KEY POINTS:
Mark Rushworth
Chief Executive of ihug
How would you describe 2006 for ihug?
Hectic is the wrong word. A year of immense change.
What was you or ihug's greatest achievement?
There are so many. The biggest out-take came from the May 3 announcement [on local loop unbundling], an achievement for many years of work with the rest of the industry in lobbying, getting the public on board and engaging the media and politicians to push through a massive piece of regulatory reform.
And the greatest disappointment?
I'm always impatient. While we have had the local loop announcement, the greatest disappointment is I can't be putting in equipment [into Telecom's exchanges] yet.
What do you think this year will bring for Ihug?
The year will bring early access to Telecom's copper and the ability to provide a truly differentiated offer to consumers. The combination of ihug and Vodafone in the market will bring massive changes for what consumers will see and how Telecom responds to that competitive pressure.
What will be the major challenges for ihug?
We have got some very aggressive plans for growth but the biggest challenge will be growing in a managed way.
What do you expect from the economy this year and how will that affect ihug?
We have had five to seven years of great sunshine. I think we will start to see some pressure come into the housing market, which flows down to, and will put pressure on, retail businesses, such as ihug.
What was the most interesting business story of 2006?
We are now seeing the dot-com boom start to heat up again. We have seen Trade Me go for a good price, Google buying YouTube. I think we are going to see more of this in the IT space.
Who was your mentor? What did they teach you?
My mentor is a private mentor. I won't mention who they are but it is a CEO of a public company. You can get caught up in network and regulation issues but it comes down to the relationship you have with the customers.
