Leading UK telecommunications heavyweight BT Group has unveiled Allison Kirkby as its new chief executive.

Kirkby, currently the president and chief executive of Swedish telecoms firm Telia, will take up her role by the end of January next year at the latest. She will replace Philip Jansen, who “intends to retire from executive life” at the end of March after assisting Kirkby with the transition.

The new chief executive has been at Telia since early 2020, having been president and chief exec at the Danish telecoms firm TDC from 2018 to 2020.

She has been affiliated with BT Group since 2019 when she joined as a non-executive director.

Kirkby, who also spent 20 years at Procter & Gamble between 1990 and 2010, will be paid at least £1.1 million ($1.4 million) annually.

Kirkby said: “I’m incredibly honored to have been appointed as the next chief executive of BT Group. BT is such an important company for the UK, and our many customers both in the UK and internationally, and is uniquely placed to help everyone benefit from the rapid advances in digitalization.

“Having been a member of the BT Group board for the past four years, I’m fully supportive of our strategy and am excited about leading it into its next phase of development, as we grow to support customers, shareholders, and the UK economy.”

Adam Crozier, chair at BT Group, added: “The board is delighted to have appointed Allison as our new chief executive. She is a proven leader, with deep sector experience and a history of having transformed businesses.”

The BT Sport pay-TV broadcaster transitioned and rebranded to TNT Sports earlier this month, as part of a joint venture between BT Group and Warner Bros. Discovery, the multinational media and entertainment giant.