All Allison Kirkby articles
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People
BT Peoplewatch: Corporate Affairs & Brand chief steps onto the BT ExCo
Latest senior and strategic changes across BT, including a new ExCo member for Allison Kirkby, charged with driving brand transformation and reputational change; Openreach boardroom swaps; BT International rework continues; more…
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Strategy & Change
Indian magnate joins BT board to give long-term investor Bharti a voice at the top
BT Group’s largest shareholder Bharti Enterprises firms up relationship to secure two boardroom seats.
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Analyst Briefing: Kirkby marches on with international pullback
Latest from BT as the group continues to offload international assets with the sale of financial services unit and completion of Irish divestment; AWS ties expanded as the operator seeks further network autonomy; Openreach ups lobbying for UK fibre regulatory change; more…
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M&A
Radianz becomes latest unit to go in BT’s international retreat
Emblem of BT’s turn of the century global ambitions to be offloaded to TNS as group pursues UK-focused strategy.
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Analyst Briefings
Deutsche Telekomwatch Analyst Briefing: overcoming the ‘overbuilders’
The latest developments from around DT, as Telekom Deutschland refreshes its commercial strategy in a bid to hit back at altnet competitors, and the Group sends another emissary to the States to oversee T-Mobile’s push into fibre. Read more…
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Partnerships & Alliances
BT expands AWS deal for five more years
The cloud services giant flags the latest strategic agreement with BT as a critical step towards network autonomy.
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Marketing
BT opts for Uncommon to take brand ‘beyond advertising’
New brand chief Cilesta van Doorn hails Uncommon Creative Studio as the agency of choice to cement the BT logo in “modern Britain”.
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Analyst Briefing: BT rises to the top
Latest from BT as it surpasses Vodafone by market cap, an apparent reflection of investor confidence in the Group’s direction; BT Ireland reset means new leadership incoming; Plusnet posts downbeat numbers but is back in BT plans; more…
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Financial & Performance
Re-booting Plusnet cuts jobs, ‘streamlines’ operations
BT’s no-frills broadband brand posts another year of decline as it resets and restructures.
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Financial & Performance
BT vs. Vodafone: UK has a new largest telco for the first time this century
BT Group’s resurgence under Allison Kirkby has pushed its market cap beyond that of Vodafone for the first time in 25 years, but there are plenty of caveats to both operators’ performance, and the real winner could be Sunil Bharti Mittal…
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Analyst Briefing: tracking BT’s rise
Q1 FY25–26 special: BT’s star continues to rise, with valuation now 50% higher than when CEO Allison Kirkby took over, despite a shaky start to the FY. Consumer and Business fall further back, but ol’ reliable Openreach and its trusty fibre machine is driving the Group forward…
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Financial & Performance
Q1: BT backers rewarded as confidence remains high
Q1 FY25–26: Group share price ticks up 50% in a year, boosted by Q1 earnings, suggesting Allison Kirkby’s new manager bounce has been sustained. Whether this will continue may well depend on BT’s ability to reverse current trends, as downtrodden business and consumer units continue to fall, despite Openreach best efforts…
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Financial & Performance
Q1 In depth: BT boss claims ‘solid start’ despite shaky numbers
Q1 FY25–26: CEO Allison Kirkby persistent in long term strategy, but first quarter results put things in perspective. BT Business the usual headache; BT Consumer finds positives despite the headlines; and Openreach cements its reputation as a resilient source of resilient good news…
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Financial & Performance
Q1 Guidance: BT unmoved by early trouble
Q1 FY25–26: Management reconfirms full-year guidance, with defiance made easier thanks to pessimistic outlook as laid out three months prior. Vague notions of ‘growth’ remain the target by the end of the decade…
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People
BT poaches VM O2 finance chief as Lowth’s exit confirmed
Patricia Cobian, CFO at Virgin Media O2, is to join rival BT next year, with current CFO Simon Lowth set to retire. BT CEO Allison Kirkby said Cobian brings “invaluable” experience that will help drive BT’s transformation and strategy…
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Analyst Briefing: regulatory give and take
Latest from BT as the group benefits from spectrum licence fee savings, but warns of potential competitive damage if TAR changes go through as proposed; Simon Lowth reportedly on his way out; 5G SA rollout updates…
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People
BT CFO Simon Lowth readies for departure — report
Succession planning underway as reports indicate Lowth will leave within a year, closing out a decade-long tenure and teeing up yet another change to Allison Kirkby’s executive leadership team…
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Deep Dive
UK Fibre: altnet optimism vindicated over time as take-up erodes incumbent dominance
In depth: Eight Advisory’s latest Tracker shines light on altnet challenge to Openreach, with mature cohorts reaching parity and fibre insurgency continuing amidst land-grab tactics. TelcoTitan’s analysis explores linear trajectory of upstarts, impact of overbuild, continued testing of investor patience, and whether the UK can truly sustain more than two major platforms…
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M&A
BT said to explore TalkTalk takeover to fend off further customer losses
BT reportedly mulling opportunistic acquisition of financially and operationally challenged TalkTalk, which could help with shoring up defences against fibre altnets and competing in the low-cost broadband sphere. Includes fibre wholesale, copper shutdown, exchange consolidation intrigue…
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: chops and changes in CEO Kirkby’s first year
Latest from BT as the group reports on FY24–25, with CEO Allison Kirkby talking up progress made since she was appointed. Business has been restructured; more investment pledged to Openreach fibre build; and Consumer’s short-lived one-brand strategy has been uprooted…