Building Etc.: A Culture of Bold Innovation at BT Group

When we first set up Etc. as the incubation arm of BT Group in 2022, the goal wasn’t just to build groundbreaking products and platforms. It was to create an environment where we could test, learn, and launch new verticals at speed - and most importantly, build a culture where people truly loved working.

We've innovated in markets adjacent to BT’s core from drones to AI, data and fintech. We’ve led on the digital transformation of legacy payment systems within BT, handling  huge volumes of transactions. We’ve built a one stop shop for drone capabilities which is helping open up the skies for long-distance drone flight. We’ve accelerated Active Intelligence, our data and AI solution designed to help businesses make decisions powered by rich movement insights. Our healthtech solutions explored preventative approach to care that has helped saved lives and simplified patient journeys. And finally, we’ve most recently been working on   EV connectivity looking at how tomitigate data anxiety [HM1] for EV drivers before it becomes a significant challenge.

The Team That Made It Possible

A bold vision means nothing without the right people to bring it to life. The core team that started Etc. has worked together for over a decade, and blended with amazing talent from BT and fresh new minds, we were able to grow fast, shaped by a combined mission to create magic moments in people’s lives with our products and services.

We knew that innovation at scale required a new approach to culture, not just a new approach to products. So, we built a Culture Collective, where we treat culture like a product—always iterating, testing, and improving, with the goal of making Etc. the best place that our team had ever worked. We dialed up three core areas:

Psychological safety—so people feel supported to take bold risks.

Autonomy—giving teams the space to move fast.

Agility—ensuring we can pivot without friction.

Something that’s been particularly special to see is how this basis of a strong culture has created a centre stage to help the stars really shine. I’ve seen so many of our people do exceptional things in their time at Etc., from Product Directors John Gutch transforming BT’s legacy payment system in record time, and Jess Kyte appearing on prime time TV speaking about our EV work on BBC’s One Show, to Michael O'Connell creating a world class agile delivery function that delivered over 6 platforms, 20 products and 100s of features in 3 years, to @Becki Lake nailing her first ever keynote at Web Summit and being recognised by the whole of BT as a trailblazer in fintech, to Scarlett Murphy flying through the ranks from Grad to a brilliant product manager, and Kirsty Wright, our CEO of culture helping us constantly learn, iterate and grow through the journey. And that’s just to name a few

Operating Like a Startup, Scaling Like an Enterprise

One of our key successes has been our Product Operating Model — the foundation that enables us to move at speed while ensuring everything we build is scalable, secure, and impactful. To do this, we created separate verticals for each of our major focus areas. This allowed us to move quickly, develop at pace, and build with purpose. Running an agile delivery function through all areas, we ensured that we weren’t just experimenting—we were delivering real products with real impact.

Some of our biggest achievements include:

🚀 Fintech: Leading a digital transformation of BT’s core payment system—handling huge volumes of transactions at pace..

🚀 Drones: Developing complete drone solutions; from he UK’s first drone  SIM to drone services platforms that are helping open up the skies – creating a future where drones operate safely alongside air traffic.

🚀 HealthTech: Creating and piloting  preventative remote care solutions that directly improved patient care and changed lives.

🚀 EV Connect: Looking beyond charge anxiety to a world where data anxiety takes centre stage—exploring the connectivity opportunity for EV drivers. 🚀 ActiveIntel: Providing organisations across transport, public sector, media, and retail with rich movement insights – helping them make smarter, data-driven decisions.

Beyond team achievements, I was personally honoured to be shortlisted for a Leadership Award at the 2024 UK Company Culture Awards. Creating an environment where people feel empowered, supported, and excited to innovate has always been one of my biggest priorities, so being recognised for that was a moment of real pride. Not just for me, but for the entire team that helped build such an incredible culture at Etc. - as culture is and always will be a team sport.

Closing a Chapter, Proud of What We Built

Every journey has its chapters, and for some of us, this one is coming to a close. But what a journey it’s been. As we step away, we do so knowing that two of our startups are moving to scale-up, and we’ve made real progress in one of the most important digital transformations in BT’s history. [HM1] 

We should all be proud of what we built together. Proud of the risks we took, the challenges we overcame, and the culture we created. We set out to make Etc. a place where bold ideas could thrive, and where innovation wasn’t just a buzzword, but something we lived every day.

And through it all, we had great fun along the way.

Thank you to everyone who was part of this adventure. The work continues, the impact grows, and the friendships last.

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