NBN Co negotiator appointed CFO

NBN Co has appointed the lead negotiator in its $9 billion deal with Telstra as its permanent chief financial officer.

Robin Payne had acted as interim CFO since Jean-Pascal Beaufret’s retirement in January.

Having joined the company in 2009, Payne has led NBN Co’s initial corporate plan in 2010 as well as the year-long negotiations with Telstra over access to infrastructure and customer migration from the copper network.

He later became executive general manager of supply at the company before filling Beaufret’s role on an interim basis.

“[Payne’s] knowledge of the business and his extensive experience in financial management will be invaluable as the project moves from the planning and design stage to the large-scale rollout of the Australia’s largest infrastructure project,” NBN Co chief executive officer Mike Quigley said.

Payne will take the permanent role as NBN Co finalises its second corporate plan, due to be handed up to the Federal Government next month.

The second iteration of the 30-year plan is expected to revise NBN Co’s expected take-up rate on the network while taking into account significant delays to the rollout due to the Telstra negotiations and suspension of the tender process with state contractors.

It will also lock in key policy decisions around the network such as the mandatory or opt-in use of back-up batteries at premises connected to the fibre portion of the network.