Simon Moutter described himself as the 'last man standing' from Theresa Gattung's regime. Photo / Greg Bowker
Simon Moutter raised eyebrows among investors at an April 10 seminar when he described himself as "the last man standing" from Theresa Gattung's top management team at Telecom.
Even at the time it signalled he was out of place in the new regime and was likely to end
nine years in the top rung of New Zealand's biggest public company. Moutter fronted Telecom and its unpopular role as a dominant and anti-competitive telco through its bitterest battles.
While some say he was "the hard man" or enforcer, his job was to implement the vision of the former chairman Rod Dean and to a lesser extent Theresa Gattung.
He leaves a company that enjoyed the luxury of monopoly and ignored the need to plan for when it ended.
When Telecom chief financial officer Marko Bogoievski left to join Infratil it is understood Moutter considered leaving as well, but was talked around by new chief executive Paul Reynolds.
Reynolds surprised some in the industry by appointing the last member of the old Telecom as chief transformation officer, guiding the company into the new era as a regulated telco.
Forsyth Barr analyst Guy Hallwright says job changes were important for Telecom as it adjusts to its new role.
Reynolds said: "Simon Moutter has made a major contribution to Telecom over the past nine years in a variety of senior roles, including that of chief operating officer."
Telecom closed yesterday at $3.89, down 5c.
