Pecking order revealed as Vodafone, TelstraClear management teams merge; high-powered ex-pat returns

Without making any public announcement, Vodafone NZ has posted the make-up of the combined Vodafone-TelstraClear management team to its website (bar an inhouse counsel position, which has yet to be filled).

The new team was announced in an internal email.

A former employee told NBR ONLINE that although it's not immediately obvious to outsiders, the makeup of the new team reveals a clear pecking order.

At the top of the tree, as previously flagged, sits CEO Russell Stanners (TelstraClear CEO Allan Freeth resigned as the merger closed).

Below that, general manager and C-suite titles are gone, replaced by two-classes of boss, the insider told NBR: directors, who report directly to Mr Stanners, and "heads", who report to directors.

For example, head of enterprise enterprise services delivery Brenda Stonestreet will report to technology director Sandra Pickering.

Pecking order
A clear pecking order is revealed in the new line up, said the insider, who noted all the directors are original Vodafone staff; all the heads TelstraClear imports.

Vodafone external affairs director Tom Chignell confirmed the reporting lines described above.

Mr Chignell noted the legal director position had yet to be filled, and that the consumer business unit director position has been filled by newcomer Matt Williams (although more correctly Mr Williams is a newcomer to NZ rather than the company; his last role was with Vodafone in the UK in the high-powered position of group commercial director. Previously he worked at Vodafone NZ during the Grahame Maher era).

One ex-TelstraClear member of the combined management team is at the director level: Liesbeth Koomen, in charge of Ultrafast Broadband.

And while none of the heads will report directly to Mr Stanners, three will set on the senior management team.

Realignment by segment
Another change: roles that used to be allocated by function are now allocated by segment: consumer, enterprise and wholesale.

The realignment means that departing CMO Greg Campbell will not be directly replaced.

More Wellington focus
And other: there's now more focus on the capital (home of much of the old TelstraClear's big government and corporate business).

Where one executive was formerly based in Wellington, there will now be three Ms Koomen and head of enterprise services delivery Brenda Stonestreet (both ex-TelstraClear) and technology director Sandra Pickering.

Earlier, Vodafone confirmed it would phase out TelstraClear branding between next month and May - coinciding with new marketing man Mr Williams.

Full integration of the two companies is expected early 2014.