Communications infrastructure and media services firm Arqiva has announced the appointment of Sarah Jane Crabtree (pictured) as chief people officer.
Crabtree has been added to the Arqiva executive committee and will report to chief executive officer Shuja Khan. She will lead on the business’ people and culture agenda within its Vision 2031 strategic focus.
She spent 17 years at BT Group, most recently as HR director of BT Organisation Effectiveness, where she was responsible for setting the group people strategy and policy, encompassing culture, operating model and organisation design, and managing strategic workforce, leadership and development, engagement, and diversity and inclusion.
Crabtree also held the role of lead HR business partner for BT Consumer, where she was asked to manage the people agenda for the launch of BT Sport as well as the acquisition of the UK arm of ESPN.
She was then HR director of EE after its acquisition by BT, and was responsible for the cultural integration of 12,000 EE employees into BT, before becoming the overall HR director for BT Consumer, where she oversaw the people agenda for BT, EE and Plusnet.
Crabtree began her HR career in the Civil Service as HR consultant for the Cabinet Office and 10 Downing Street before moving from the public sector to BT, where she worked across a broad range of BT's Business Units, including market facing, international and central corporate functions.
She will succeed Viv Leinster who, following two successful years where she led the development of Arqiva’s approach to hybrid working and the transition to its new culture, was appointed to the new role of chief simplification officer.
