtel Optus Pty Limited, subsidiaries of Singtel since February 2022 and October 2023 respectively.
John is a lawyer by training, with experience as advisor, executive and director across a broad range of industries. He was a partner of the law firm Freehills, Group General Counsel of Lendlease Corporation, Chairman of the law firm Gilbert + Tobin, Chairman and CEO of Investa Property Group, Group Executive Counsel & Secretariat and then Chief Operating Officer of Westpac Banking Corporation, before retiring in late 2016. He was a Consultant to the Chief Executive of Westpac until late 2020. He is also a former board member of CSR Limited, Rinker Group Limited, Allianz Australia and ME Bank.
John holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Sydney.
ANDREW PARKER
Independent Non-executive Director
Andrew is Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Defence and Satellite Committee of Singtel Optus Pty Limited.
Andrew is also Chair of the National ELT Accreditation Scheme Pty Ltd (NEAS) and a member of the Advisory Boards of the Australia-Indonesia Centre (Monash University), AsiaLink (Melbourne University) and the Asia Society.
Prior to his appointment to the Singtel Optus Board, Andrew was based in Singapore where he was the NSW Government’s Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner for ASEAN. Before joining the NSW Government, Andrew spent 37 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), including 25 years as a partner working in PwC’s Sydney, London, Moscow and Jakarta offices.
He was a Registered Company Auditor and an Authorised Representative of PwC Securities Limited in Australia until his retirement in 2022. Andrew began his career as an auditor and was the signing partner on large domestic and multi-national companies, many listed on stock exchanges including the Australian Securities Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. He joined PwC’s Deals business and was the Investigating Accountant for several Initial Public Offerings (IPO’s) and capital raising transactions and chaired the firms’ technical panel that reviewed all public offering and capital raising documents.
Andrew led PwC Australia’s Asia Practice from 2014 until 2022 and was the leader of PwC’s Asian (India, China, Japan and Southeast Asia) telecoms industry team from 2002 until 2012.
Andrew has a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University. He is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand, a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs.
MICHAELA BROWNING
Independent Non-executive Director
Michaela is an experienced international business leader and Board Director. She is currently a Global Senior Adviser at Brunswick Group, having previously served as the CEO for Asia Pacific since April 2024. Prior to this she was Vice President and the Regional Head of Government and Public Policy for Asia Pacific at Google, across all its businesses. In this role Michaela oversaw the company’s interactions with governments, institutional and corporate policy partners and civil society stakeholders in the region. She served on the regional operations leadership and risk committees.
She has also held a range of senior positions in the Australian Government, including as a senior diplomat, for more than 27 years with a focus on Asia, trade and security. This included roles as Consul General for Hong Kong and Macau (2017-2020), inaugural CEO of the National Foundation for Australia China Relations (2020-2021), General Manager of global trade and investment for the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (2015-2017), and Senior International Adviser to ministers for Defence and Foreign Affairs and a trade negotiator including on telecommunications.
Michaela has served on a number of professional, not-for-profit and advisory boards. She is currently the Australian representative to the APEC Business Advisory Council leading on AI and quantum, and serves as a board member of the Asia Society Australia, the Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee, and Blue Forge Alliance Australia. Additionally, she is an Ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation and a member of Chief Executive Women.
Michaela is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) and Masters in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University.
STEPHEN RUE
CEO
Stephen joined Optus as Chief Executive Officer in November 2024.
Prior to joining Optus, he spent 10 years at NBN Co most recently in the role of Chief Executive Officer, which he held from 2018 to 2024. Prior to this, Stephen was Chief Financial Officer. In addition to being responsible for all financial matters, he was responsible for procurement, supply, and data.
Before his roles at NBN Co, Stephen spent 17 years in various leadership roles, including a decade as Chief Financial Officer at News Corp Australia. He has also served as a Director on a number of boards including Foxtel, REA Group and Australian Associated Press, as well as Chairman of the Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club.
Stephen is a Chartered Accountant and a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Stephen is an Executive Director of the Optus Board.
TAN NG KUANG NICKY
Independent Non-executive Director
Nicky Tan is CEO of nTan Corporate Advisory, a boutique corporate advisory firm.
Prior to forming his own consultancy firm, Nicky had many years of experience in audit , corporate restructuring, litigation support, forensic investigation and corporate finance including inter alia audit and mergers and acquisitions. He was the partner and Head of Global Corporate Finance at Andersen Singapore and ASEAN region.
Nicky was also the partner and Head of Financial Advisory Services (FAS) at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Singapore and Chairman of FAS PwC Asia Pacific region.
