Senior BT executive Ricky Ricketts to head up the public sector business in West Midlands

Ricky Ricketts has enjoyed a long and successful career with the company including being BT’s representative during the successful London 2012 Olympics bid.

One of his first tasks is to establish a dedicated team of trusted advisors to engage with around 350 public sector customers throughout the region and highlight the massive capability BT has to offer.

This includes local government authorities, NHS boards, universities and housing associations.

A BT veteran of more than 16 years, Mr Ricketts initially started out life as a cricketer for Hampshire, so it’s no surprise he quickly became a safe pair of hands in a number of roles for BT including group sales manager, director of local business, and most recently chief commercial officer for one of the company’s international partnerships.

Mr Ricketts said: “My focus is to give our customers the best experience possible by recruiting the finest people from across the region in all sectors.

“The public sector remains under enormous pressure to reduce costs and be more efficient, against a backdrop of increasing demand for digital social care and other essential services.

“Technology is a huge enabler and BT’s IT services and expertise, backed by high-speed, secure, global networks, can help our customers meet these seemingly conflicting goals.

“I’m delighted to be accountable for revitalising and strengthening the company’s relationships with our colleagues in the public sector across the West Midlands.”

Under the new role, Mr Ricketts will work closely alongside BT’s chairman of the West Midlands regional board, Colin Bannon.

Mr Bannon added: “Ricky’s appointment marks a new strategic direction for our public sector division, with significant investment and focus at a local level.

"We’re delighted to be supporting a respected industry leader with international experience and a strong track record to revitalise our public sector business and drive innovation."