Tarek Robbiati is group managing director of Telstra International Group and also chairman of CSL. During a 20-year career in the telecoms, finance, media and technology industries, the Italian native has been guided by Michelangelo's maxim, Ancora imparo: 'I am still learning.'
What did you study at university?
I studied engineering and nuclear physics, long ago in France. My speciality was something called electronic instrumentation and physics. It's a very traditional engineering discipline. I also did an MSc in business administration in France, and then I did an MBA - much later, in 1996-98 - at London Business School.
What attracted you to the telecoms business?
All I knew was that I liked the industry and I wanted to look at it from different angles, and I felt that I was always missing one angle.
I started as a strategy consultant - deep into understanding technology, its operation and its strategic applications, and business strategy. And then I realised that there was very little knowledge applied in big telcos about finance and understanding what was driving the value creation. This prompted me to go into equity research.
What excites you about this business now?
