Following numerous complaints issued by the rivals of BT, the OpenReach business have been pushed to appoint their first chairman, in an attempt to make the company more transparent, and independent. Mike McTighe, a member of the Ofcom board, and an experienced executive in the world of telecoms, will take on his newest role in January 2017.
The decision to appoint Mr. McTighe comes after BT announced in July that they would begin to implement governance changes to make OpenReach a more “independent” solution. This announcement followed suggestions that OpenReach had previously given BT preferential treatment, while underinvesting in the UK’s network for fibre broadband.
The New Chairman’s Role
As the very first Chairman for OpenReach, Mike McTighe will be responsible for overseeing the new Openreach board, and ensuring that it treats each customer equally, while prompting better service, faster broadband, and broader coverage for the UK.
The creation of the board comes from governance changes put forward by Ofcom, which suggested that OpenReach needed to become an independent body with its own board, including a majority collection of non-executive directors that would not be affiliated with the BT group. As Chairman, McTighe will have the task of selecting a collection of independent members that can be added to the business board.
When asked about his new role, Mr. McTighe said:
“OpenReach is at the heart of the digital economy and I am thrilled to take up this important role.”
Although there has been a significant amount of progress with OpenReach over the last ten years, it’s clear that the company has a way to go when it comes to providing a completely comprehensive and reliable service – thereby regaining the trust and loyalty of the people it serves.
BT Fulfilling Its Promises
Mr. McTighe commented that he would be looking forward to meeting with the various service providers that currently rely on the services that OpenReach provides – thereby developing new solutions for the future of broadband.
In response to the decision, Sir Michael Rake – the chairman of BT announced that he was pleased with Mike’s decision to take the position as the first OpenReach Chairman. Rake commented that McTighe had: “extensive experience”, which OpenReach was sure to benefit from.
This new development represents the first step in BT keeping the promise that they made in July to design a new and independent OpenReach board. The hope is that the decision to appoint Mike McTighe will help to begin a movement that highlights a fair, and sustainable settlement in the best interests of the UK.
About OpenReach
OpenReach are the company that most broadband providers rely upon to offer fast and efficient connections to their customers. This is the company that cares for the wires, fibres, and cables that connect the UK. Although they don’t sell broadband or television services themselves, they work the behalf of over 560 service providers such as BT, Sky, and TalkTalk to maintain a consistent and reliable network for over 30 million customers.
