Superloop appoints industry veteran Peter O'Connell as Chair

Brisbane – 9 September 2021 - Superloop (ASX:SLC) has announced the appointment of industry veteran and Amaysim founder Peter O'Connell to the board of Superloop as Non-Executive Chair.

Peter O'Connell said, "This is a tremendously exciting time and opportunity for Superloop. Under Bevan's chairmanship and the efforts of the new management team led by Paul Tyler, Superloop has built a reputation for strong customer growth across all segments, built on its world-class digital infrastructure, and an executive team focused on quality execution. 

"Superloop is now positioned very well to accelerate customer growth and asset utilisation. I look forward to working with my fellow directors, the executive team and the employees of Superloop to make a real difference in the Australian telco market."

At the same time, Superloop has announced the retirement of current Chair and company founder Bevan Slattery from the Board.

Bevan Slattery said, "I'm delighted that Peter has agreed to join the Superloop board and to take over as Chair. Peter is an entrepreneur in his own right, having co-founded Amaysim as a clear and successful disrupter in the consumer mobile telco space. He also has deep experience in branding, marketing, legal, regulatory, corporate governance and culture during his 30 years in our industry.  

"Having spent time with Peter, I am incredibly excited and honoured to have him lead Superloop on the next phase of our journey.

“Having the opportunity to pick when and how you take a step back from a business you founded is always an important decision. As with previous listed companies, I don’t think I’ve been more sure than I am now.  Since stepping in as Chair from the beginning of the pandemic in March last year, we have removed significant cost from the business, put in place a first class management team led by our new CEO Paul Tyler, recapitalised the business, delivered on guidance given two years in a row, and made a transformational acquisition with Exetel.   

"Our recent full-year results for FY2021 saw us go cash flow break even, with strong revenue growth across all three market segments of consumer, business and wholesale, a robust balance sheet, and strong EBITDA.  

"Superloop is primed and ready for more growth and Peter's appointment is key to Superloop’s strategy."

Mr Slattery’s departure as Chair will see him remain a major shareholder in the business, but also provide time to continue his other projects. “There are a few nationally significant projects which I need to dedicate more attention to, and my stepping down from Chair allows me the time to pursue these with more vigour, while remaining a major shareholder.”  

The company will continue to focus on customer growth, and accelerated asset utilisation and monetisation of one of Australia's leading digital-first network infrastructures.

Paul Tyler, Managing Director and CEO of Superloop, said, "Peter brings invaluable experience and insights to Superloop's ambitions around delivering digital-first services on the infrastructure we have built and opened to consumer, business and wholesale customers.

"In particular, his experience in the consumer telco space balances the board's existing strong experience in the business and wholesale markets, which is further emphasised with our migration of Exetel's customers to the Superloop network ahead of schedule. 

"Together, these create the foundations for growth. Peter's appointment will, we are confident, continue to accelerate Superloop's customer acquisition on our world-class, digital-first, high-speed fibre infrastructure."

Peter O'Connell was most-recently CEO of Amaysim, which he co-founded in 2010. He previously held senior executive and board roles at Optus Communications, BellSouth, Eircom (Ireland’s national carrier) and Meteor (an Irish mobile operator). 

Mr O'Connell was also a member of the team responsible for the formation of Optus, has been a consistent participant and advocate for Australian telecommunications reform, and has served on a number of boards of private and public companies.  

He was appointed to the Chair of the board of Australian fintech company Padua in July 2021.

Bevan Slattery will step down from the board at the conclusion of the forthcoming AGM and Mr O'Connell's appointment will be effective from 2 November 2021.

ENDS

About Superloop

Superloop (ASX:SLC) is an independent provider of connectivity services. The company designs, constructs and operates networks throughout the Asia-Pacific metropolitan region.

The company owns and operates 1,047 km of carrier-grade metropolitan fibre networks in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, connecting more than 464 key data centres and bandwidth-intensive commercial buildings. These extensive carrier-grade, metro fibre networks deliver high-performance, connectivity solutions to wholesale and end-user customers that are scalable and reliable.

In addition to its own fibre network, Superloop is connected to all NBN Points Of Interconnect across Australia and operates its own nationwide fixed wireless network that collectively delivers high performance connectivity solutions to businesses and homes underpinning the region’s digital economy.

Strategic acquisitions continue to increase Superloop's network utilisation, and the company's transformation into an end-to-end provider of connectivity and cloud services.

Visit www.superloop.com to learn more.

Contacts

Superloop is at:

Web: https://www.superloop.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/superloopnet

LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/superloop

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperloopHomeBroadband/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superloop.homebroadband/

Note to editors: 

Paul Tyler, CEO and Managing Director of Superloop, and Peter O'Connell are available for interview. Contact Alan Smith, details below.

For more information: