- Annette Presley
Annette Sylvia Presley (born 1964) is a
New Zealand telecommunications entrepreneur, known as a co-founder of Slingshot, one of New Zealand's largestinternet service providers (as of 2008 ).Presley was born to Alice Sylvia Presley. She went to McAuley High School, [cite web|url=http://www.thebreakfastclub.org.nz/downloads/Vision_Sem2_04_Issue2.pdf|title=Vision|date=2004|publisher=The Breakfast Club (AUT)|accessdate=2008-09-13] and studied at the Auckland Technical Institute during the 1970s, described by one tutor as "our most successful dropout". [cite web|url=http://www.aut.ac.nz/staff/insideaut/2007_november/future.htm|title=Back to the future|date=November 2007|publisher=Auckland University of Technology|accessdate=2008-09-11] She started her career in accounting, before switching to computer programming in 1980 after prompting from her father. [cite web|url=http://www.womenindairying.org.nz/main.cfm?id=45&nid=73|title=Keynote speaker for the Women in Dairying Conference 2005|date=12 April 2005|publisher=Network for Women in Dairying |accessdate=2008-09-14] Later she moved on the selling computers before launching an IT recruitment company, Stratum, in 1988. [cite web|url=http://www.unlimited.co.nz/unlimited.nsf/0/8d045ec5e3cf1c91cc256d89006c4133?OpenDocument|title=Calling the shots|last=Rotherham|first=Fiona |date=1 September 2003|publisher=Unlimited Magazine|accessdate=2008-09-16]
Future husband Malcolm Dick and Presley met at a golf function in the early 1990s. In 1992 the couple moved to Australia and founded Call Australia, which grew to a $100 million business employing 200 people. They sold the company and returned to New Zealand in 1998.cite web|url=http://www.womenintechnology.co.nz/lwp/wcm/connect/WIT/About+WIT+Group/Advisory+Board/Annette+Presley|title=Annette Presley - CallPlus & Slingshot|publisher=Women in Technology|accessdate=2008-09-11] The pair started
CallPlus in 1998, and subsidiary i4free which became Slingshot in 2001. They each held a 45 per cent stake in CallPlus, with chief executive Martin Wylie owning the remaining 10 per cent. Presley became the public face of Slingshot, appearing in the advertising and representing the company in the media, while Dick managed the technical side.In February 2002 i4free sued
Telecom New Zealand for $18,162,342, claiming Telecom's June 1999 decision to force internet users to dial a "0867" prefix had severely limited growth of the company, delaying the launch of the service by nine months. [cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=940544|title=i4free hits Telecom with $18m call claim |last=Barton|first=Chris|date=22 February 2002|publisher=New Zealand Herald|accessdate=2008-09-13] Presley took the telco to the Wellington High Court while pregnant, Telecom settled out of court in 2005 after a long-running battle. She stated the result "was enough to remove the grimace from my face, but not to have me breaking into laughter.". Over the duration i4free had incurred nearly $1 million in court costs. [cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10329918|title=Telecom settles dispute and dodges court order |last=Dann|first=Liam |date=10 June 2005|publisher=New Zealand Herald|accessdate=2008-09-13] From 2004 she regularly appeared in the media alongside other competitors of Telecom demanding the government unbundle the local loop, which eventually became a reality on 9 August 2007. Being one Telecom's most ardent critics, Presley even offered to do former CEOTheresa Gattung 's job for $1. [cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10410274|title=Presley on hold over CallPlus job discussions |last=Keown|first=Jenny|date=11 November 2006|publisher=New Zealand Herald|accessdate=2008-09-11]Dick and Presley had an acrimonious marriage break up in 2006, which spilled over into the business when CallPlus announced in September that she was no longer a director. [cite web|url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/836618|title=CallPlus issue put down to marriage|date=27 September 2006 |publisher=TVNZ|accessdate=2008-09-16] Presley was holidaying in Fiji at the time and had not been informed prior to the announcement. [cite web|url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=147508|title=Shots slung in CallPlus boardroom scrap|date=26 September 2006|publisher=ninemsn|accessdate=2008-09-16] During the marriage the couple had two children, Ashley and Brendon, and the couple had been rated by the NBR Rich List having a combined worth of $70 million.
Presley has appeared on the New Zealand version of the
Dragons' Den television show, and was criticised by her Series 1 co-dragonBob Jones . She supports several charities including Preventing Violence in the Home, Dress for Success andKidz First Children's Hospital . [cite web|url=http://www.herbusinessmagazine.com/Articles/November+06.html|title=Dining with a Dragon|date=November 2006|publisher=Her Business Magazine |accessdate=2008-09-14]Recognition
* 2006 Metro Magazine Business Woman of the Year
* NZ Listener poll - 50 most trusted people in New ZealandReferences
External links
* [http://www.annettepresley.co.nz/ Personal website]
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