As Internode's inaugural Chief Operations Officer, Liz's responsibilities are to lead and manage business units in Customer Services, Sales, Media, Product Management and the Business Programs.

After more than six years leading the Customer Services group at Internode, Liz took the newly created role of Chief Operations Officer in August 2009, a position that is key in leading a number of important transformations for the business.

Liz says the COO role is to ensure Internode maintains and improves quality as it grows. "We need to focus on our core business and ensure we maintain superior customer service and innovative products," she says.

"We'll continue to do that by having great quality service, adding plenty of extra value for our customers and staying ahead of the industry. There's more diversity in the marketplace today, which makes it highly competitive, but I think Internode is better placed to succeed in the next few years than it has ever been. I am very excited to be playing a central role in the company's future successes."

Adelaide-born Liz joined Internode in 2003 when she returned to South Australia after spending 13 years in Sydney working on customer service teams operating in Asia and Australia for companies such as Reuters and AAP. Since then, Internode has grown massively, from about 50 employees to today's headcount of more than 430.

Liz says Internode has maintained its enthusiastic spirit despite this huge growth. "There's a great camaraderie here," she observes. "I've always felt there's a sense of united thinking in terms of meeting the needs of customers. We're always interested in hearing customer feedback and working to meet those customer expectations."

Internode gauges customer feedback through its direct feedback channels as well as industry forums such as Whirlpool.

"Since my first day at Internode, my role has focused on providing staff with a clear vision of where we're heading and setting up a strong team," says Liz. "We have implemented simple customer support services based on feedback we receive from our customers and based on business growth."

"I see my role as the COO to continue that work and to extend it throughout the company."

To balance this busy work life, Liz spends her free time hanging out with friends and staying away from the phone. "I have two young sons who keep me entertained - they're a lot of fun," she says.