Telecoms company Cable & Wireless (C&W) says it has hired NATO secretary general Mr George Robertson to serve as its deputy chairman from next February.
The part-time role will require Mr Robertson to manage relationships with governments in the countries where C&W operates, the company said.
Mr Robertson was Britain's defence secretary before joining the NATO military alliance in 1999.
In January, C&W appointed Mr Richard Lapthorne, a former finance director of aerospace group BAE Systems, as chairman.