BT Unveils New Leadership as Openreach Overhaul Continues Under Allison Kirkby's Watch
In a significant management shake-up, the UK's telecommunications giant BT has announced that Clive Selley, the long-time head of its infrastructure arm Openreach, is stepping down after nearly a decade of leading efforts to bring high-speed fibre broadband to millions of homes. The departure marks another move in the series of changes orchestrated by Kirkby, who has already revamped 10 out of 11 executive committee positions since taking over as CEO in February 2024.
Selley's replacement will be Katie Milligan, his deputy and a key player in Openreach's efforts to expand fibre coverage. With the company on track to meet its ambitious target of connecting 25 million homes with full fibre broadband by year-end, Milligan is under pressure to continue this progress and potentially extend it to an additional five million households by 2030.
The change in management has sparked speculation about the future of Openreach, which has faced criticism from smaller rival broadband providers over its market dominance. In recent years, Openreach has forecast significant customer losses, with over 800,000 users departing its network in the last financial year alone. The company's concerns have been centered around Ofcom's Telecoms Access Review (TAR), a proposed framework that could curb its pricing power and favor competition.
Kirkby praised Selley for his "exceptional" leadership during his tenure at Openreach, but acknowledged the challenges facing the UK's fibre broadband rollout. With Britain lagging behind other countries in terms of internet speeds, Kirkby emphasized the importance of maintaining a "critical national asset" like Openreach to drive long-term value.
As Milligan takes the reins, she faces an uphill task to build upon Selley's achievements and address concerns over Openreach's dominance. With actual fibre take-up rates still lower than expected, Milligan must navigate complex regulatory issues and maintain momentum in the company's efforts to expand fibre coverage to every home in the UK.
In a significant management shake-up, the UK's telecommunications giant BT has announced that Clive Selley, the long-time head of its infrastructure arm Openreach, is stepping down after nearly a decade of leading efforts to bring high-speed fibre broadband to millions of homes. The departure marks another move in the series of changes orchestrated by Kirkby, who has already revamped 10 out of 11 executive committee positions since taking over as CEO in February 2024.
Selley's replacement will be Katie Milligan, his deputy and a key player in Openreach's efforts to expand fibre coverage. With the company on track to meet its ambitious target of connecting 25 million homes with full fibre broadband by year-end, Milligan is under pressure to continue this progress and potentially extend it to an additional five million households by 2030.
The change in management has sparked speculation about the future of Openreach, which has faced criticism from smaller rival broadband providers over its market dominance. In recent years, Openreach has forecast significant customer losses, with over 800,000 users departing its network in the last financial year alone. The company's concerns have been centered around Ofcom's Telecoms Access Review (TAR), a proposed framework that could curb its pricing power and favor competition.
Kirkby praised Selley for his "exceptional" leadership during his tenure at Openreach, but acknowledged the challenges facing the UK's fibre broadband rollout. With Britain lagging behind other countries in terms of internet speeds, Kirkby emphasized the importance of maintaining a "critical national asset" like Openreach to drive long-term value.
As Milligan takes the reins, she faces an uphill task to build upon Selley's achievements and address concerns over Openreach's dominance. With actual fibre take-up rates still lower than expected, Milligan must navigate complex regulatory issues and maintain momentum in the company's efforts to expand fibre coverage to every home in the UK.
. I mean, 10 out of 11 exec positions already? that's some major house cleanin' goin' on. And now Selley's gone, and Milligan takes over... she's gotta navigate all this regulatory stuff while tryin' to keep up with them fibre take-up rates 
. wonder if this is just a ploy to keep the competition from catchin' up? seems like they're pullin' strings from behind the scenes 
.
, first Clive Selley steps down after almost a decade and now Katie Milligan takes over... sounds like they're trying to control Openreach from behind the scenes. I mean think about it, 10 out of 11 executive committee positions changed already since Allison Kirkby took over - what's going on? is she just trying to remake the company in her own image or is there something more sinister at play? 
just read about this huge change at BT and I'm curious how Katie Milligan is gonna handle Openreach after Clive Selley steps down... 10 yrs is a long time for anyone to lead a major project like that 
. hope she can maintain the progress they've made so far 
but it's true, Britain still lags behind in fibre speeds 
gotta get those speeds up to match Europe and beyond 
! I mean, it's a big challenge for her, but I've got faith in her skills 
. She's already proven herself as Clive Selley's right-hand woman, and that's gotta count for something 
. And who knows, maybe this shake-up is just what Openreach needs to break free from those Ofcom regulations 
. Either way, I'm rooting for Milligan and her team to make it happen 
. katie milligan's got a tough task ahead of her, but i'm rooting for her anyway! 
