News
U.K. incumbent has reportedly offered the top job to Philip Jansen, who has yet to decide whether he wants it
Philip Jansen has been offered the role of BT chief executive and is currently deciding whether to accept, it emerged this week.
The outgoing Worldpay boss, who has been heavily tipped as the next BT leader over the past few months, could still turn down the offer, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.
According to the newswire, BT could name its new CEO when it presents its first-half results on 1 November.
The U.K. incumbent retains a list of back-up candidates, including former EE chief exec and current leader of Switzerland’s Sunrise Olaf Swantee, it added.
Speculation over the identity of the new BT CEO has been rife since June when the telco revealed Gavin Patterson would step down by the end of the year, provided it had found a suitable replacement.
Jansen’s name joined the list of reported candidates for the position a month ago when Sky News named him as the operator’s preferred choice, claiming that it is "his job to turn down."
That report came after Worldpay, where Jansen has served as CEO since April 2013, announced he would leave the company at the end of the year. His extensive career history includes a stint as managing director of U.K. cableco Telewest, the forerunner to Virgin Media.
