Phil Dance is BT’s MD, Technology Exploitation, covering all aspects of BT’s IT infrastructure, including the OSS/BSS, adaptive infrastructure and its service creation framework.

Until recently, Phil was Executive Director for the company’s massive 21st Century Network Systems (21CN) project. He is a founding father of the project, and steered its IT development from its inception to the current large-scale transformation work. No stranger to major changes and challenges, Phil was previously the CIO for BT’s wholesale business.

Phil joined the BT Research and Development team in 1990 and, among other things, worked on BT’s Customer Service Systems recovery programme, which restored the system to be the benchmark for delivery and performance, while reducing the cost of support systems by the implementation of radical changes.

As a result, in 1997 he became responsible for the design and build of the applications portfolio that then supported BT’s day-to -day operations.

With the successful transition of the systems through the Millennium, Phil then spent a year in Group Strategy, where he helped design the computing structure for the newly-styled BT Group, before taking on the role of Chief Information Officer for BT’s wholesale business.

Phil’s basic business philosophy is that, with the right people, you can achieve anything, and that information technology really is the most exciting industry in the world – and he is determined to enjoy being part of it.

He is a Board Member of the TMF.

Phil lives in Felixstowe, Suffolk, with his wife Anne, and likes to spend his leisure time sailing.