Simon Hackett is one of the most respected executives in Australia’s telecommunications industry; a consummate technical and business professional who was instrumental in bringing broadband competition to an industry strangled by Telstra; an executive has a passion for, and interest in, virtually everything that NBN Co does and has been able to predict the outcomes of the company’s moves ahead of time, courageously voicing his opinion despite NBN Co and various politicians trying to shout him down.

It seems obvious that NBN Co's new refreshed board under a Coalition Government will feature executives from major telcos such as Telstra and Optus. However, there is also a strong argument that an executive who helped build competition to such massive telcos, and who has led innovation in the broadband industry for more than a decade, also should be considered for NBN Co's board.

More than anyone else in Australia's telecommunications industry, Simon Hackett groks broadband and the NBN, and should be on NBN Co's board.