Ben joined Telstra in January 2019 as the Head of Rural and Regional Affairs. Ben is passionate about regional Australia and prior to joining Telstra has held several senior policy and management positions within the agriculture sector and Government spanning 20 years. This included working with Saputo Dairy Australia, Australian dairy processor Murray Goulburn Co-operative Ltd, the SA Farmers Federation Grains Council, Australian Pork Limited and in management consultancy. Ben was also a senior policy adviser to the former Federal Minister for Regional Development, the Hon Simon Crean. Ben holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Agriculture) with Honours from the University of Adelaide, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of New England, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Melbourne Business School.