As broken on Monday on PRWeek.com, Pauley is relocating to Brussels in a yet-untitled post, where he will represent BT at a senior EU policy level.
Potential internal candidates include company secretary Larry Stone, who has previously worked as corporate governance director, and group director of PA Sandy Walkington, who has been at BT for eight years and twice previously applied for the job.
BT head of group media relations Peter Morgan, who joined in April, has declined to rule himself out.
A source close to BT and mobile phone spin-off mmO2 said the former might try to poach mmO2 director of corporate comms Richard Poston.
‘BT will be eyeing the success of its former mobile arm since separation and Poston’s role in that,’ the source told PRWeek.
Morgan said Stone, Walkington and Poston were ‘entirely credible’ as candidates for the job but insisted BT had not begun talks with any members of staff.