BT hires new chief brand officer
BT today announced the appointment of Zaid Al-Qassab as chief brand officer, a role that will see him lead group marketing strategy and brand
The appointment comes after the announcement of the departure of marketing and brand director, Suzi Williams, who will leave the business in September.
Williams’ ten year stint at BT saw the marketer lead the brand into commercial growth through the sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and saw its value jump from $6bn to $16bn.
Al-Qassab joins BT with more than 20-years experience in the consumer brand and marketing industry, having spent most of his career at Procter & Gamble. His last position at P&G was as managing director of its beauty and grooming division in the UK and Ireland, developing brands such as Olay, Max Factor, Clairol, Wella and Gillette.
More recently Al-Qassab was chief marketing officer of HouseTrip, an internet start-up, which was awarded CoolBrands status in 2014.
In a statement Zaid Al-Qassab said: “It’s a huge honour to lead one of the UK’s biggest and most valuable brands, which touches most of the population and reaches out around the world.
“I’m really looking forward to leading the BT brand through this period of unprecedented innovation. BT has a truly amazing and diverse marketing function, enabled by fantastic agencies. I’m hoping to help them combine strong strategy and customer insight to make stunning marketing and advertising.”
This innovation includes the launch of BT Mobile, following plans to seal a £12.5bn deal to buy EE and enter the consumer mobile market.
The year ahead for the brand also sees its continued sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League, the expansion of its fibre optic network and its role supporting UK business and global customers.
