BT Appoints Openreach CEO

LONDON -- Olivia Garfield is to become Chief Executive of Openreach, BT's local access network business, effective from April 1. She is currently BT Group Director of Strategy and Regulatory Affairs, where she oversees the company's fibre broadband strategy and other key areas.

Garfield takes over from Steve Robertson, who has led Openreach since its foundation in 2005. Robertson is to remain with BT to help ensure a smooth handover before leaving to exploit new opportunities.

Openreach operates at arms length from the rest of BT, ensuring that all communications providers are given open and equivalent access to the BT network. Since Openreach's creation, approximately 500 communications providers have signed contracts to use the network, resulting in Britain having the most competitive telecommunications market in the world.

Garfield’s task will be to build on the foundations laid by Robertson. These include delivery of one of the fastest and most ambitious deployments of super-fast fibre broadband in the world. Openreach has already made super-fast connections available to more than four million premises. Garfield will now oversee delivery of fibre to two thirds of UK homes and businesses by the end of 2015 - and to an even greater proportion of premises as public funding becomes available to get to areas where the economic case is more challenging.

Openreach