BT Group Plc named Telia boss Allison Kirkby Chief Executive Officer, taking over from Philip Jansen.

Kirkby will take the helm of Britain’s challenged former state monopoly and biggest broadband network operator around the end of January, BT said in a statement on Monday.

She had been rumored as a contender to head the company for years.

Jansen said earlier this month he would step down from the role after joining in early 2019. Kirkby joins new Vodafone Group Plc boss Margherita Della Valle as one of a small number of female CEOs in the FTSE 100 Index of Britain’s largest companies.