BT confirms start date for new boss Allison Kirkby amid full fibre push

Allison Kirkby will take up the top position from February 1, replacing Philip Jansen and inheriting his comprehensive cost-cutting programme.

Allison Kirkby will take over from outgoing BT boss Philip Jansen when he retires by the end of January next year (BT/PA)

BT’s first female chief executive is set to begin her role as the boss of the British telecoms giant in less than a month.

Allison Kirkby will take up the top position from February 1, replacing Philip Jansen and inheriting his comprehensive cost-cutting programme.

Ms Kirkby, who will earn £1.1 million a year plus an annual bonus worth as much as double her salary depending on the firm’s performance, steps in at a time of significant change at BT.

The business is rapidly rolling out ultrafast full fibre broadband across the UK, through its subsidiary Openreach, and 5G network.

It aims to complete the work by the end of 2026, when 25 million homes and businesses will be connected to the new broadband.

Up to 55,000 roles are set to be cut across the business by 2030, once new networks take over from the old and as part of plans to digitise more processes.

Ms Kirkby will also be tasked with executing a cost-saving target of £3 billion by the end of 2025, introduced under current boss Mr Jansen’s turnaround plan.

It came in response to higher business costs and the impact of inflation, with savings so far being achieved by cutting jobs and merging parts of the business.

The savings helped give BT’s profit a boost in its most recent update to shareholders.

Ms Kirkby said she was “excited” about leading the business through its “next phase of development” upon her appointment in July.

The businesswoman has been a non-executive director of BT since 2019 and is also president and chief executive of Swedish telecoms firm Telia Company, which has 25 million customers across the Nordic and Baltic region.

She has been in the telecoms sector since 2010, also previously working at Virgin Media.

She will become BT’s first female chief executive in the group’s more than 170-year history.