Allison Kirkby | |
---|---|
Born | 1967 (age 56–57) Scotland |
Nationality | British |
Education | Glasgow Caledonian University (HND) |
Occupation | Businesswoman |
Known for | CEO, BT Group |
Title | CEO, BT Group |
Predecessor | Philip Jansen |
Board member of | BT Group |
Children | 2 |
Allison Kirkby FCMA (born 1967) is a British businesswoman and the chief executive (CEO) BT Group. [1] In July 2023, she was publicly named to succeed Philip Jansen as CEO of BT Group, effective 1 February 2024. [2]
Kirkby was born in Scotland in 1967. [3] [4] She earned a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accounting from Glasgow Caledonian University and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA). [3]
Kirkby qualified as a chartered management accountant in 1990 while working at Guinness. [5]
Kirkby worked Procter & Gamble for 20 years before entering the telecoms industry with Virgin Media. [5] She then led Tele2 and TDC Holding A/S from 2015 to 2020. [5]
In 2019, she was appointed to the board of BT Group as a non-executive director. [5] [2]
In 2020, Kirkby became chief executive of Telia Company, Sweden's largest telecoms provider of which 40% is owned by the state. [6]
In August 2023, BT Group announced Kirkby as its new Chief Executive Officer as of February 1st, 2024. [6] Kirkby will be the first woman to hold the position. [2] As chief executive, Kirkby will be responsible for the £15 billion rollout of fibre broadband to 25 million homes by 2026 and the cutting up to 55,000 jobs by 2030. [6]
Kirkby is married with two children. [6] She splits her time between homes in Stockholm, Sweden and Windsor, England. [6]