As BT’s Philip Jansen departs, what has the CEO’s tenure done for the brand?

BT’s CEO Philip Jansen is leaving, to be replaced by Allison Kirkby in January 2024. Reports in the trade press have suggested that, with layoffs, an increasing debt pile, and dips in the telco giant’s share price, Jansen has become frustrated in the role. 

Nevertheless, data from YouGov BrandIndex UK suggests that his tenure has seen an improvement in customer perceptions across some key metrics. Looking at Impression scores – which measure general sentiment towards the brand – between 1 February 2019 (the day Jansen took over) and 31 July 2023, we can see that scores have risen from 0.6 to 6.7 (+6.1). Quality scores more than doubled from 3.1 to 7.9 (+4.8) over the same period. 

BT also became a more attractive place to work while Jansen was in charge: Reputation scores, which measure whether the public would be proud or embarrassed to work for a particular company, rose from 5.0 to 9.9 since the start of his tenure as CEO (+4.9). 

Jansen’s time at the helm also saw improved levels of brand advocacy for BT. Recommend scores jumped from negative territory (-3.6 on 1 February 2019) to positive (with scores at 1.0 as of our most recent data): an overall improvement of 4.6 points. Overall brand health, as measured by Index scores, also jumped from -0.3 to 4.2 between the start of Jansen’s tenure and now: an improvement of 4.5 points. 

Whatever difficulties the company is facing, then, Jansen’s stint as CEO has bolstered consumer perceptions of BT – leaving a healthier and more well-liked brand for his successor.