Ex-British Gas boss Phil Bentley takes over at CWC Phil Bentley, the recently-departed managing director of British Gas, has been appointed as the new chief executive of Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), the international telecoms operator. The move comes as CWC, which traces its roots back to the mid-19th century, finalises plans to leave the UK to set up in Miami. Mr Bentley will replace Tony Rice, who led CWC through its 2010 demerger from Cable & Wireless Worldwide, the UK cable company bought by Vodafone last year. The 54-year-old left British Gas earlier this year amid reported tensions with the business's owner, Centrica, and its chief executive Sam Laidlaw. Mr Bentley, who will receive a salary of £800,000 and a maximum bonus of £1.2m at CWC, had made it clear he wanted a chief executive role. CWC is leaving the UK after reaching agreements to sell off its mobile operations in Macau and Monaco, leaving it focused on its businesses in the Caribbean and Central America. It plans to use much of the combined $1.75bn from the disposals to invest in what it sees as a telecoms gold rush in the area. The company announced the move away from the UK in May, pledging that it would remain listed and domiciled for tax purposes in Britain. Mr Rice, who has been chief executive since 2008, has decided to leave the company due to the move. He will hand over and leave the board in January. Mr Bentley's time as British Gas was characterised by anger at rising energy bills during the financial crisis. He increased profits from £300m to £1.1bn between 2007 and 2013, but insisted that energy prices were comparatively low. "I am delighted to have attracted someone of Phil Bentley's calibre to lead the company," said CWC chairman Sir Richard Lapthorne. Phil demonstrated his leadership skills at British Gas, combining strong operational capability with a real focus on customer value - experience which he will bring to CWC as we focus our business on a single region, and drive greater operational improvements. CWC shares fell more than 2pc early on Thursday morning but recovered most of their losses.