Telstra's top property executive Chiodo quits TELSTRA'S most senior property executive, Vito Chiodo, has left the company after 10 years following months of negotiation over his tenure. The Australian revealed last month that Mr Chiodo was expected to depart. In a brief statement, a Telstra spokesman said: "I can confirm that Mr Chiodo is no longer a Telstra employee. We have nothing further to add. In a statement to The Australian, Mr Chiodo said: "There has been much speculation about my recent leave of absence from Telstra. I would like to take the opportunity to share with you that I recently took this leave to give me the opportunity to reflect on the many achievements of the last few years and the challenges ahead and, most importantly, to start thinking about what I want to achieve going forward. Mr Chiodo said the time was right to pursue new challenges. This will give my team and Telstra the opportunity to move forward with a new leader for the next phase of its development. He thanked those who had "loyally supported" him through a "journey of amazing highs and lows." Mr Chiodo headed BHP Billiton's property department before joining Telstra in 2003.