Singtel’s Australia subsidiary Optus has appointed John Arthur as chairman of the board. His appointment is effective immediately.
Arthur will replace outgoing chairman, Paul O’Sullivan, who has chosen to step down after a decade in the role, says Optus in its Aug 25 statement.
Arthur joined the Optus Advisory Committee in July 2019 before moving onto the Singtel Optus Board as part of the governance uplift at Optus before the company appointed Stephen Rue as its CEO. He has been a member of the Singtel board since January 2022. He has also been a director of Singtel’s subsidiary, NCS Pty Ltd, since February 2022.
Prior to this appointment, Arthur was chief operating officer (COO) of Westpac and as chairman of Sydney Metro where he served for six years ending in December 2024.
“I am very pleased that John Arthur has been appointed as the chairman of the Optus Board, providing strong leadership and continuity at this pivotal time for the company,” says Yuen Kuan Moon, Singtel’s group CEO. “His extensive experience in listed companies at both an executive and director level, as well the wise counsel he has provided to both the Singtel group and Optus while on the board is greatly valued.”
“I am excited to be appointed as the chairman of the Optus board at this transformational time for the company. Optus has a new chief executive and a refreshed leadership team with a renewed sense of energy and purpose, I am pleased I will be able to play a part in the company’s next phase of its growth,” says John Arthur.
“I know that I am filling some big boots, and Optus owes much to Paul’s stewardship and leadership as we have established a committed Australian board of directors focused exclusively on Optus’ ongoing success,” he adds.
On O’Sullivan’s departure, Yuen notes that his “storied career at Optus” has seen him steer the company “through industry challenges, heavy investment cycles and intense sector competition, all while keeping a steady focus on financial discipline and growth”.
“We would like to extend our deep gratitude to Paul for his years of service and stewardship, bringing more choice and innovation to customers, while strengthening Optus’ place in the market,” he says.
“Working with Optus for over 30 years has been a great joy. I have been lucky to work with many great people, too many to call out by name. However, I do want to express my thanks to Moon and Singtel who have been outstanding supporters of Optus, and ensured Australia gets a strong choice in telecommunications,” says O’Sullivan. “I am especially pleased that coinciding with Stephen’s appointment as CEO, we have successfully strengthened our governance, with the CEO now reporting to the Australian chairman and board. John Arthur is an excellent choice to make this a strong success.”
Following Arthur’s appointment, Andrew Parker will join the Singtel Optus Pty Ltd board as a non executive director, and will take over Arthur’s role as chair of the audit committee. Parker has over 25 years of executive and board-level experience, with expertise spanning governance, audit, risk management, advisory services, media, diplomacy, investor relations, and people management.
As at 12.53pm, shares in Singtel are trading 6 cents higher or 1.43% up at $4.26.
