BT taps Adam Crozier as new chair
Former ITV chief to replace Jan du Plessis as telecom group reshapes its business around digital services
BT is set to appoint Adam Crozier, the former ITV and Football Association chief executive, as its new chair.
BT started its search for a new chair in March after the surprise resignation of Jan du Plessis, which came after Philip Jansen, the company’s chief executive, threatened to resign unless the South African boardroom veteran moved on.
Crozier, 57, has won the race to succeed Du Plessis according to a person with direct knowledge of the appointment. BT said the process was not yet complete “and we do not comment on ongoing board matters”.
The decision means that a former chief executive of Royal Mail will take the helm of BT’s board forty years after the telecoms company was formally split from the Post Office.
The appointment was first reported by The Times which said that Crozier would stand down from fashion retailer Asos as a result of the BT move.
Crozier, a Scot who built his career in advertising at Saatchi & Saatchi, joins BT at a turning point in its recovery under Jansen’s leadership.
The company is only part way through a £15bn upgrade of its broadband network to full fibre and is reshaping the business to focus on developing digital services.
It has cleared a number of hurdles in recent months. Regulator Ofcom set a new regime designed to encourage heavy network investment, while the company has struck agreements with its pension trustees and unions. The share price has recovered 80 per cent since it hit an 11-year low last year.
However, the emergence of billionaire Patrick Drahi as BT’s largest shareholder in June has created uncertainty about the future structure of the business. Drahi’s strategy has been to take over telecoms assets using debt. His 12.1 per cent stake is seen by some within the company as a potential foothold for a future attempt to try to acquire BT or break it up.