UK telco BT announced it has appointed a new team of chief information officers (CIOs) following a review and overhaul of the company’s approach to serving major corporate and public sector customers.
BT stated that a key function of the new CIO team will be to act as the ‘voice of the customer’ within the company, to help ensure that suitable solutions are developed to meet customers current and future needs. As part of this effort, the new CIO team devote significant time to liaising directly with the CIOs of major customers with the aim of creating a long term shared plan for how technology can improve their businesses.
Led by Philip Baulch, CIO of BT’s Major Corporate and Public Sector division, the new team also comprises a number of CIO industry leads who will focus on delivering the IT and networking requirements of customers in specific sectors, including central government, defence, and corporate, as well as those based within the English regions and devolved nations.
Additionally, a chief technology officer (CTO) and chief operations officer (COO) will provide additional support for complex deals and ensure that the right propositions are developed to meet customers’ needs into the future. Reporting to the regional CIO, there will also be six new positions focusing on specific geographic areas within the UK, covering Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the South West; London and the South East, the Midlands and the North of England.
The other appointments include Ian Simpson as CTO, David Petty as COO, Paul Ryder as CIO, Central Government, Phil Brunkard, CIO, Regional, Gary Moore, CIO, Defence, and Tom Baker as CIO, Major Business.
The initiative follows the recent appointment of six new regional directors serving the same geographic areas, and also reflects BT’s shift towards adopting a more devolved approach to serving its public sector customers, in line with evolving market trends. The CIO leads will work closely with the regional directors to support the new strategy and to develop a shared technology vision in conjunction with customers.
