Telecom appoints new spin doctor

Mark Watts

Telecom has appointed a former press secretary to Helen Clark as head spin doctor to manage the company's reputation as it deals with the fallout from the Government crackdown last year.

Mark Watts - currently with Westpac - will begin as head of media relations for Telecom on May 14.

He will be a key adviser to Telecom's next chief executive as the company conforms to strict regulation imposed by the Government.

"It's a great role and I am excited about it" Watts told the Business Herald yesterday.

Telecom has attracted considerable public criticism in recent years.

Most recently it has been blamed for New Zealand's poor broadband performance when compared with other countries.

Chairman Wayne Boyd has promised a new openness from the company.

The Government announced in May that it would force Telecom to open its network to rivals, called local loop unbundling - a decision which wiped $3 billion off Telecom's market value.

Watts will replace John Goulter - a former press secretary to previous Prime Minister Jenny Shipley - who left in February and was seen as one of chief executive Theresa Gattung's most important courtiers.

Gattung resigned as chief executive last month and her replacement has not yet been appointed.

Watts will report to the head of regulatory affairs, who is also yet to be appointed.

Watts' first major job was as the communications officer for the Reserve Bank between 1992 and 1996.

He was press secretary for Prime Minister Helen Clark between 1996 and 2002 and then worked in a communications role for SweeneyVesty in Auckland.

He joined Westpac last September as the media relations manager. Watts holds a masters of social science in history from Waikato University.

Mark Watts

Age: 39.

Career: Westpac media relations manager. Press secretary for Prime Minister Helen Clark. Reserve Bank communications officer.

Qualification: Masters of social sciences in history.