Jean-Pascal Beaufret, the chief financial officer of the National Broadband Network Co (NBN Co), has announced he will be stepping down from his position in January next year.

 

Mr Beaufret, like NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley, served as a senior executive of French telecom company Alcatel Lucent before their appointment to their current positions in Australia.

 

The resignation of Mr Beaufret comes amid allegations of corruption in Alcatel’s Central American operations during the tenure of both Mr Quigley and Mr Beaufret, although both were exonerated of any wrongdoing after the US Department of Justice fined the company US$137 million.

 

Mr Beaufret’s resignation, although unexpected, forms part of an apparent management reshuffle that will see the company prepare for the direct fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) that will make extensive use of Telstra’s infrastructure following the signing of an $11 billion access agreement.