BT chief executive named British trade minister

LONDON (AP) -- Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron has named BT chief executive Ian Livingston to be the new minister for trade and investment.

Cameron told the House of Commons on Wednesday that Livingston will bring huge talent to a vital national effort. Livingston replaces former HSBC chairman Stephen Green and will have a remit to help British companies grow.

Livingston, 48, has been the head of BT for the past five years and will be made a peer so that he can take a ministerial role.

He will be replaced by Gavin Patterson, the chief executive of BT Retail. The 45-year-old Patterson had also overseen corporate responsibility programs for BT Group and represented the company on the Confederation of British Industry's Climate Change Board.