He has served on boards since 2008 and previous roles include Non-Executive Director of Johnston Press and British Airways, and Chair of British American Business and Business in the Community.

Latterly as an executive, he served as President and Chief Strategy & Revenue Officer at Salesforce (2019-2023), overseeing global sales strategy and contributing to a 60% growth from $19bn to $30bn.

Best known for his transformative leadership at BT Group plc (CEO 2013-2019), Gavin led the £15bn acquisition of EE, completed the nationwide fibre rollout, launched BT Sport, and built a leading cybersecurity practice—anchoring the company’s pivot to converged communications and social purpose. His tenure saw BT’s evolution into a platform-driven business that balances commercial execution with corporate citizenship.

In his earlier career, he refined his commercial and marketing expertise through senior roles at Procter & Gamble, a stint at Telewest/Virgin Media, and leadership of BT Retail, serving as Managing Director of Consumer (2004-2008) and CEO of Retail (2008-2013).

He brings deep cross-sector expertise in:

• Platform transformation & digital infrastructure – scaling fibre networks, launching new services, and integrating telecom with media and cybersecurity

• Global sales & revenue leadership – growing SaaS revenues at Salesforce through global scaling and C-suite alignment

• Board governance & strategic oversight – chairing multiple public and private tech and services boards with strong brands and investor profiles

• Purpose-led corporate change – driving social purpose agendas, diversity, and community initiatives throughout his career

Educated with an MEng in Chemical Engineering (Emmanuel College, Cambridge), Patterson earned a CBE in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to industry and charity. Renowned for combining commercial rigour with a personal drive to support dementia research—now Chair of Alzheimer’s Research UK—he exemplifies leadership grounded in impact, empathy, and strategic depth.