Board Changes

BT Group PLC
7 January 2002



                                                               January 7, 2002





                          BOARD CHANGES AT BT GROUP



BT Group today announced the appointment to the board of BT Group plc of three
new non-executive directors.

Joining the board, with effect from January 14, 2002, are John Nelson,
the retiring chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston (Europe) Ltd; Carl G.
Symon, managing director, global business development, for DiamondCluster
International Inc, and a former senior executive with the IBM Corporation; and
Baroness Jay.

At the same time Helen Alexander, June de Moller, Sir John Weston, and Neville
Isdell will retire from the board.

Sir Christopher Bland, chairman of BT Group, said: 'I am delighted to
welcome John Nelson, Carl Symon and Margaret Jay to the board. Together they
bring a wealth of experience from the financial, business and political worlds
which will be invaluable to the BT Group as we move forward.

'I would also like to thank our retiring directors for their hard work
and support. They have made an extremely valuable contribution to the company
during a particularly turbulent period.'

BT confirmed its intention to recruit a further non-executive so that the
board will have a majority of independent non-executive directors.

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Notes to Editors:

Biographical details

John Nelson

John Nelson is shortly to retire as chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston
Europe Limited. He was a member of the Executive Board and chairman of the
European Executive Committee of CSFB. Prior to joining CSFB in January 1999,
John Nelson spent thirteen years with Lazard Brothers where he was responsible
for the Corporate Finance Division. He was appointed vice chairman in 1990. He
was also a chairman of Lazard S.p.A. in Italy and a managing director of
Lazard Freres, New York. Prior to Lazards, Mr Nelson spent fifteen years at
Kleinwort Benson in London and New York. He was a non-executive director of
Woolwich plc until it was taken over by Barclays Bank plc in 2000. In 2001 he
was appointed chairman of LIBA (London Investment Banking Association) and has
recently been appointed deputy chairman of Kingfisher plc. Aged 54, John
Nelson is a Chartered Accountant.

Carl G Symon

Carl Symon is managing director, global business development, for
DiamondCluster International Inc, a business strategy and technology solutions
firm. He retired from IBM in May 2000, after a 32-year career in which he held
several senior executive positions in the USA, Canada, Latin America, Asia and
Europe, including chairman and chief executive officer of IBM UK Ltd. He is
chairman of Riversoft plc and MetaPack Ltd, a non-executive director of
Rolls-Royce plc, and a member of the advisory board of Cross Atlantic Capital
Partners. He is a US National. Aged 55.



The Rt Hon Baroness Jay of Paddington PC

Margaret Jay was formerly Lord Privy Seal, leader of the House of Lords and
Minister for Women. Previously she was Minister of State at the Department of
Health. She is a non-executive director of Independent News & Media UK.
Margaret Jay has held non-executive positions with Scottish Power, Carlton
Television, and LBC. Margaret Jay has been a member of the Central Research
and Development Committee for the NHS, was founding director of the National
AIDS Trust, a governor of the South Bank University, and a member of the
Meteorological Office Council. Margaret Jay also enjoyed a distinguished
career as a broadcaster and producer on a number of current affairs
programmes. Aged 62.

Helen Alexander

Helen Alexander joined the Board in June 1998. She has been chief executive of
The Economist Group since January 1997. Helen Alexander joined The Economist
in 1984 and was managing director of The Economist Intelligence Unit from 1993
to the end of 1996. She is also a non-executive director of Northern Foods and
a member of the ethics committee of the University College London Hospitals.
Aged 44.

June de Moller

June de Moller joined the Board in September 1999. A former director of
Carlton Communications, she became Carlton's managing director in 1993,
stepping down from that position in 1999. June de Moller is also a
non-executive director of Cookson Group, Lynx Group and J Sainsbury. Aged 54.

Sir John Weston

Sir John Weston joined the Board in October 1998. He retired as Britain's
Ambassador to the United Nations in New York in July 1998. Sir John was
formerly British Ambassador to NATO. He is also a non-executive director of
Hakluyt & Co and Rolls-Royce plc, and honorary president of the UK-wide
Community Foundation Network. Aged 63.

Neville Isdell

Neville Isdell joined the Board in July 1998. He recently retired as
vice-chairman of Coca-Cola HBC. Neville Isdell joined Coca-Cola in 1968 and
has held a number of posts managing Coca-Cola's businesses in various parts of
the world. He has served on the boards of the publicly-quoted Coca-Cola
Enterprises US and Coca-Cola Amatil, Australia, and is a member of the council
of the World Economic Forum. He is an Irish National. Aged 58.

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