Telstra has gone to court to block a former senior executive from participating in any product development related to security and managed services for rival telecommunications provider Vocus.
The telco started the legal action against John Ieraci in the Federal Court of Australia on September 30, the day before he was meant to start at Vocus.
Vocus chief executive Andres Irlando had announced the hiring of Ieraci in mid-September as managing director of its business and digital infrastructure division.
Ieraci joined Telstra in 2007 and held several key roles over almost two decades at Australia’s largest telco. They included Telstra Enterprise chief customer officer, executive director of its defence and public sector business unit, and most recently head of Telstra Purple, its technology services and consulting arm.
Before joining Telstra, Ieraci was a global business development manager at Swedish telco Ericsson.
According to Ieraci’s LinkedIn, he left Telstra in July. Undertakings he gave to the court last week indicate he needs to serve a six-month period not working for a competitor.
John Ieraci.
Ieraci told the court he would not have any involvement in the development of managed services and security products at Vocus until January 1, 2027, including any services similar to projects he worked on over the last year for Telstra.
He also promised he would not provide services to any customers he worked with at Telstra over the last year until January 1.
“I will not disclose confidential information belonging to Telstra to any person, including Vocus, unless required by law or agreed by Telstra in writing before disclosure,” he wrote in his undertaking to court.
“I will not improperly use my position, or information obtained because of my position, as a former officer or employee of Telstra to gain an advantage for myself, Vocus or any other person, or to cause detriment to Telstra, including in connection with my employment with Vocus.”
The undertakings he has given heavily restrict the work he can do for Vocus, although he has started his role. He is not allowed to poach Telstra staff or customers, or offer any services similar to work he did in his last 12 months at Telstra.
“I will not make, cause to be made or be associated with any statement about Telstra, or their employees or directors, that could harm their reputation or business interests, unless required by law,” he said.
Telstra declined to comment as the matter was before the court. Vocus and Ieraci also declined to comment.
Rivalry between Australian telcos is intense, and court action over executive defections is not uncommon. In 2021, Optus sued its former mobile network boss Iskra Nikolova over her defection to Telstra. The case, which went through the courts for nearly three years, ultimately settled in 2024.