Telstra's next boss Vicki Brady says the carrier can be a growth company again in the post-Andrew Penn era.
The chief financial officer will become the first female leader of the company in September when Mr Penn retires after seven years in charge.
Ms Brady has watched thousands of customers leave for the National Broadband Network during her six years at Telstra but was quick to seize a media question about whether the telco could re-emerge as a growth one.
"Yes, that's absolutely our ambition," she said.
The removal of a third of its workers over the past three years and improved mobile revenue have the carrier set to return to full-year earnings growth.
Ms Brady said achieving earnings growth was part of the current T25 plan and there were extraordinary growth opportunities beyond.
The current plan includes slashing costs by $500 million by 2025.
Ms Brady dismissed a suggestion a new leader might create their own strategy.
"There is no change in strategy. We've already laid out T25. We've got our road maps mapped out. That's business as usual," she said.
The significance of becoming the first female leader of the nation's biggest carrier was not lost on her.
"I have two young daughters and I hope it inspires them to stay resilient and chase their dreams," she said.
Ms Brady will begin the top job on a fixed salary of $2.39 million. However she has the opportunity to earn three times that amount if she meets targets.
Telecommunications analyst Paul Budde said the might of the government-owned wholesale provider NBN Co would continue to be a headache for Telstra bosses.
He said telcos like Telstra were betting on 5G mobile services being lucrative, particularly in regional areas where these services could outdo National Broadband Network performance.
However Mr Budde said government handouts to NBN Co to improve its network in regional areas would undermine the carriers' ability to compete with the state-owned corporation.
Meanwhile, Mr Penn said he resigned due to his 60th birthday looming next year.
"There are lots of things I'm passionate about and I want to make a contribution to those," he said.
"That is the reason for 'Why now'."
Mr Penn has cut thousands of workers to save money since he joined as chief financial officer in 2012.
He has tried to stabilise the business since it lost its monopoly on Internet services.
Telstra is still to reveal who will replace Ms Brady as chief financial officer.
Telstra shares on the ASX were down less than one per cent to $3.90 at 1542 AEDT.
