FD out, Tellytubby boss in? It's BT's grand reshuffle...

Christopher Bland going la-la?

BT's finance director, Philip Hampton, could be the next senior figure to leave the company following Sir Peter Bonfield's departure. Hampton joined BT a year ago, and has done much to reduce the £30bn debt he inherited and has helped Bonfield restructure the company. But now Bonfield has announced his retirement, Hampton has lost a valuable ally - and, with most of the restructuring complete, it's thought that he may feel his job is done. Of equal significance is that Bland and Hampton are not thought to have the best working relationship. Hampton's future may ultimately rest upon Bonfield's replacement. The current favourite is Rupert Gavin, the man responsible for unleashing the Tellytubbies on unsuspecting broadcasters around the world. Gavin is the boss of BBC Worldwide, but does hail from BT: he was formerly the head of its information, communications and entertainment programme. Another figure being tipped as Bonfield's successor is Lucy Woods, the head of Worldcom's European operations. She too has a strong track record at BT, having worked there for 15 years, latterly as an executive assistant to former chairman Sir Iain Vallance. Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph reports that BT is in fact looking at further restructuring. It claims that senior executives are planning to demerge its retail and wholesale arms in the new year, once mmO2 has been floated.