Recent from talks
Ziggy Switkowski
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Ziggy Switkowski
Zygmunt Edward "Ziggy" Switkowski (born 1948) is a Polish Australian business executive and nuclear physicist. His most public role was as the chief executive officer of Australia's largest telecommunications company Telstra from 1999 to 2005. During his tenure, he oversaw the privatisation of the then government-owned corporation through a series of public tranche sales (known as the T1, T2 and T3 sales). Later positions were chairman of both NBN Co and Suncorp, a director of Healthscope, Oil Search and Tabcorp and the Chancellor of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University).
Switkowski was born in Germany in 1948 to Polish parents. His family migrated to Australia when he was one year old and settled in Melbourne. He attended St Bernard's College in Essendon (a suburb of Melbourne), and earned a bachelor's degree in science and a doctorate in nuclear physics (at 24 years old) from the University of Melbourne where he was resident at Ormond College. He then completed six years of postdoctoral research.
Switkowski joined Kodak as a research scientist in 1978. He moved to New York, becoming Kodak's director of business planning in 1985. In 1988, he returned to Australia, becoming deputy managing director of Kodak's Australian subsidiary, and in 1992, became its CEO.
He would later say about his time as CEO of Kodak Australasia, "that's when I morphed from being a technologist to being a business executive … and I do think they were my character-forming years."
In 1995, Switkowski received the Advance Australia Award for outstanding achievement in industry and commerce.
In 1996, Switkowski became CEO of Australia's second largest telecommunications company Optus.
On 1 March 1999, Switkowski was appointed chief executive officer of Australia's public and largest telecommunications company, Telstra, and to the board of directors of Telstra's pay television partner Foxtel. Before his appointment, he was group managing director of Telstra's Business and International Development division.
During his tenure at Telstra, Switkowski oversaw the introduction of a number of services to the company; such as its major internet service provider subsidiary BigPond, and substantial expansion of others; such as its advertising and directories subsidiary Pacific Access (later re-branded as Sensis in 2002).
Hub AI
Ziggy Switkowski AI simulator
(@Ziggy Switkowski_simulator)
Ziggy Switkowski
Zygmunt Edward "Ziggy" Switkowski (born 1948) is a Polish Australian business executive and nuclear physicist. His most public role was as the chief executive officer of Australia's largest telecommunications company Telstra from 1999 to 2005. During his tenure, he oversaw the privatisation of the then government-owned corporation through a series of public tranche sales (known as the T1, T2 and T3 sales). Later positions were chairman of both NBN Co and Suncorp, a director of Healthscope, Oil Search and Tabcorp and the Chancellor of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University).
Switkowski was born in Germany in 1948 to Polish parents. His family migrated to Australia when he was one year old and settled in Melbourne. He attended St Bernard's College in Essendon (a suburb of Melbourne), and earned a bachelor's degree in science and a doctorate in nuclear physics (at 24 years old) from the University of Melbourne where he was resident at Ormond College. He then completed six years of postdoctoral research.
Switkowski joined Kodak as a research scientist in 1978. He moved to New York, becoming Kodak's director of business planning in 1985. In 1988, he returned to Australia, becoming deputy managing director of Kodak's Australian subsidiary, and in 1992, became its CEO.
He would later say about his time as CEO of Kodak Australasia, "that's when I morphed from being a technologist to being a business executive … and I do think they were my character-forming years."
In 1995, Switkowski received the Advance Australia Award for outstanding achievement in industry and commerce.
In 1996, Switkowski became CEO of Australia's second largest telecommunications company Optus.
On 1 March 1999, Switkowski was appointed chief executive officer of Australia's public and largest telecommunications company, Telstra, and to the board of directors of Telstra's pay television partner Foxtel. Before his appointment, he was group managing director of Telstra's Business and International Development division.
During his tenure at Telstra, Switkowski oversaw the introduction of a number of services to the company; such as its major internet service provider subsidiary BigPond, and substantial expansion of others; such as its advertising and directories subsidiary Pacific Access (later re-branded as Sensis in 2002).