BT picks ex-Woolworths chief to front consumer marketing division

BT has appointed former Woolworths and T-Mobile marketer Tracey Follows as head of consumer marketing following a department restructure.

Follows will report to head of marketing communications Rebecca Morgan, who has reorganised her team into four divisions: consumer communications, business communications, BT.com and partner marketing. Morgan, who is also looking for someone to front the business division, reports to BT group marketing director Tim Evans.

Follows is a former advertising manager at T-Mobile and brand advertising manager at Woolworths. She joined the retailer in March 2004 and was responsible for the introduction of the Wooly and Worth characters as the company’s brand icons, but left in March to set up her own consultancy.

At BT she will work closely with roster agency Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO, which was appointed to develop a “single mega campaign” for the consumer business in July.

Separately, BT has appointed Anne Heal to head the marketing department for its new independent business unit Openreach, which has been set up following a two-year strategic review of the telecoms sector by Ofcom.

Heal, who has been BT’s director of regulatory affairs since 2002, will be Openreach managing director for sales, products and marketing and will report to the division’s chief executive Steve Robertson.

The new &£200m ring-fenced division will sell access to BT’s “last mile” of copper wire running from homes to local exchanges to rivals such as Cable & Wireless and Thus on the same terms it offers BT Retail.