Former HSBC UK chief Joe Garner joins BT as CEO of Openreach
Joe Garner is the latest big name hire for telecoms company BT.
He'll replace Liv Garfield as CEO of Openreach in mid-February, as Garfield leaves to become CEO of Severn Trent.
Garner has worked most recently for HSBC as head of the UK bank, in which BT says that he drove "some of the highest customer satisfaction levels in high street banking".
Speaking today, Garner said: “I am thrilled to be joining Openreach at such a critical moment – a moment when technology is redefining how our society communicates.
"The massive investment that Openreach is making in the UK’s high speed internet infrastructure is something of a revolution that will greatly benefit people and businesses in this country."
BT's CEO Gavin Patterson said that: “I am delighted to welcome Joe to the team. His experience of managing a large regulated business with a substantial workforce will help us as we expand our fibre optic network into rural areas."
Joe Garner appointment is the first CEO job at BT to go to an external candidate since Jeff Kelly in 2010. #bt
— Nic Fildes (@LovesickHank) January 13, 2014