Tom Guy

As Managing Director of Etc., the incubation arm of BT, Tom leads his team to create, amplify and invest in startups in new and emerging categories. With a heritage innovating within nascent sectors, Tom uses a relentless customer focus to build and accelerate disruptive products that work right now for the future. In his current role, he is responsible for driving growth in categories and markets adjacent to BT, with a specific focus on drones, healthtech and fintech.

Prior to Etc. Tom was Chief Product Officer at Vodafone Smart Tech, where he was responsible for leading the department’s portfolio of pioneering consumer IoT products. In his time at Vodafone, he spearheaded the development of four new category leading smart devices, for which his work was celebrated internationally by awards bodies including GLOMO, IF Design, Good Design and Red Dot. He also forged international partnerships with the likes of Disney and industry veteran Yves Behar to create Neo, the smart kids watch in 2020.

Before joining Vodafone, Tom was a founding member of Hive, where he was responsible for bringing the connected home to the mass market by transforming the way customers interacted firstly with their heating, then the entire smart home. Tom’s work at Hive became a CES Innovation honouree in 2019.

Having also worked across a wealth of energetic technology start-ups including Yachtsie and Catch Media, Tom’s work in product has been widely recognised for its ability to push boundaries, lead category growth and create magic moments in customers’ everyday lives. Outside of his day to day, Tom sits on the board of companies including WhaleClear and Catch Media, as well as acting as strategic advisor for Banbury Postiche.