BT Openreach chief Joe Garner to head up Nationwide building society
Joe Garner is to vacate his position as CEO of BT Openreach in order to take on a role as CEO of the world’s largest building society, Nationwide.
At the helm of BT’s local access network division Garner overseen the expansion of superfast fibre broadband from 18m premises when he joined in February 2014 to 24m currently.
Garner said: “The opportunity to become CEO of one of Britain’s most important financial institutions and service champions just proved too good to turn down.
“In my view, it is BT’s investment that has helped the UK to become one of the strongest digital economies in the world and I am proud to have contributed. Openreach is now poised to take the UK from a superfast to an ultrafast nation and I am confident it can achieve this as part of the BT family. I wish my successor at Openreach and everyone there and at BT all the best for the future.”
Gavin Patterson, CEO, BT Group said: “Openreach is a stronger and more customer focused business as a result of his leadership and he leaves it in good shape as we begin our ultrafast journey.”
Garner will assume his new role in the spring once BT named his successor.