NBN Co to be headed by Vodafone Australia chief Bill Morrow. VODAFONE Australia chief Bill Morrow is the new National Broadband Network boss. NBN co-executive chairman Dr Ziggy Switkowski this morning said Mr Morrow will join the company in the New Year and will be based in Sydney. It is understood Mr Morrow, who has been in the top-job at the local arm of the international carrier less than two years, was subject to "intense lobbying" to take the job at the trouble plagued national project. It is believed the first approach to the telco boss was made about six months ago and moved into top-gear once former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski took over as interim head. "I am delighted that a senior business leader of the calibre of Bill Morrow has agreed to accept the challenge of delivering the long-promised upgrade to Australia's broadband infrastructure," Dr Switkowski said this morning. He said Mr Morrow's experience building large scale networks made him a prime candidate to run the NBN. Bill's experience extends not only to running major telecommunications businesses but, from his time at Clearwire in the United States, also building a large scale network. He possesses the right mix of talent, experience and deep knowledge of the telecommunications industry to ensure NBN Co can get the job done. This morning Mr Morrow said the NBN would prove a boon to the national economy. The digital revolution is picking up speed. With the right infrastructure and industry collaboration, Australia will reap the benefits for decades to come," Mr Morrow said. While I am sad to be leaving a great company like Vodafone, I am looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and ensuring every Australian is able to benefit from a world class National Broadband Network. The Californian, Mr Morrow, was brought in by Vodafone in March last year to fix the company's battered reputation and halt its dramatic leakage of customers following a series of systems meltdowns in 2010. While the telco is still losing customers, market watchers have praised his overall repositioning of the company, which includes radically slashing roaming fees. The Abbott Government today unveils a strategic review of the NBN. Mr Morrow, known as a one of the world's best telco turnaround specialists, will face an unenviable task at NBN. There are reports the strategic review to be released today will illustrate cost blowouts and a lack of progress on connections. The Vodafone boss has a reputation for shaking up organisations. Late last year Mr Morrow sacked about 10 per cent of Vodafone's workforce - or about 500 people - from departments he considered unsustainable. But at the same time he shut down the company's Indian call centres and employed 750 Australians when he opened a new centre in Tasmania. The move could also be seen as a serious challenge to market leader Telstra who Mr Morrow has been critical of. Late last year Mr Morrow said breaking the "serious structural imbalance" in the mobile market is as important as the National Broadband Network in creating competition. In November last year, Mr Morrow said more than $450 million in taxpayer funds had been paid to Telstra to provide coverage in remote areas, undermining competition. He said the funds had been used to bolster Telstra's mobile and fixed wireless infrastructure.