Royal Mail’s new boss has vowed to develop “a razor-sharp focus” on its customers to ensure its services are delivering “exactly what customers need and want” after being handed the top role during what he admits has been a “challenging year”.
Simon Thompson, the former managing director of the NHS Track & Trace app and chief product officer at Ocado, takes up the role with immediate effect.
Thompson, who was already a non-executive on the Royal Mail board and has also held senior roles at Apple, HSBC, lastminute.com, Morrisons and Honda Europe, is trousering a £525,000 annual salary, 13.6% pension allowance and even bonuses if Royal Mail makes a profit and meets performance targets.
He said: “Against the backdrop of a challenging year, our colleagues have once again demonstrated the invaluable service they provide for our communities up and down the country. Looking ahead, we need to build on the great trust we have on the doorstep.
“We need to develop a razor-sharp focus on the customer, making sure our services are delivering exactly what our customers need and want. And we need to explore new opportunities for growth. We now have a unique opportunity to grow our business, and I look forward to working with our colleagues and stakeholders to take this great company forward.”
Last week, the direct mail industry threw its weight behind Royal Mail’s decision to renew Covid-19 initiatives designed to reinvigorate the market following a wipe-out of activity in the first half of last year.
The Strategic Mailing Partnership, the industry body that represents mailing houses across the UK, claimed the move should help kick-start the economy, which is now under further pressure following last week’s implementation of the Britain’s third national lockdown.
However, unlike previous Royal Mail CEOs, he will only run the UK operation; GLS chief executive Martin Seidenberg will join the Royal Mail plc Board on the 1st of April 2021.
As a result of the appointments, UK interim CEO Stuart Simpson will leave Royal Mail at the end of January following a short handover period. Meanwhile, Keith Williams, who has been acting as interim executive chair of the group since May 2020, will revert back to being non-exec chair.
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