Australian operator Telstra has begun the search for a new CEO to replace Sol Trujillo, media reports say.
Telstra director Donald McGauchie has already commenced the search for a replacement, hiring search firm Egon Zehnder to compile a list of candidates, the Australian reported on Saturday.
Trujillo did not deny the report when asked by Bloomberg on the weekend.
The operator is likely to choose an external candidate, as leading internal candidates David Moffatt and Kate McKenzie were rejected in favor of Trujillo last time.
Trujillo joined Telstra in 2005 to replace Ziggy Switkowski. He has adopted a prominent and combative public profile and swung the axe on a number of business units.
Telstra, too, has declined to comment on the reports. But chief operating officer Greg Winn returned to the US on January 22. Public relations chief Phil Burgess - the third of the "three amigos" - left Telstra in August.