Skip to main content

Board of Directors

Ben White, AARNet CEO

Mr Ben White

Chief Executive Officer, AARNet

Ben White is Chief Executive Officer of AARNet, Australia’s Academic and Research Network. With more than 25 years of leadership experience across the telecommunications, digital infrastructure and strategy consulting sectors, he brings deep commercial, operational and technical expertise to the role.

Prior to joining AARNet, Ben spent more than 17 years in senior executive roles at Optus, where he led business units across Consumer, Business, Enterprise, Wholesale and Satellite, as well as leading Optus’ Strategy and Corporate Development group. His work included organisation-wide transformation programs and new business innovation including the launch of Optus Sport and Australia’s first consumer 5G home broadband services. He also had oversight of Optus’ strategic partnerships and investments including the acquisition of amaysim, the sale of Optus Insurance, the refresh of Optus’ geostationary satellite fleet, and the groundbreaking regional active network sharing agreement with TPG.

Earlier in his career, Ben worked for Bain & Company across North America, Europe and South East Asia, advising clients on strategy, transformation, growth and operational improvement.

Ben serves as a Non-Executive Director at Indara and has also held board roles with Southern Cross Cable Network, Bridge Alliance and Sydney Youth Orchestras.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) from the University of Sydney and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Ben is committed to developing and expanding digital infrastructure to support the unique needs of Australia’s research, education, and innovation sectors.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. While you browse, you agree to our use of cookies. If you'd like to learn more about how we use them, you can read our privacy policy.
Yes, I accept