Having led the UK’s leading broadband provider through a decade of “unprecedented investment and transformation”, Clive Selley is to step down as chief executive officer of Openreach at the end of March 2026, to be replaced by current deputy CEO Katie Milligan.
A wholly owned and independent subsidiary of the BT Group, Openreach said that its infrastructure is already becoming the backbone of Britain’s digital economy, supporting everything from smart farming and sustainable transport to remote working and virtual healthcare.
Employing around 27,000 people, it is aiming to make its full-fibre network available to as many as 30 million premises in all corners of the UK by the end of the decade and has invested £15bn to build a new infrastructure to 25 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026. For the year up to the end of March 2025, Openreach reported revenues of £6.157bn.
Openreach claims to be building its new network to connect customers faster and further than any other provider in the UK, reaching an average of 85,000 new premises every week. In total, more than 3,500 UK towns, cities, boroughs, villages and hamlets have so far been included in the build programme, with others being reached through publicly funded partnerships.
The operator describes its build-out project as one of the largest and fastest broadband infrastructure programmes in Europe, with engineers claimed to be now reaching more than a million new homes every three months. It has so far included around 33,000 medical facilities and more than 25,000 colleges, schools and universities, helping to “transform” access to critical services.
The firm’s wholesale broadband network – the UK’s largest – supports more than 680 service providers including BT, SKY, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Zen to provide broadband, TV, phone, data and mobile services to their customers.
Milligan has been with Openreach since 2009 and, before becoming deputy CEO, was the company’s chief commercial officer, driving its commercial strategy and leading customer relationships. She is said to have played a pivotal role in accelerating the adoption of full fibre broadband nationwide, as well as strengthening relationships with Openreach’s partners, customers and stakeholders.
Commenting on his decision to step down, Selley said that it has been an honour to deliver on a mission to connect the UK building what he said was a new digital platform for growth and prosperity across the country. “Openreach is a remarkable business with amazing, talented people – and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together,” he said.
“I’m also delighted that Katie will now be taking the reins. She knows our business inside-out, she has the right set of skills and experience for this role, and she’s passionate about delivering for our people, our customers and the nation. There is nobody I’d trust more to take care of the future and Openreach has a strong future under her leadership.”
BT Group chief executive Allison Kirkby added: “Openreach is a critical national asset – the digital backbone of the UK – and a key driver of BT Group’s long-term value. Clive’s contribution at the helm of Openreach has been exceptional. His leadership – particularly the scale, pace and quality of the full fibre broadband build – has set new standards for our industry.”
“We are deeply grateful for the commitment, expertise and integrity he has brought to the role. Clive’s lasting legacy is a world-class digital infrastructure that will serve the UK for generations to come.”
