Broadband search goes beyond the usual suspects

BusinessDay believes that several industry insiders have been asked to propose potential members of the company's seven-person board, which will oversee the building of the $43 billion network. As a result, a clutch of new names has arisen.

It is believed that Egon Zehnder, which was paid $79,000 to come up with possible appointees, presented a list to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy some weeks ago, but was then told to go away and come back with a more balanced selection.

One source says the original list was too "Melbourne Club", while another said the Government had insisted it did not want a list comprising the "usual suspects - former telco executives and political hacks". It is believed that people on the revised list have already been contacted by Egon Zehnder.

Senator Conroy has said the board, expected to be unveiled later this month, needs to include people from a broad spread of backgrounds, including legal, construction and commercial.

People such as former Optus boss and Packer family confidant Chris Anderson, former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski and former Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers chief executive Paul Twomey have been mentioned ad nauseam in connection to the board, or even as potential chief executives.

However, several others have either lobbied for a spot on the board or been proposed by telco insiders canvassed by the Government. Naturally, opinion varies within the industry as to their suitability and the likelihood of their being offered a seat on the board.

From the telecommunications world, contenders include Rosemary Sinclair, managing director of the Australian Telecommunications Users Group, who has been described as very capable, and well connected in Labor Party circles.

Also mentioned are a former Telstra executive and member of the failed Acacia NBN consortium, Lawrence Paratz; Communications Alliance chief executive Anne Hurley; former Telstra Wholesale head and now management academic Rosemary Howard; former NSW treasurer and Terria mouthpiece Michael Egan; and chairman of Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group, Gerry Moriarty.

The more interesting names come from outside the telecommunications sphere and are not necessarily widely known.

Ernst & Young audit partner and chairman Brian Long has been mentioned as the board's financial scrutineer, while the name of trade practices law specialist and Minter Ellison's chairman of partners, Russell Miller, has also been floated.

Industry insiders say Graham Duff, the well-connected former John Holland managing director and chairman, would bring the necessary construction experience to the huge infrastructure project.

Corporate big hitters whose names have come up but who are already in influential positions are Glen Boreham, managing director of IBM Australia and New Zealand, and the head of US giant Hewlett-Packard's South Pacific business, Paul Brandling.