Kirkby will become the telecoms giant’s first female boss in its 177-year history on February 1 when she replaces the outgoing chief executive Philip Jansen.
Her appointment comes at a pivotal time for the business as it continues to roll out full fibre broadband across the UK through its subsidiary Openreach, with a target of connecting 25 million premises by the end of 2026.
Kirkby will also be responsible for meeting a cost savings target of £3 billion by the end of 2025 under the company’s turnaround plan.
Kirkby is currently president and CEO of Swedish telecoms firm Telia Company, where she has been in post since May 2020.
She has also been a non-executive director of BT Group since 2019 and is also a non-executive director and member of the audit committee of Brookfield Asset Management Limited.