BT Group tempered media reports of a fall out between CEO Philip Jansen and chair Jan du Plessis over the company’s strategy, following accusations the row led to the latter’s pending departure.

Responding to a Sky News article asserting a rift between the pair over the pace of change at the company, BT Group made a statement backing du Plessis’ record at the helm of its board and denying there was a “misalignment between the board and executive management” over its strategy.

In its expose, the news website claimed Jansen told board members he was prepared to resign unless du Plessis was replaced by a chair willing to make key strategic decisions and accelerate the pace of change at the business.

Last week, BT Group announced du Plessis was set to retire when a successor could be found, having held the role since June 2017.

In its latest statement on the issue, the operator said it was “very sorry” the chair was set to depart, adding throughout his tenure he had “demonstrated strong leadership of the company, been extremely supportive of management and any suggestion that he has impeded the transformation of BT is without foundation”.