BT Group has announced that Jan du Plessis will retire as chairman of the company this year, once a successor has been appointed.
Du Plessis joined BT as a non-executive director in June 2017 and was appointed chairman in November 2017. He said: ‘BT has made good progress over the last few years. We have made big strides in enhancing customer service and have really stepped up to support the country during the pandemic. Above all, our relationship with Ofcom has improved significantly over the last three years and I strongly believe the Board’s commitment to invest in a full fibre network is in the long-term interests of all BT’s stakeholders. But after 17 years of demanding roles as chairman of significant FTSE companies, I know the time is now right for me to step down and focus on other interests. Until I hand over to my successor, I remain fully committed to BT and helping Philip [Jansen, chief executive] continue to deliver for all our customers, colleagues and shareholders.’
Jansen stated: ‘I’d like to personally thank Jan for both his service to BT but also his commitment and support to me since I joined. Jan’s focus on improving customer experiences, investing for the long-term and motivating our colleagues has been consistent throughout his time at BT and with his strong support we now have a clear strategy to deliver in the years ahead.’
Concluded Iain Conn, senior independent director, concluded: ‘On behalf of the board, I would like to express our enormous gratitude to Jan for his leadership and guidance. We are very sorry to know he will be leaving. He has chaired BT through a period involving important strategic decisions and considerable change and will leave behind a very strong legacy.’
The board will now initiate a process for the appointment of a successor led by the senior independent director.