The Tribune

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) majority shareholder yesterday unveiled Phil Bentley as its new chief executive, succeeding Tony Rice with effect from January 1, 2014 2014. He will also succeed Mr Rice as BTC’s Board chairman on the same date.

Mr Bentley was previously managing director at British Gas, the UK’s leading energy and services provider between 2007 and 2013. Prior to this he was managing director, Europe, and group finance director, at Centrica, another energy company, and served on its Board since 2000.

Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) yesterday said Mr Rice had decided to step down as group chief executive ahead of the establishment of the company’s new executive office in Miami, and will leave the CWC Board at the end of 2013.

Apart from Mr Bentley’s automatic assumption of the chairmanship, it is unclear what CWC’s change at the top will mean for BTC and the Bahamas, at least in the short-term.

Mr Rice’s departure comes after leading the reshaping of CWC’s business into a company almost totally focused on Latin America and the Caribbean, following its exit from Macau and Monaco and the islands.

The divestment of businesses deemed non-core, and the move of CWC’s executive head office to Miami, suggests that its focus on BTC’s performance may be heightened as the Bahamian market prepares for cellular liberalisation in April 2014.

Another factor will be the relationship Mr Bentley has to forge with CWC’s minority partner in BTC, namely the Government led by Prime Minister Perry Christie.

The Christie administration has repeatedly said it has not given up on regaining majority control of BTC, and that negotiations with CWC are ongoing, although many observers have viewed it as a lost cause from the start.

It will be interesting to see how the Government reacts to, and interprets, the change at the top at CWC.

Mr Bentley led the turnaround of British Gas, increasing profits from �300 million to �1.1 billion, and sales by over 30 per cent to �14 billion, during his tenure there.

CWC has been continuing to invest in its Caribbean/Latin American operations, particularly in mobile data, high-speed broadband and customer experience systems, as well as considering other strategic acquisitions. It has also committed to reducing operating costs by $100 million over the next two years.

Sir Richard Lapthorne, CWC’s chairman, said:“ CWC is entering a new phase. Following our recent divestments, we now have a business with a single geographic focus and a strong balance sheet, and we are investing in growth areas of mobile data and high-speed broadband.

“I am delighted to have attracted someone of Phil Bentley’s calibre to lead the company. Phil demonstrated his leadership skills at British Gas, combining strong operational capability with a real focus on customer value – experience which he will bring to CWC as we focus our business on a single region, and drive greater operational improvements.

“On behalf of the Board I would like to thank Tony Rice for his outstanding service. Tony has led the business, with distinction, through considerable change. He joined Cable & Wireless as a non-executive director in 2003, going on to become finance director of Cable & Wireless and then chief executive at CWC.

“He has reshaped the group’s portfolio while maintaining its strong market positions, and evolving its services to focus on data, which has provided an excellent platform for future growth.”