BT has appointed McKinsey senior partner Tom Meakin as its chief strategy and change officer, the Financial Times has reported.
The FT, which obtained an internal memo, reported that Meakin has joined the UK telco on an interim basis as part of the newly appointed chief executive Allison Kirkby's plans to freshen up the company's corporate strategy.
Kirkby, who joined BT in January from Telia, is tasked with improving BT's share price, which has dropped by 17 percent since the start of the year.
According to an internal memo seen by the FT, Meakin has joined the telco on a secondment from his role as the global co-leader of McKinsey’s consumer technology and media practice. BT and consultancy firm McKinsey have long-standing ties.
“Over the next few weeks, Tom will be working closely with myself and the ExCo to design the broader unit and make sure the accountabilities for both strategy and major change are in the right place, so we’re set up well to deliver across the company,” Kirkby wrote in the memo.
The email adds that the appointment will unite BT's corporate strategy and development team with the group transformation and assurance team.
Last week it was reported that Kirkby is exploring a potential sale of the company's Irish unit.
BT had previously agreed to a deal to sell the unit in 2019, before talks broke down a year later.
At the time, it was reported that a sale could generate between €300 million ($319m) and €400m ($425m). It's not known how much the unit is currently worth, or how much BT would be looking to sell for.
