Gladys Berejiklian was last seen with an unknown person after a cyber-hack caused weeks of unfavorable press for her workplace, Optus.
She must also be considering the fact that the ICAC investigation into her behavior as NSW premier last year is still ongoing.
Ms. Berejiklian was seen shopping on Tuesday in Double Bay, one of Sydney’s wealthiest neighborhoods.
She wore casual attire for the infrequent excursion, including blue jeans, a chic black jacket, a shirt with a black-and-white check pattern, and black shoes with a little heel.
She also wore a raincoat draped over her arm, given the recent unpredictability of Sydney’s weather.
A long blue garment that Ms. Berejiklian’s partner was wearing had a former politician who seemed to be brushing something off of it.
She assumed an executive position with Optus as Managing Director of Enterprise, Business, and Institution in February of last year.
Despite holding a high-profile job and being a “proven leader,” according to Optus, Ms. Berejiklian hasn’t been seen since the Optus assault was made public.
The data leak came after a barrage of consumer complaints and a string of network failures, and it has been dubbed the largest privacy breach in Australian history.
Although it is not implied that Ms. Berejiklian was at fault for any of the problems related to the security breach, she will have a difficult time restoring Optus’s damaged reputation.
Despite being the most well-known employee in Optus’ corporate division and having gained national recognition for her leadership during the Covid-19 outbreak, she has yet to speak publicly about the hack.
After ICAC opened an inquiry into allegations that she gave financing preference to initiatives promoted by her secret lover, the now-ex-Liberal MP Daryl Maguire, Ms. Berejiklian resigned from parliament.
Her Optus compensation has not been made public, while David Burns, group executive enterprise at Telstra, receives a salary of $1.1 million year.
Last year, she told Nine radio, “I’m heading in another new route and I’m looking forward to the prospects next year offers.”
I’m anticipating leading a life that is considerably less public.
According to Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, Ms. Berejiklian would be a “game-changer” for their division in charge of commercial clients. She made this statement in February.
Gladys is a seasoned leader, according to Ms. Rosmarin.
Eight months later, the company’s efforts to rebuild trust after the catastrophic data hack would put those abilities praised by her CEO to the absolute test.
Around 10 million Australians’ private information, including passport and driver’s license numbers, email and home addresses, dates of birth, and phone numbers, were exposed in a cyberattack last month.
It came after a spate of Optus outages, which included a significant meltdown in April that prevented hundreds of thousands of users from making calls or using data.
The crises occur as Ms. Berejiklian works to thwart a planned network-sharing agreement between TPG and Telstra and close the gap with Telstra.
Optus and the former premier will both be worried about any potential repercussions of the ICAC’s decision, whenever that may be.
According to a recent book, Ms. Berejiklian did confide in one person that there was a guy in her life, while managing to keep her covert “close personal connection” with Mr. Maguire so secret that even her own family was unaware of it.
She confided in Lisa Mullins, a close friend and former media consultant, in 2015 that she was in love but would keep it a secret since it would shock everyone. This turned out to be a vast understatement.
She expressed to Ms Mullins her desire to have a child with the unidentified partner—a fact that would later become known to the public during the ICAC proceedings.
Before public hearings, the public was unaware of the breadth of the ICAC’s inquiries against Ms. Berejiklian, including the catastrophic phone taps.
Assisting lawyer Scott Robertson talked gently while interrogating her beginning on Monday, October 18, 2021 and concluding two weeks later, but came prepared with audio recordings and a very thorough paper trail.
According to Alexandra Smith in her book The Secret, the former premier sometimes sounded “like a bored lover, humouring her partner’s endless discussion of hopeless side hustles” during intercepted talks with Mr. Maguire.
She seemed like she was intentionally attempting to turn a blind eye, however, when she was heard stating, “I don’t need to know that piece,” according to the recording.
Ms. Berejiklian is now dating attorney Arthur Moses, who defended her during an earlier ICAC investigation.