Openreach Adds New Non-Executive Member to its UK Board

Broadband and network access provider Openreach, which remains a distinct “legally separate” company away from BT, has today appointed a new independent non-executive member (NED) and expert in corporate strategy to its Board in the shape of Michael Jary.

At present Openreach are primarily still focused on delivering their c.£15bn project to deploy a new multi-gigabit capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP network to 25 million UK premises by December 2026, which is expected to be followed by “up to” 30 million come 2030. On top of that the operator is also having to contend with Ofcom’s latest Telecoms Access Review 2026 (TAR), which is expected to influence their approach for the next 5 years.

Suffice to say that the network access provider may be starting to think about how they will implement Ofcom’s decisions and what comes after that, which is an area that may benefit from some additional expertise in corporate strategy. This may help to explain why the operator has picked Michael Jary to be a NED.

Michael co-founded OC&C Strategy Consultants in 1987 and has served as their Global Managing Partner, helping grow the firm to 15 offices around the world, and is now a Senior Adviser at OC&C. He is also a NED at Barclays Bank UK plc and Chair of Kensington Mortgages, as well as being the Chair of Itad, a data and insight company in international development, among other things. His prior roles include Lead NED of HM Government, chair of The Fairtrade Foundation, and Non-Executive Director of the Nationwide Building Society.

Mike McTighe, Chair of Openreach, said:

“Openreach is powering ahead with our ambition to build full fibre to 25 million UK premises by the end of 2026. As we near completion of this milestone and look to the future of Openreach beyond building full fibre to almost every part of the UK, Michael‘s insight and experience will be an invaluable addition to the Board. I am delighted to welcome Michael at this critical stage of our journey.”

The Openreach Board has a majority of independent members, with an independent Chair and up to four other independent Non-Executive Directors. There are two executive Openreach members: the CEO and an executive appointed by the Board. Openreach’s parent company, BT, also nominates an executive to serve on the Board.

·         Mike McTighe, Openreach Chair

·         Edward Astle, NED

·         Andrew Barron, NED

·         Natalie Ceeney, NED

·         Michael Jary, NED – joins 26 August 2025

·         Clive Selley, Openreach Chief Executive

·         Matt Davies, Openreach Chief Finance Officer

·         Simon Lowth, BT Group Finance Director (BT nominated Director)