Can BT beat the odds?

Can BT beat the odds?

From Business Leader by Business Leader

April 28, 2026 · 47 min

About this episode

Allison Kirkby discusses her journey to becoming BT's first female CEO and her strategies for revitalizing the company.

BT's chief executive, Allison Kirkby, talks to Sir Richard Harpin about how her working class upbringing and training at Procter & Gamble set her up for becoming CEO. Kirkby built her reputation as a straight-talking turnaround leader and since taking the top job at BT, over two year’s ago, she’s been cutting costs, reshaping the leadership team, and trying to bring clarity to the business. As its first female CEO in 180 years, she is bringing back BT as a brand and is determined to return the company to growth. Kirkby says more needs to be done to encourage British investment in the UK stock market and reveals what it is like having Sunil Bharti Mittal, the Indian 'telecoms tiger', as the company's biggest shareholder and board member. Business Leader is a membership community for ambitious CEOs and founders of mid-sized UK companies, designed to help them grow with purpose through strategic support, peer-to-peer learning, expert coaching, and high-impact events. Sign up for our Business Leader newsletter here . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Sir Richard Harpin

Guest: Allison Kirkby

Topics covered

  • leadership
  • business turnaround
  • female CEO
  • investment
  • telecommunications

Keywords

  • BT
  • Allison Kirkby
  • leadership
  • business growth
  • investment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BT, Procter & Gamble, Business Leader

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