BT Appoints New Non-Executive

BT Group PLC
11 July 2002



                                                                   July 11, 2002

                     BT APPOINTS NEW NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BT Group today announced the appointment of Clayton Brendish to the board of BT
Group plc as a non-executive director. Mr Brendish, who will join the board on 1
September, 2002, is the former deputy chairman of CMG plc, and the founder and
executive chairman of Admiral plc.

Sir Christopher Bland, chairman of BT, said: "I am delighted to welcome
Clay to the board. He brings with him a wealth of experience in the information
technology industry gained from a variety of entrepreneurial and non-executive
roles. He will make a major contribution to our deliberations as we continue to
drive the BT Group forward."

The appointment means that BT will have a majority of independent
non-executive directors on its board.

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Notes to Editors:

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

Mr Clayton Brendish


                        Clay Brendish, 55, is a former executive deputy Chairman
                        of CMG plc having joined

                        the board when it acquired Admiral. Having overseen the
                        first year of integration, he

                        announced his retirement in May 2001. Clay Brendish was
                        co-founder and

                        executive chairman of Admiral in 1979. He has also acted
                        as an advisor to the

                        Government on the efficiency of the Civil Service,
                        working as an advisor to the Chancellor of the Duchy of
                        Lancaster and the Office of Public Services on their

                        respective Next Steps Agencies. He also played a
                        prominent role in the privatisation

                        of HMSO, the Civil Service Occupational Health & Safety
                        Agency (OHSA) and

                        Recruitment and Assessment Services (RAS).

Clay is president of the Chartered Management Institute; a trustee of Economist
Newspapers Ltd; a council member of City University of London; non-executive
chairman of Beacon Investment Fund; and a non-executive director of Elexon Ltd,
Herald Investment Trust Plc, and QinetiQ. He has recently stepped down as an
external non-executive member of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance
Advisory Board, and is stepping down shortly as a member of the Independent
Television Commission.


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