Former Telstra executive, Chris Taylor, has been appointed as chief executive officer of Australian online DVD subscription company, Quickflix, effective immediately.
Taylor held the position of director of Telstra Media, where he headed up the online and mobile digital publishing business, most notably launching the telco’s IPTV services including streaming movies through the T-Box device, which was launched last June.
Commenting on the appointment, Quickflix founder and executive chairman, Stephen Langsford, said Taylor was one of the few media and entertainment executives in Australia with hands-on IPTV experience and an in-depth understanding of how to engage audiences through movie and TV content.
Taylor said his focus was firmly on the aggressive goals the board has set for him for the next five years and on delivering outcomes for shareholders.
The company’s outgoing managing director, Simon Hodge, will continue with the company and will report to Taylor.
Following an agreement with Foxtel in February this year, Telstra [[artnid: 391537|flagged plans|new to launch a ‘Foxtel-light’ service through its T-Box customers in the hope it would accelerate the momentum of the IPTV and on-demand content markets in Australia.
The telco also built on its strategy to become more customer focused, announcing a host of appointments and establishing a number of new initiatives as the National Broadband Network (NBN) is rolled out.
Included in the reshuffle, the telco’s sales and retail customer service workforce will be unified into a single division from 1 August, and a subsidiary focused on applications and ventures, to be headed by Deena Shiff, has been established.
Telstra has also launched a new website providing up-to-date information on outages and restorations during natural disasters, following the telco’s experience during the Queensland floods and Cyclone Yasi.
“We understand communication is vital during a disaster and we pride ourselves on our response during these times,” Hancock said in a statement t the time. “This website will help us give people the information they need at a time that suits them.”
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