Prvidr appoints Susannah Redstone as New Zealand head

Prvidr has appointed Susannah Redstone as Country Manager for New Zealand as it builds its operations in the market.

Redstone will lead Prvidr's New Zealand business and work with brand partners launching and expanding mobile services through the company. Her appointment takes effect immediately.

She joins the Advantai Group-owned managed services business as it seeks to grow in New Zealand, placing her at the centre of local operations as Prvidr works with consumer brands entering the mobile market.

Redstone brings more than 25 years of experience in New Zealand telecommunications across network operators, resellers and handset makers. She joins from Digital Island, where she was General Manager of Marketing and Product Services.

Before that, she was Head of Broadband and Vodafone TV at One New Zealand, with responsibility for both portfolios, including profit and loss and commercial performance. Earlier roles included positions at Vodafone New Zealand, Spark Digital, CallPlus and Sony Ericsson, as well as managing mobile virtual network operator partners as Product Manager of Mobile at TelstraClear.

Partnerships have been a consistent focus throughout her career. She led Vodafone TV from launch to retirement and worked on retail partnerships linked to the service, alongside dealer networks and offshore sales teams across several product launches.

David Joss, Chief Executive Officer of Advantai Group, said the business wanted an executive with deep knowledge of the local telecoms sector and strong industry relationships.

"New Zealand's biggest brands want to give their customers more, and mobile is a natural place to start. Those brands need someone on the ground who knows this market inside out. Susannah has worked in almost every corner of New Zealand telco and the market knows her well. She is the right person to work alongside them," Joss said.

Redstone takes on the role after Advantai Group recently announced an exclusive 10-year enablement agreement between Prvidr NZ and One NZ. Under the deal, Prvidr NZ provides the platform, billing, customer management and operations for brands launching mobile services on One NZ's network.

The first brand named under the arrangement is Boost Mobile New Zealand. The agreement gives Prvidr a role in supporting consumer-facing brands that want to add mobile offerings without building their own full telecoms operating systems.

Market push

The appointment underlines the group's push to strengthen its presence in New Zealand following earlier expansion moves. By putting a local executive in charge, the business aims to deepen ties with potential partners and manage local operations from within the market.

Prvidr is Advantai Group's managed services business, handling subscription operations for telecoms providers and mobile virtual network operators. Its work includes billing, eCommerce, customer portals and support systems across Australia and New Zealand.

New Zealand's telecoms market has attracted interest from brands looking to use existing customer relationships to sell mobile services under their own names. That has created openings for specialist operators that manage back-end systems and service delivery on behalf of those brands.

Redstone pointed to that trend in outlining the opportunity for the company in New Zealand.

"I'm delighted to lead Prvidr in New Zealand at such a transformative time for both Advantai Group and the trans-Tasman telecommunications industry," said Susannah Redstone, Country Manager, Prvidr NZ.

"New Zealand's tier one consumer brands have relationships with their customers that most telcos would envy. Helping them turn that trust into a mobile service people love is a real opportunity, and I'm looking forward to working alongside them to make it happen," Redstone said.