Former O2 CEO Matthew Key has joined the BT board as a non-executive director. He has also assumed roles as a member of the audit and risk committee and the nominating and governance committee.
During his time at O2, Key struck a deal with Apple to exclusively range the first iPhone in the UK in 2007, and transformed the Millennium Dome into one of the world’s premier venues, The O2 Arena.
Key is currently a non-executive director at Burberry. He was previously a non-executive director at OSN, a leading pay-TV operator in the Middle East, and was a member of the advisory board of Samsung Europe between 2015 and 2017.
From 2007 to 2014, Key held various positions at Telefonica, including chairman and CEO of Telefonica Europe, and the same positions at Telefonica Digital, the company’s global innovation arm. He also served as the CFO, strategy and regulation director of O2 UK from 2002 to 2004, before becoming CEO of the company until 2007.
BT Group chairman Jan du Plessis said: “Matthew has hugely valuable and relevant experience from his time at O2, Telefonica and Vodafone. This, combined with his strong strategic skills and experience as a non-executive, makes him an excellent addition to the board. We are delighted he has agreed to join BT.”
Key added: “I’m honoured to join BT’s board. This is an exciting time for the industry and I believe BT has an important role to play in its development. I look forward to working with the board on the challenges ahead.”