Adam Crozier has been appointed chairman of telecoms giant BT.
Crozier, who has led several key institutions in his career – including the Football Association, ITV and Royal Mail – will step down from his roles as chair of fast fashion giant Asos and non-executive director of Sony.
However, he will retain his chairmanship of data analytics business Kantar and Premier Inn owner Whitbread when he takes the BT role on December 1st.
Crozier replaces Jan du Plessis in the £700,000-a-year role. De Plessis quit following reports of a boardroom bust-up with BT CEO Philip Jansen over the company’s strategy.
“BT is a hugely important company, with a critical role to play in building the digital networks and services to support the UK’s future,” he said, describing the role as “an honour”.
He added: “I look forward to working with the board, Philip and his executive team to create value for all our stakeholders.”
Crozier is also a former boss at advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi after working his way up the ranks there in the 1990s.
Du Plessis, who will assist Crozier with a month-long transition, said: “Chairing the board of BT over the past four years has been a tremendous privilege.
“BT is a truly unique and special business and what this company does really matters to so many people.”
Jansen said: “I am delighted to welcome Adam to BT and I really look forward to working with him as we target returning BT to consistent growth.”
BT plans to roll out full-fibre broadband to 25 million premises by 2026, having received favourable terms in March from the industry regulator Ofcom.