He is the first Chinese national to hold a CEO leadership team position at Telstra and will hold offices in Hong Kong and Beijing.
“Tim’s appointment increases the focus and urgency in growing our presence in Asia and realising the significant revenue opportunities in the region,” said David Thodey, CEO of Telstra.
“We know that having deep insights into the Asian environment across our leadership team is a strategic advantage as we look to strategically grow our regional interests, particularly in Network Applications and Services and expanding with our pan-Asian customers.”
Chen joined the Telstra board in March 2012 and has held several high ranking executive positions, including CEO of National Basketball Association China from 2007 to 2010, corporate vice president and regional CEO of Microsoft from 2003 to 2007 and corporate vice president Motorola and president of Motorola China Electronics from 2001 to 2003. He also spent nine years at AT&T Bell Laboratories in the US.
Chen replaces Tarek Robbiati, who is leaving the company to take a CEO role in the Australian financial services industry.
