Leadership Team

Michael Simmons is a seasoned media and telecommunications executive who brings more than 30 years industry experience to Uniti Group Pty Ltd. Prior to joining Uniti, Michael was employed by TPG Telecom Limited (ASX: TPM) for in excess of 26 years. Michael held various executive roles and served as CEO for a large proportion of this time. TPM became a public company following acquisition by ASX-listed SP Telemedia Limited (SPT Group) which listed in 2001.

Prior to listing, the SPT Group was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Washington H. Soul Pattinson Limited controlled NBN Enterprises Group (NBNE). NBNE invested principally in media, entertainment and hospitality businesses including television and newspaper interests. Michael held executive roles within the SPT/NBNE Group of Companies, including as Chief Financial Officer. During his time with SPT/NBNE, Michael developed and implemented the business plan to create a telecommunications business within the Group, which became SP Telemedia and resulted in Michael being Group CEO. Michael continued to lead the growth of SP Telemedia until the acquisition of TPG Telecom.

In 2008, Michael left TPG Telecom to become the Managing Director of TERRiA, a telecommunications consortium of infrastructure-based telecommunications carriers, formed to bid for the contract to build, own and operate the National Broadband Network. At this time, Michael also joined the M2 Telecommunications Group, as a Director, when market capitalisation was sub $100M. Michael remained a Director until 2016 when M2 merged with Vocus (ASX:VOC) as a $2.2B enterprise. Michael joined the Board of Vocus as a non-executive Director before appointed CEO of Enterprise, Wholesale and Government. Michael went on to serve as Group CEO of Vocus Limited.

Between 2008 and Michael taking on the executive duties with Vocus, he also had numerous board and advisory roles within the telco and media sectors, most notably a 4.5 year advisory role with AAPT prior to acquisition by TPG. Michael has considerable executive experience in building ASX listed businesses within the telecommunications and media sectors and in particular regional markets.

Padraig is a Chartered Accountant with over fifteen years' experience across professional services, ASX listed businesses and not-for-profit organisations. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Victoria University, and a Bachelor's Degree, Accounting and Finance, from Dublin City University. He is currently the Group Chief Financial Officer at Uniti Group, having joined the company in 2019.

He has previously held senior finance roles at Vocus Group, Simonds Group Limited, Arts Centre Melbourne and KPMG. He was previously a director of Melbourne's West Space gallery and Victoria's contemporary dance company, Chunky Move.

Geoff Aldridge has been in the Information and Communications Technology industry for over 20 years, specialising in the deployment of cable TV networks, Telephony networks, integration of GIS systems, Managing infrastructure integration, co-ordinating network builds and deploying Hybrid Fibre Cable TV networks into green field estates. He has worked at United Artists, Cabletel, TCI, Smallworld, GeoNet and BES before Joining Opticomm in 2007.

Brendan is an accomplished sales and growth leader with 15 years experience in the telecommunication industry, and a proven track record across all verticals. A results-driven leader, he is adept at leading high-performing teams, expanding into new markets and driving consistent growth across all channels. As Chief Executive of Retail Operations, Brendan is responsible for guiding the continued success of the retail business at Uniti Group.

Before joining Uniti Group, Brendan was a senior sales leader with the TPG Telecom group for over 12 years, where he was responsible for some of TPG's largest customer acquisitions. Most recently, he was responsible for leading sales and growth for Vision Network, a $100 million business.

Cassie is an experienced corporate lawyer, with more than 17 years’ experience working with IT and telecommunications clients and businesses, with a particular focus on digital infrastructure. As General Counsel & Company Secretary, Cassie is responsible for providing legal counsel, government relations and policy advice, and managing risk and compliance across Uniti Group, including work health and safety.

Prior to joining Uniti Group, Cassie worked for Telstra, Telstra InfraCo and King & Wood Mallesons. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) from the University of Queensland and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the College of Law.

Jenna is an accomplished operational leader, with over 10 years experience in the telecommunications sector. With a core belief in people advocacy prioritising transparency and empowerment, Jenna brings significant expertise to implementing and managing integrated multi-stream customer support and operating models. Focused on delivering exceptional customer outcomes through optimised operational structures, Jenna is responsible for leading Support, Provisioning and Billing Operations teams for Uniti Group's Wholesale, CPaaS and Infrastructure businesses.      

With previous roles at Over the Wire, ECN Technology and Macquarie Telecom, Jenna holds a Bachelor of Communication with a major in Public Relations from University of Newcastle and a Master’s in business administration (MBA) from the University of Queensland.

With a 25-year career spanning engineering, consulting, project management, and general management in the IT&T sector across Australia, North America, and the UK, Andy brings extensive experience from his roles at Telstra, Accenture, Verizon, and Vocus Group. As the Chief of Products and Partnership, Andy has spearheaded product development for Uniti Group, venturing into new areas such as wholesale telecommunications services, smart city and building applications, and fibre networks. Additionally, he has played a key role in leading the development and productisation of Uniti Group's Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) offering.

Andy holds a Bachelor of Systems Engineering (Hons) and a Bachelor of Science from the Australian National University, an MBA (Finance) from the University of New South Wales (AGSM), and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). He is a member of Engineers Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

With more than 14 years sales and leadership experience, Daniel brings a unique blend of strategic vision and people-focused leadership to ensure success in sales and customer engagement. He has built a reputation for his expertise in leveraging data analytics and insights to drive improved maturity and simplicity in go-to-market strategies. Understanding the critical importance of the relationship between strategy and execution, Daniel is responsible for guiding the continued success of Uniti Group's Wholesale, CPaaS and Infrastructure businesses.

Holding a Bachelor of Psychological Science and a Bachelor of Business with a major in Marketing from Griffith University, Daniel has previously held executive and senior leadership positions at Over the Wire and iseek Communications.