Telstra
A man and power lines are reflected in a Telstra poster adorning a public telephone in Sydney, Australia, August 13, 2015. Australian telecoms giant Telstra Corp Ltd on Thursday posted a 1 percent slide in full-year net profit, in line with expectations, and forecast modest earnings growth in the current year. Net profit came in at A$4.23 billion ($3.12 billion) for the year to June 30, from A$4.28 billion the previous year. Reuters/David Gray

Telstra’s newly designated retail chief Karsten Wildberger has resigned within two months of his tenure.

Wildberger has been associated with the telecom giant since January 2013 as a senior executive. He succeeded Gordon Ballantyne as the retail group executive in October. He has resigned from his new post to leave the telecom industry and will return to his native country, Germany, in mid-2016.

The retail leader was well-regarded in Telstra and has shouldered vital responsibilities as the company’s retail section generated 65 per sccent of Telstra’s revenue in the year-ending June 30. On Friday morning, Telstra issued a statement in which it said that Wildberger was leaving his job for personal reasons.

“Karsten is a great executive,” chief executive Andy Penn stated. “We will be disappointed to see him go but understand his personal reasons.” He added that he has remained a source of energy for the company with extreme passion for business. The news was a great disappointment for Telstra, Penn said.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Telstra and in Australia and am excited by the company’s prospects. I was privileged to be selected by Andy Penn to lead the retail team. I am grateful to this incredible company, its people and its customers for three years of achievement and inspiration,” Wildberger said in a statement.

In the past few months, Telstra witnessed its top execs bidding goodbye for some reasons, with Wildberger’s case being the latest in the list. Before him, former chief executive David Thodey left in May, while Ballantyne, who overtook Thodey’s post, quit his job in October.

International division head Tim Chen left in July, while senior cost-cutting executive Robert Nason left in April. As Sydney Morning Herald reported, the initiative taken by chief marketing officer Joe Pollard to refresh the team made three employees leave the company in November.

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