Telstra announced the structural changes this week, designed to create dedicated teams to manage retail store businesses and represent Telstra in regional communities.

The changes mean area general manager Bill Mundy will leave his role.

Bendigo-based Steve Tinker will be Telstra’s western Victoria area general manager. He will also lead the business’s community engagement team.

Rob Franze is western Victoria’s retail general manager.

A Telstra spokesman said the business was committed to western Victoria.

“Our new structure provides an even stronger focus on supporting our customers in the region,” he said.

“We will now have a team dedicated to managing our retail store business in the region and one dedicated to representing Telstra in our communities. 

“There are no changes to our stores, which are in Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, Warrnambool, Horsham, Ararat, Hamilton, Swan Hill and Mildura.”

The company said the changes meant the company could provide a stronger focus on customers, maintain support of events and initiatives across the region, build critical relationships, manage key issues and projects and co-ordinate responses to significant events such as natural disasters.