BT Global Services CEO steps down
A negative trading update in his department leads François Barrault to resign.


The chief executive of BT Global Services, Franois Barrault, has resigned from the firm following a negative trading update.
On Friday, BT reported that Global Services' quarterly earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) would come in at 120 million, significantly below expectations despite the rest of the firm's divisions staying strong.
A BT Group spokesman told IT PRO: "He resigned because we issued a trading update saying Global Services would miss EBITDA expectations therefore, he felt it was time to go."
Barrault joined the telecoms giant in 2004 as the head of the international arm, and took on the chief executive role at Global Services in April 2007. He will be replaced by Hanif Lalani, who is currently the group's Finance Director. That role is yet to be filled.
Ian Livingston, chief executive of BT, said: "I would like to thank Franois, and wish him well for the future."
But regarding the trading statement, Livingstone said: "BT is performing in line with or ahead of expectations in all but one of its divisions, so the results in BT Global Services are particularly disappointing. We acknowledge that the performance in this part of the group is unsatisfactory and are committed to taking decisive action to rectify the situation."
BT will announce its results for the second quarter on 13 November.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Freelance journalist Nicole Kobie first started writing for ITPro in 2007, with bylines in New Scientist, Wired, PC Pro and many more.
Nicole the author of a book about the history of technology, The Long History of the Future.
-
Blackouts in Spain and Portugal could be a cyber attack
Both countries are "paralyzed" by nationwide power outages
By Jane McCallion
-
Cisco takes aim at AI security at RSAC with ServiceNow partnership
News The companies claim Cisco AI Defense and ServiceNow SecOps will help address new challenges raised by AI
By Jane McCallion
-
Equinix acquires BT's Irish data centers in €59 million deal
News As BT moves to an asset-light business model, Equinix looks to expand
By Emma Woollacott
-
BT just extended the PSTN switch-off deadline — here’s what you need to know
News BT described the move as a “revision”, citing a series of improvements to the wider PSTN switch-off programme
By George Fitzmaurice
-
BT misses key Huawei kit removal deadline, but the telco is “almost over the line”
News BT is still reliant on non-compliant Huawei equipment for 2G and 3G services
By Ross Kelly
-
BT partners with HPE to deliver new global managed LAN service
News The latest collaboration combines BT’s connectivity expertise with HPE Aruba Networking’s latest LAN solutions
By Daniel Todd
-
Making the switch
Whitepaper Realise the benefits of IP technology ahead of the digital ‘switch-on’
By ITPro
-
BT and OneWeb succeed in "game changer" satellite connection trial
News Smaller businesses in rural areas could benefit from improvements to backhaul services using satellites, with speeds increasing by an order of magnitude
By Rory Bathgate
-
BT, Nokia crack four carrier aggregation on a 5G network in first for Europe
News The breakthrough marks the first successful use of such technology on a live network, and could lead to dramatic network improvements
By Rory Bathgate
-
BT Mini Whole Home Wi-Fi review: Value-conscious range extension
Reviews You shouldn’t expect top performance, but this dinky mesh system eradicates notspots for a great price
By Darien Graham-Smith