Allison Kirkby

Allison Kirkby (born 1967) is a British businesswoman and the chief executive (CEO) BT Group. In July 2023, she was publicly named to succeed Philip Jansen as CEO of BT Group, effective 1 February 2024.

Early life
Kirkby was born in Scotland in 1967. She earned a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accounting from Glasgow Caledonian University and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA).

Career
Kirkby qualified as a chartered management accountant in 1990 while working at Guinness.

Kirkby worked Procter & Gamble for 20 years before entering the telecoms industry with Virgin Media. She then led Tele2 and TDC Holding A/S from 2015 to 2020.

In 2019, she was appointed to the board of BT Group as a non-executive director.

In 2020, Kirkby became chief executive of Telia Company, Sweden's largest telecoms provider of which 40% is owned by the state.

In August 2023, BT Group announced Kirkby as its new Chief Executive Officer as of February 1st, 2024. Kirkby will be the first woman to hold the position. As chief executive, Kirkby will be responsible for the £15 billion rollout of fibre broadband to 25 million homes by 2026 and the cutting up to 55,000 jobs by 2030.

Personal life
Kirkby is married with two children. She splits her time between homes in Stockholm, Sweden and Windsor, England.