KEY POINTS:
Paul Reynolds has a doctorate in geology but doesn't regret his decision 24 years ago to opt for telecommunications instead.
"There's never a dull moment," he said, and jokes about geologists' preference for beards and sandals.
"There's a huge amount of innovation and there's a huge need for change. Helping people and our customers moving through that change is what I thrive on and enjoy doing."
Reynolds, who was yesterday named as the new chief executive of Telecom, has spent his entire career at British Telecom from when it was a Government-owned phone company.
His CV shows a rapid rise into management roles, culminating in his appointment as chief of BT Wholesale in 2000 and appointment to the BT board in 2001.
The 50-year-old Scotsman, whose lilting accent belies his Glaswegian roots, leaves his BT job in September and joins Telecom that month.
He will settle in New Zealand, most likely in Auckland, with wife Karen and 15-year-old son Gordon.
Twin daughters Catriona and Kirsty, 18, will remain in Britain to begin university study.
Meeting the Business Herald in a central Auckland hotel, Reynolds was laughing and relaxed, despite having stepped off a flight from Britain the day before and spending the night sorting out the final details of his resignation from BT.
He is clearly excited about the new "big job", replacing Theresa Gattung.
"It's a big opportunity for me to take the helm of a major player and add, I think, a bit of personal experience and view of the industry and take the company somewhere."
It is hard not to be immediately struck by how big Reynolds is - quite literally. At 2.04m (6ft 7in) he towers over Telecom chairman Wayne Boyd.
Boyd is chuffed with the appointment, which had widespread industry support. "I'm just absolutely thrilled we've been able to score an executive of this quality to come and lead Telecom. It's just fantastic."
The news broke at 7am yesterday - the evening in Britain - and Reynolds had texts all morning from friends and colleagues.
His experience at BT may have set him in good stead to handle the regulatory picture, but at present he can describe his strategy for profit growth at Telecom only in general terms.
"What I plan to do is focus very much on customers and satisfying customers ... Get the basics right for customers [which] will roll through to shareholder expectations," he said.
He would not "prejudge" any long-term goals without a detailed understanding of Telecom's business plans.
He articulates a customer-centric strategy focused on simple, straightforward and value-for-money telecommunications.
"I'm just thrilled at the opportunity to deliver on that in this market. There's some great people here, great ideas, great innovations," he said.
"We've come a long way in the industry from being a provider of circuits and phone calls to providing solutions for people to help to meet all their communications needs, and growth comes from that.
"Specifically, I think we already have a great position and the ability to grow in the corporate market through our IT capabilities beyond straight network services and we have the ability to do more for consumers on the back of broadband."
Telecom staff can look forward to Reynolds' focus on work-life balance.
He is a "work-life-balance champion" at BT and says he spends a lot of time with his family.
On his return to Britain, Reynolds said, he would be planning his annual salmon fishing trip with son Gordon.
His people focus does not extend to business "heroes".
"I think a lot of people try to be like [former General Electric chairman and CEO] Jack Welch or whoever. You can't be. I admire so many of these people but at the end of the day it's all about what you can do with what you've got. I don't go for the hero worship thing."
Nor can Telecom staff expect Reynolds to entertain them with a rendition of Stairway to Heaven on his Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. He said it was a "strictly private" passion.
Boyd and Reynolds neatly sidestepped questions on the future shape of the senior management team.
It will be a bittersweet departure for Reynolds from BT, the company he has devoted his entire working life to.
He said he would miss the people he worked with and seeing the projects he was working on come to fruition.
BT is currently rolling out its "21st Century" network - a new IP-based network to replace the old network technology.
"Then, there's new things that are going to come here and the opportunities for me are bigger here, so I'm looking forward to that."
BT's wholesale arm - a seller of voice and data services to internet and phone companies, including BT Retail - has been part of monumental change at BT, which saw it voluntarily split into retail, wholesale and network businesses in 2005.
"I'm leaving a company that bears no resemblance at all to the company I joined," Reynolds said.
It is a similar split to the one Government proposes for Telecom.
Telecom, meanwhile, is touting a structural separation which would see its networks hived off into a separate company, leaving behind its retail and wholesale operations.
Reynolds would not be drawn on what his preference is for the future shape of Telecom.
"I'm not in the job yet so the first thing I'm going to do is look at the arguments, listen to what the customers have to say ... listen to what the Government has to say, listen to what the people in Telecom have to say, and form a view once I get here into the job."
But he is used to dealing with Governments and with public scrutiny.
"We [telecommunication companies] occupy such a big part of national infrastructure, we're a big part of national life and of course Governments have a big interest in what we do and how we do it," he said.
"Anybody who works in this sort of an organisation is used to that close relationship and making it work effectively.
"There are many areas where our interests will coincide; the job is to work out what those are, see if we can create something of a common agenda and move on, because a successful Telecom is good for New Zealand and it's in all our interests to get these relationships right."
Reynolds has had his share of criticism. He fronted to the media in 2000 when BT faced a barrage of complaints for deliberately slowing the development of broadband.
Under the NZ Government timetable, most of the major decisions on Telecom's structure will probably be made before he starts the job.
Paul Reynolds
* New chief executive of Telecom New Zealand.
* Age: 50.
* Family: Married to Karen, three children. Twin daughters Kirsty and Catriona, 18, and 15-year-old Gordon.
* Education: PhD in geology, University of London; BA in economics and geography from Strathclyde University.
* Career: Began at British Telecom 1983 in a marketing role. Most recently chief executive of BT Wholesale and director on the BT board.
* Pay at Telecom: Base salary of $1.75 million, plus a $1.75 million performance incentive a year. This may be topped up with a long-term incentive of up to $1.75 million in performance share rights.
* Height: 2.04m (6ft 7in).
* Outside pursuits: Spends time with family, skiing and salmon fishing. Plays electric guitar. Supports Scottish soccer club Celtic.
* Starts work at Telecom: End of September.
Change at the top
* Paul Reynolds, appointed Telecom's new chief executive yesterday, will take over in late September.
* Theresa Gattung, the present chief executive, leaves Telecom today after 12 years at the company.
* Chief operating officer Simon Moutter will be acting chief executive until Reynolds arrives.
* Chief financial officer Marko Bogoievski said after Gattung's resignation that he might be interested in the job, but has not commented since.
* Asked yesterday if he expected Bogoievski to remain at the company, chairman Wayne Boyd said: "Marko is working away ... There's a lot on in Telecom that Marko's responsible for. I have absolute confidence that Marko will deliver on that."
