UK Royal Mail shuffles board of directors

Royal Mail has reshuffled its board of directors ahead of an intensification of competition in the UK postal market.

The state-owned group has appointed Lady Margaret Prosser, a Labour peer and prominent trade unionist, as a non-executive director.

Meanwhile, Elmar Toime, executive deputy chairman, will leave the company and the board shortly “to pursue opportunities as a consultant to the international postal sector”, Royal Mail said.

He was demoted in May when Adam Crozier, chief executive, took over Mr Toime’s day-to-day responsibility for the letters business following widespread criticism of reliability.

Mr Crozier will also inherit Mr Toime’s responsibility for Parcelforce, Royal Mail’s parcels business. Mr Toime joined Royal Mail in March last year after 10 years as chief executive of the New Zealand postal service.

Lady Prosser was deputy general secretary of the Transport and General Workers’ Union between 1998 and 2002 and was president of the Trades Union Congress from 1995 to 1996.

Gerry Sutcliffe, the government minister responsible for Royal Mail, said: “Her wealth of experience in industrial relations and diversity issues gives the board a new dimension.”