BT has announced that Marc Allera is to stand down as CEO of its Consumer division at the end of March and named Bell Canada executive Claire Gillies as his successor.
Allera has spent 9 years at BT, including leading the telecom giant’s consumer business which houses the BT, Plusnet and EE domestic broadband, TV, and mobile activities. He was previously CEO of EE.
His tenure included presiding over the launch of EE’s 5G business, boosting customer service, the creation of the TNT Sports joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery which combined BT Sports and Eurosport, and the creation of ‘New EE’, an initiative to make EE the group’s primary consumer brand and expand it cover all aspects of connected life including gaming.
Before replacing him on April 1st, Gillies will join BT’s Executive Committee and become CEO-Designate on 10 December to ensure orderly transition process.
BT Group CEO Allison Kirkby said: “Marc has been an outstanding leader of BT’s Consumer unit, contributing significantly to the company’s growth, and to multiple key initiatives such as leading the team through the integration of EE into BT Group, the creation of the BT Sport joint venture with Warner Bros Discovery, and launching New EE as our lead consumer brand.
“I am also grateful to Marc for his support to me this year, and for the support I know he’ll give to Claire as they work alongside each other over the next few months. As he moves on beyond BT in the Spring of next year, we all wish him every success.”
“I’m delighted to welcome Claire to BT. She brings a wealth of international telecoms experience and has a track record of driving growth in both consumer focused and retail businesses.
“She will be a brilliant addition to our team as we continue to grow BT’s Consumer division, and EE into the UK’s leading consumer brand for converged connectivity.”
Gillies said: “I am beyond excited to take this role at such an important British company. BT and EE are two of the UK’s most iconic brands leading the industry and connecting people to the things that really matter.
“I can’t wait to join Allison and the broader BT team as we pursue our mission to become the UK’s most trusted connector of people, devices and machines.”
Marc Allera said: “I’m proud to have led an incredible team through enormous change in the market, and the evolution of the company for the past nine years.
“In that time we have transformed every aspect of our operations to deliver great service to our 25m customers across the UK, with everything they need for our fast-moving world of technology. We’ve created a fantastic platform for growth, and I wish Claire the very best for the future.
“While I’m looking forward to the next chapter, I’ll be leaving with great memories of my time at BT and EE, and want to thank every single one of my colleagues who has contributed to our success together.”