Simon Hackett | |
|---|---|
 Simon Hackett in 1996 | |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | Bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science. |
| Alma mater | University of Adelaide |
| Known for | Founder and Managing Director of Internode Pty Ltd Consumer rights advocacy Commentator |
Simon Walter Hackett is an Australian technology entrepreneur. He is the co-founder (with Robyn Taylor) of Internode, an Australian national broadband services company.
He is a 1986 graduate of the University of Adelaide, holding a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science.
Together with John Romkey, Hackett became the first to connect a commercial domestic appliance (a Sunbeam Deluxe Automatic Radiant Control Toaster) to the internet in 1990.[1]
Internode was founded in May 1991. In 1997 Hackett founded a subsidiary called Agile Communications[2] that was a licensed national telecommunications carrier and was the first South Australian based company to gain this license.[3][4]
The Internode company group was sold to iiNet in a A$105 million transaction announced in December 2011 and completed on 31 January 2012.[5]
Hackett departed the executive team at Internode to join the board of iiNet in August 2012.[6] On 12 November 2013 it was announced that he had been appointed to the board of the National Broadband Network, and that he had resigned his position with iiNet.[7] He departed the board of the National Broadband Network in April 2016 and was replaced by Michael Malone.[8]
Other boards Hackett has served upon are: Adelaide Fringe Festival, m.Net Corporation.,[9] and the Australian Network for Art and Technology.[10] Hackett co-founded and is a former director of The Internet Society of Australia,[11] and was the founding president of the South Australian Internet Association (which has since been disbanded).[9]
He is a fellow of the Australian Computer Society.[12]
While he was Managing Director of Internode, he was frequently active in the Internode forum on Whirlpool,[13] and is a vocal commentator on Australian telecommunications competition issues and Government policies.[14]
Hackett is the largest investor in ASX-listed company Redflow,[15] has served on its board (including as Chairman) and also spent a period as the company CEO before hiring others into both of those roles.[16] Hackett stepped down from the Redflow board effective at the 2018 AGM, while remaining involved in a technical role as Systems Integration Architect.[17]
Hackett is an advocate for electric vehicles. He imported the first Tesla Roadster into Australia and documented the process of driving it 501 kilometres (311 mi) on a single charge during the Global Green Challenge in Australia in 2009.[18] This was reported to be a new world range record for a production electric car at the time.[19] He subsequently appeared in testimonial for Tesla.[20]