He was a Director of Singapore Telecommunication Ltd for 9 years and also served as Chairman of Singtel’s Audit Committee, Chairman of Optus Advisory Committee and Chairman of Singtel’s Finance, Investment and Risk Committee.
He is the Chairman of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and is also a director of Singtel Innov8 Pte Ltd, Chloride Eastern Industries Pte Ltd, UltraGreen.ai Ltd and GLP Holdings Ltd.
YUEN KUAN MOON
Group Chief Executive Officer
Moon has been Group CEO of Singtel since 1 January 2021. Under his watch, Singtel has established 5G leadership and reinvigorated its core business while developing new growth engines by turning NCS into a regional tech services provider and forming a regional data centre business. While pursuing business growth, Moon has championed people and sustainability with renewed vigour to help build diverse and inclusive communities.
Moon began his career at Singtel in 1993 and held several leadership roles in Marketing, Business Development and Sales. Prior to his appointment as Group CEO, Moon was CEO, Consumer Singapore, a post he has held since June 2012.
Moon sits on the boards of Singtel and its key subsidiaries and has been serving on the Board of Commissioners of Telkomsel since 2009. In addition, Moon is a Board member of Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA), Defence Science and Technology Agency, the Singapore Institute of Management, besides being the Chairman of the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Council.
Moon holds a First-Class Honours degree in Engineering from the University of Western Australia and a Master of Science in Management from Stanford University.
STEPHEN RUE
CEO
Stephen joined Optus as Chief Executive Officer in November 2024.
Prior to joining Optus, he spent 10 years at NBN Co most recently in the role of Chief Executive Officer, which he held from 2018 to 2024. Prior to this, Stephen was Chief Financial Officer. In addition to being responsible for all financial matters, he was responsible for procurement, supply, and data.
Before his roles at NBN Co, Stephen spent 17 years in various leadership roles, including a decade as Chief Financial Officer at News Corp Australia. He has also served as a Director on a number of boards including Foxtel, REA Group and Australian Associated Press, as well as Chairman of the Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club.
Stephen is a Chartered Accountant and a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Stephen is an Executive Director of the Optus Board.
KATE AITKEN
Chief People Officer, People and Culture
Kate joined Optus in August 2020. With a career spanning senior regional and global Human Resources and business roles, Kate is responsible for end-to-end HR, People and Culture at Optus and aligning initiatives across the Singtel Group.
Kate is an experienced business and HR professional with strong leadership, management, change and communication skills gained in roles with Westpac, Goldman Sachs and Macquarie Bank in London, New York, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
With over 20 years HR experience, Kate has led strategies and teams through major business and economic events, as well as business transformation, acquisition and divestment.
She is a member of Chief Executive Women, a board member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Bus Stop Films and is a Founding Member of the Minerva Network.
GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN
Chief Customer Officer, Enterprise and Business
Gladys joined Optus in February 2022. She has a proven track record of executing and delivering major complex projects and building strong, trusted relationships with the business community.
In 2003, Gladys was elected to the New South Wales Parliament, and from 2011 she served in senior leadership roles, including Minister for Transport, Treasurer and the 45th Premier of New South Wales.
Before this, Gladys was an executive at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
She has a Bachelor of Arts and a graduate diploma in international studies from the University of Sydney and a Master of Commerce from the University of New South Wales.
SRIHARAN (SRI) AMIRTHALINGAM
Chief Technology Officer, Networks
Sri joined Optus in January 2026. He brings over three decades of extensive telecommunications and technology leadership.
Prior to Optus, Sri spent 35 years at Telstra, where he was instrumental in shaping wireless strategy and delivering national-scale infrastructure programs – from the era of 1G through to Telstra’s industry-first 5G deployment.
Sri combines deep technical fluency with strategic foresight and commercial acumen. He has led end-to-end network planning, spectrum strategy, and large multidisciplinary teams, driving innovations that have redefined telco performance across Australia.
He holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (University of South Alabama, Magna Cum Laude), Master’s degrees in Engineering and Legal Studies (UNSW), and an MBA (AGSM). He is also a Visiting Professor at UTS and a Board Member of SMARTAID Australia.
KATHRINE DYER
Chief Operating Officer
Kathrine joined Optus in April 2025. Kathrine's knowledge and expertise within telecommunications has been built over more than 30 years working in the sector.
A telecommunications industry veteran, she was previously at NBN Co from November 2010 during which time she held executive roles including Chief Network Deployment Officer and Chief Operating Officer.
Prior to joining NBN, Kathrine was an executive at Telstra across a range of portfolios.
