Vocus has named Ben Chan as its chief AI officer, with a remit to lead the telco’s “company-wide AI strategy” as well as centre of excellence operations.
Chan comes to Vocus from Quantium, a firm that takes consumer data from the likes of banks and telcos and converts it into intelligence and insights for policy and business decision-making, or to inform activities such as marketing.
He has been Quantium’s chief AI officer for about a year, and was its chief operating officer before that.
Background and Experience
Chan has previously held executive roles such as chief product and data officer at Sportsbet, and chief operating officer at Envato.
Vocus confirmed the appointment on its corporate LinkedIn account.
In addition to being chief AI officer, Chan will also hold the role of managing director of consumer.
AI Initiatives at Vocus
Vocus revealed earlier this year that it ran an “AI developer tool pilot” project with Amazon Q Developer, reporting productivity improvements and faster validation of ideas for new product features among its results.
The company has also previously discussed an advanced Vocus assistant called AVA that is designed to “answer questions that our team has about Vocus policies, procedures, and best practices, saving valuable time searching various knowledge sources and documents.”
AVA was trained on Vocus’ HR and security policies, its support centre working instructions and on a glossary of terms and definitions.
The aim, though, was to produce an assistant capable of handling “complex and diverse requests relating to project management, data analysis, and more,” it said at the time.
As the company continues to invest in AI, it’s likely that Chan’s experience will be invaluable in shaping Vocus’ AI strategy and ensuring it aligns with the company’s overall goals – after all, a well-implemented AI strategy can significantly impact a company’s efficiency and competitiveness.
Vocus’ move to appoint an AI executive mirrors that of other telcos.
Related: Banks track unusual customer activity
Industry Comparisons
In June this year, Telstra raised Dayle Stevens to a new company-wide AI role, having earlier led the telco’s data and AI function.
At Optus, AI responsibilities fall to Jesse Arundell after a mid-2025 restructure.
Meanwhile at NBN Co, AI leadership comes under Sonia Boije’s chief data role.
Additional reporting by Ry Crozier.
Chan’s dual role as chief AI officer and managing director of consumer suggests that Vocus is seeking to leverage AI to drive business growth and improve customer experience.
The integration of AI into Vocus’ operations is likely to involve the development of new tools and systems that can analyze large datasets and provide insights to inform business decisions.
Vocus’ use of AI developer tools, such as those provided by Amazon Q Developer, is expected to play a key role in this process, enabling the company to quickly develop and deploy new AI-powered applications.
The company’s experience with AVA, its advanced assistant, has likely provided valuable lessons that will inform the development of future AI initiatives.
As Vocus continues to invest in AI, it will be important for the company to ensure that its AI strategy is aligned with its overall business goals and that it is able to measure the effectiveness of its AI initiatives.
The appointment of Chan as chief AI officer is a significant step in this process, and his experience in leading AI initiatives at Quantium will be invaluable in driving Vocus’ AI strategy forward.
The fact that other telcos, such as Telstra and Optus, have also appointed AI executives suggests that the industry as a whole is recognizing the importance of AI in driving business growth and competitiveness.
As the use of AI becomes increasingly prevalent in the telco industry, it will be interesting to see how Vocus and its competitors continue to develop and deploy AI-powered solutions to drive business success.
