New Chief Executive
I would like to start by wishing everyone a happy new year. I would also like to thank all of you most sincerely, for your hard work and dedication over what must have been our most challenging peak season ever. Royal Mail is what it is, because of its people, and you have proved that yet again with your efforts throughout this pandemic. Thank you.
As you may be aware, when I took up the role of interim Executive Chair, in May 2020, we said that the Board would embark on full internal and external searches for a Chief Executive Officer for Royal Mail in the UK and a Chief Financial Officer for the Royal Mail Group. I am therefore pleased to announce the following senior executive appointments:
Simon Thompson, Non-Executive Director of Royal Mail plc, becomes Chief Executive of the UK business with effect from today.
Martin Seidenberg, Chief Executive of GLS, will join the Royal Mail plc Board on 1 April 2021.
Mick Jeavons, interim Chief Financial Officer for the Group since May 2020, will continue in that position on a permanent basis and will join the Royal Mail plc Board as an Executive Director with immediate effect.
As a result of these changes Stuart Simpson, who has been acting as interim Chief Executive of the UK business since May 2020, will leave Royal Mail at the end of January following a short handover period.
I will return to my previous role as Non-Executive Chair of Royal Mail Group from the end of January.
You can read our announcement in full here and Simon’s message to staff here.
Putting the customer at the heart of everything we do
There is no doubt that 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. But I am hopeful that 2021 is a year of opportunity for Royal Mail.
We are in a period of significant transition and needs to move quickly, put the customer at the heart of everything we do, and adapt our business to better serve changing customer needs.
Simon has been a Non-Executive Director of the Group since November 2017 and already has significant knowledge of the Group and its operations. He also has a wealth of experience both in digital transformation and customer experience and is ideally placed to lead the opportunity to grow and expand our UK parcels business and to meet our customers’ needs across both letters and parcels.
Martin has made an impressive start as CEO of GLS. Bringing him onto the Group Board allows us to benefit from his detailed knowledge of the parcels sector and reflects the contribution of GLS to the Group.
We have two excellent leaders in place for each of our businesses, focused on the opportunities which they each have to grow and succeed in the future.
Mick has been with the Group for 27 years and has served in a variety of senior positions, including as Deputy Group CFO and before that, as Chief of Staff to the Group CEO. His deep experience of the Group and its operations will be invaluable.
The Board would like to congratulate all three on their appointments and extend its thanks to Stuart for his significant contribution to Royal Mail over the last eleven years, in particular for acting as interim Chief Executive of the UK business over the last eight months. We all wish him well as he develops his career outside Royal Mail.