Kathrine's knowledge and expertise within telecommunications has been built over more than 30 years working in the sector.
She has been at the forefront of telecommunications network strategy, design, construction and operations across fixed line and non-fixed line technologies.
Kathrine has a Bachelor of Business from RMIT University and is a champion of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
BETTY IVANOFF
Chief Legal Officer
Betty joined Optus in September 2025, bringing together Optus' legal, compliance and privacy teams.
Betty is a highly experienced legal, governance, and compliance executive with over 25 years’ leadership across complex, regulated, and consumer-facing sectors including gaming, beverages, agribusiness, and infrastructure. Having held executive legal roles in ASX-listed companies such as The Star Entertainment Group, Crown Resorts, Coca-Cola Amatil, and GrainCorp, Betty has consistently led legal and regulatory strategy during periods of intense transformation, reputational crises, regulatory scrutiny, and corporate reform.
Betty’s expertise spans complex regulatory environments and multi-jurisdictional legal frameworks and extends to leading the governance and company secretariat teams in various sectors.
Betty holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Technology Sydney and executive education from Oxford Saïd Business School and Stanford, is a practising solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW, and an experienced board chair and director.
JOHN MCINERNEY
Chief Information Officer
John joined Optus in November 2025. He brings extensive experience in telecommunications and technology leadership, having held senior roles across major organisations in ANZ and APAC.
Prior to Optus, John served as Chief Information Officer & Head of Transformation at One NZ, where he drove large-scale modernisation programs. He was previously Group CIO at Telstra, leading initiatives to simplify and modernize systems, and CIO and Head of Systems Engineering at NBN Co. Earlier in his career, John led Cloud, Security and Analytics practices for HP across Asia Pacific and Japan. John is passionate about leveraging technology to deliver transformation and innovation, ensuring systems and processes enable a seamless customer experience.
PIETER VAN DER MERWE
Chief Security & Risk Officer
Pieter joined Optus in December 2025. He brings extensive experience in security leadership across large, trusted organisations. Prior to Optus, Pieter served as Chief Security Officer at Woolworths, leading enterprise programs in privacy, data protection, compliance and governance. He has also held senior roles at KPMG, IBM and Dimension Data, building capabilities that strengthen controls, resilience and risk‑aware decision making. Pieter is passionate about safeguarding customer data and trust, unifying cyber, physical security and enterprise risk to support sound decisions and a seamless customer experience. Pieter holds a Master’s in Information Security from the University of Pretoria.
FELICITY ROSS
Chief Corporate Affairs & Marketing Officer
Felicity joined Optus in December 2024, bringing together Optus' marketing, government and regulatory affairs, and internal and external communications teams. Prior to starting at Optus, Felicity was NBN Co’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for more than six years. Felicity has a strong background in brand, reputation, telecommunications policy and regulation. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Macquarie University and is a graduate from London Metropolitan University and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Felicity is a Non-Executive Director on the board of ex Services organisation Wandering Warriors.
ANTHONY SHINER
Chief Customer Officer, Consumer
Anthony joined Optus in October 2024. He has a deep breadth of experience in the telecommunications industry having worked for almost three decades in commercial, digital and transformation telco operations here in Australia and overseas.
Anthony was most recently the Group Chief Commercial Officer of Airtel Africa based in Dubai and prior to that was Chief Customer, Channel & Digital Officer of Du Telecom.
He knows Optus and Singtel well, having held senior customer and commercial roles including Chief Revenue Officer, Digital at Singtel and General Manager, Consumer Channels; General Manager, Optus Country and Vice President, Broadband, NBN, TV & Content for Optus.
Anthony holds a Bachelor of Sports Science (Exercise Science), UNSW, Post-Graduate in Business Administration, MGSM, NSW, and a Master of Science in Management from Stanford University, USA.
ANDY GILES KNOPP
Chief Financial Officer
Andy joined Optus in March 2026. He brings more than 25 years’ experience leading large and complex organisations across the public and private sectors. Andy was most recently Chief Financial Officer at Aussie Broadband, a role he joined in February 2024. Prior to this, he spent seven years in the forestry and timber industry at OneFortyOne, serving as Chief Financial Officer from 2016 to 2020 before being appointed Chief Executive Officer from 2020 to 2023. He has deep experience in the telecommunications sector, having spent a decade at Telstra in senior finance and small business sales and service leadership roles. Earlier in his career, Andy also held senior management positions in the United Kingdom with Hutchison ‘3’ and Vodafone. Andy is a strategic leader with a strong track record in driving large‑scale transformation and change, including leading multiple acquisitions. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Financial Management.
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