Telecommunications
Enterprise Operations — iiNet / Vodafone
As Senior Development Manager at iiNet — Australia's second-largest DSL ISP, since acquired into what is today Vodafone Australia — inherited in-house systems generating $900M revenue and serving 750,000 customers, and turned the operation around as headcount shrank.
- Client
- iiNet (now part of Vodafone Australia)
- Industry
- Telecommunications
- Headline result
- 50% reduction in operational incidents · $6M revenue recovered in one year · 99.9% SLA on systems generating $900M revenue across 750,000 customers.
The Challenge
Inherited responsibility for the in-house systems generating $900M in revenue and serving 750,000 customers at iiNet — Australia's second-largest DSL ISP at the time, since acquired into what is now Vodafone Australia.
Systems had to be reliable 24/7 while the team was actively shrinking due to restructuring. Doing more with less wasn't a slogan — it was the brief.
The Approach
Introduced a continuous improvement strategy across the engineering function. Created a DevOps function from scratch — when the term itself was barely in use.
Established a Revenue Recovery team. Mentored developers into team leads to build resilience in a leaner organisation. Led PCI DSS compliance for payment systems processing hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Results
- 50% reduction in operational incidents — despite reduced headcount.
- $6 million in recovered revenue in a single year.
- 99.9% SLA achievement on key systems.
- Multiple team members promoted into leadership positions, with succession plans that outlasted his tenure.
Key takeaway
“The goal of leadership in a shrinking org isn't to defend headcount — it's to build the systems and people that compound after you're gone.”
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