“You need a bit of edge”: five leadership lessons from BT’s group chief executive

In the second instalment of CMI’s Leadership Lounge series, CMI chief executive Ann Francke OBE CMgr CCMI sat down for a fireside chat with Allison Kirkby, group chief executive of BT (and a former colleague of Ann’s at Procter & Gamble in the early days of their careers).

In a fascinating and warm exchange, Allison shared the inspiring story of her working life – which took her from selling fresh cream door-to-door at age 12 to the top seat of some of Europe’s leading telecoms groups – and the valuable lessons she learned along the way. 

Here are five that stood out…

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1. Leadership is about the people you take on the journey

Allison was announced as CEO of BT back in February 2024. She told Ann and the Leadership Lounge audience how news of that promotion put some noses out of joint. By Christmas, three of her peers had left the company. 

When she called her chairman to inform him of a fourth departure, he replied that he’d “never known a leader lose four executives in four months”. 

But this didn’t develop into the dressing down Allison was expecting. Instead, he gave her a golden piece of advice. Speaking of the executive team, he said: “You could all disappear for six months and the company would be absolutely fine – because it's the people in the organisation that are really running it for you. They're the ones you need to spend time with, because they’re the most important.”

His other memorable advice to Allison? 

“Don't hang out with the media. Don't hang out with politicians. Hang out with your customers and your colleagues and you'll be great.”

2. Apprenticeships provide “brilliant exposure”

Allison also took time to share her fascinating origin story – growing up in a working-class Glaswegian household; working at 12 years old in door-to-door fresh cream sales; becoming an ‘Avon lady’ at 14; and entering the Scottish whisky industry as an apprentice management accountant.

It’s no surprise, then, that she believes in the power of apprenticeships.

Allison recalled one concept she introduced at BT, which originated from her time working in Sweden, for Telia, the country’s largest telecoms company. Each executive committee member takes on a highly ambitious graduate. They shadow the executive in their day-to-day work for a year, effectively becoming their chief of staff, writing scripts and CEO reports and running the board meetings. 

This year, she gave the role to a BT apprentice. 

“Watching leaders is a great way to learn,” she explained. “Those who work alongside an executive get brilliant exposure to the human side of leadership, as well as the business side. That’s such an important skill.”