BT Group, a London-based multinational telecom that appointed a new CEO earlier this year, is mixing things up in its legal department. 

The firm has split the role of its technology and transformation general counsel in response to "an increasingly demanding and expanding technology agenda" since the arrival of CEO Philip Jansen in February, BT group general counsel Sabine Chalmers wrote in an internal memo in July.

Chris Fowler, who has served as GC of tech and transformation, will now focus on technology issues while Dave Hart, who had the title of legal director of data, digital and security, will serve as transformation director. 

"To me, the differentiation of the roles of GC for technology and transformation leader demonstrate the huge emphasis many legal departments are putting on radically changing their own models," E. Leigh Dance, a management consultant for international law firms and global corporate legal departments and president of ELD International LLC, wrote in an email on Monday.

"It's essential in order to respond to the company's business needs and BT customers' expectations," she added.

Fowler's tech team is taking the lead on BT's existing and future 5G infrastructure, supply chain and relationship with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., along with supporting Mobile Broadband Network Ltd. – a joint venture between U.K.-based mobile network operators EE and Three, according to Chalmers. The company's intellectual property and security and investigatory powers teams also have been folded into the tech division. 

Fowler has worked at BT for 15 years, serving in a variety of roles, including GC of U.K. commercial legal services. He said in a 2018 interview with Legal Week that the culture of a business is the "most important thing" when it comes to encouraging collaboration. 

"Unless you've got the right mindset and the culture within your company – of learning things by failing – you're never going to get to where you want to be. But that clashes with how lawyers are traditionally trained, which can create a few problems," he added. 

Attempts to speak with Fowler, Hart and a BT representative were not immediately successful.  

Hart joined BT in 2015 as head of litigation and was promoted to legal director last year. Now, he is expected to oversee the transformation side of BT, which means overseeing the division's daily operational management and providing "world-class" support for the company's strategic efforts, according to Chalmers. 

"In order to do that we need to be at the cutting edge of the legal market in terms of how we are structured and deliver our services, with the right systems, processes and supply arrangements," she wrote in the memo. 

Chalmers added BT was "close to filling" Hart's former role of legal director of data and digital. In the meantime, the data and digital team is reporting to corporate GC Bruce Breckenridge.

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