Vocus appoints Vanessa Morley as Chief People Officer

Vocus has appointed Vanessa Morley as its new Chief People Officer, with her appointment taking effect on August 3 2026, as posted on her LinkedIn.

The experienced people and culture leader joins the telecommunications and digital infrastructure company at a time when Vocus is continuing to strengthen its connectivity, enterprise services and fibre network capabilities across Australia.

Morley brings a wealth of experience spanning people strategy, culture transformation, talent development, inclusion, organisational design and HR operating models. In her new role, she will oversee Vocus’ people and culture agenda and help shape the company’s future workforce strategy.

Strong track record

Morley joins Vocus from Nine, where she served as chief people officer and led the people and culture strategy for one of Australia’s largest locally owned media organisations.

Before Nine, she was group head of talent at Coca-Cola Amatil, focusing on leadership development, succession planning, inclusion and talent growth across the Asia-Pacific region.

Her career also includes senior leadership roles at Samsung Australia, where she served as director of human resources and general affairs, as well as more than nine years at Qantas in positions covering HR transformation, employee relations, talent and inclusion, and people strategy.

Earlier in her career, Morley held HR and employee relations roles with Insurance Australia Group, The Marketing Store and Employers First.

New chapter

Announcing her move, Morley reflected on her nearly eight-year tenure at Nine and the transition to her new role at Vocus.

"8 years. Countless milestones. One massive thank you. Leaving a company like Nine after nearly a decade is bittersweet. I’m walking away incredibly proud of the impact my team and I have made,” Morley posted on LinkedIn.

She added, “Together, we’ve tackled huge challenges, celebrated major wins, and built things I’ll look back on for the rest of my career. Now it’s time for a new adventure. I am incredibly excited to announce that I’m joining the team at Vocus and partnering with Andrés Irlando to deliver the people strategy to drive our strategic ambition - enabling customers and communities to excel and prosper by becoming Australia's most trusted and preferred fibre-based digital infrastructure platform.”

Vocus Group Chief Executive Officer Andrés Irlando welcomed Morley’s appointment, highlighting her extensive experience in building strong workplace cultures and high-performing teams.

Irlando posted on Linkedin, "I’m thrilled to share that Vanessa Morley is joining Vocus as Chief People Officer, effective 3 August. Vanessa is an experienced people and culture executive with an impressive record of accomplishment building at scale high-performing and differentiated teams and cultures.”

Future focus

Morley’s appointment signals Vocus’ continued focus on leadership capability, workforce transformation and culture as the company pursues its long-term growth ambitions. With experience across media, telecommunications, aviation, consumer goods and technology, she is expected to play a key role in shaping the organisation’s next phase of development.