Telstra Broadcast Services hires Mike Whittaker as COO

Australia’s telecom and technology operator, Telstra, has named Mike Whittaker as chief operating officer of its Telstra Broadcast Services (TBS) arm. 

Mike Whittaker (Source: Telstra)

Whittaker who started his role in mid-January, will oversee the company’s customer service. He will also be responsible for TBS’s integration and deployment of tech solutions, infrastructure and operations functions at the company.

The chief was most recently founding chief technology officer at UK-based start-up Outernet for up to three years, before leaving the company in 2023. Prior to Outernet, he also held roles at pay TV operator OSN, Fox APAC and MENA, SIS/SIS Live, Technicolor, the BBC, and Outernet.

Commenting on Whittaker’s appointment, Andreas Eriksson CEO of TBS, said: “Mike is an accomplished C-level leader who has started and grown teams, worked to drive continuous improvement, integrated business units and disparate workflows, relocated businesses, and run the global operations for some of the largest organisations in the worldwide broadcast industry. Having lived and worked in the UK, Middle East and Asia, Mike brings the international outlook TBS was looking for in the next stage of our growth journey.”

Whittaker added: “TBS’s people, reach, and ambition are second to none, and I’m keen to build on the work done by Andreas and the team to ensure our customers can create and distribute content that engages audiences around the globe.”