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After 17 years in Telstra from 1976 till 1993 covering research through to executive management, in early 1993 Dr Coutts was invited to take up the newly established Chair of Telecommunications at the University of Adelaide to deepen research links between industry and academia. Leaving at the end of 2003 to form his own consultancy business, the University granted Reg the life title Emeritus Professor.
Dr Coutts ‘technology’ formative years were in the Telecom Research Laboratories that then existed. The last five years in Telstra Reg was part of the Executive team that grew the mobiles business in Australia. Looking to do something different, Dr Coutts accepted the inaugural Chair in Telecommunications at the University of Adelaide. As well as research and teaching, the role was to build links between the University and the telecommunications industry establishing a multi million-dollar centre CTIN. At the end of 2003 Professor Coutts established Coutts Communications Pty Ltd (www.couttscommunications.com) that provides strategic advice to government and industry both in Australia and overseas. Having become interested in the challenges of commercialisation, in mid 2006, Professor Coutts together with a business partner established a new telecommunications venture Red Button Technologies www.redbutton.com.au aimed at communications solutions for an aging population.
The breadth and scope of his experience across the industry, government policy, legal perspectives, research and technical innovation domains have given him broad and deep insightful judgement. Together with his interpersonal and political skills, Reg has demonstrated his ability at isolating areas of disputation and building consensus. His depth of experience, knowledge and expertise has been broadly recognized with his appointment to the Government’s expert panel in 2008 on broadband and in 2010 with his appointment as a part-time member of the national regulator the ACMA www.acma.gov.au.