Royal Mail media manager Roche quits after restructure
Royal Mail’s former head of media markets Richard Roche is leaving the company following the reorganisation of its sector marketing division.
It emerged earlier this year that Roche had been left without a job after a restructure was called by Royal Mail’s marketing director Alex Batchelor.
However, a spokesman said at the time that Roche was still with the company and he was said to be in the running to replace Gordon Steele as sales and marketing director of the Post Office. But it is now understood that Roche will leave at the end of this week. He has effectively been replaced by Antony Miller, although Miller takes up the newly created role of head of media development.
A Royal Mail spokesman confirms Roche’s departure and points out that the media development team under Miller has doubled in size following the restructure.
The other major change is the merger of the government, financial, multi-channel retail and publishing units to form the large market development sector. Former head of the financial unit Leonora Corden will run the new division. Tim Rivett retains responsibility for the SME and consumer sector.
The spokesman says: “The new structure will ensure greater focus on media proposition delivery now that we are in a fully competitive environment.”
However, Royal Mail’s brand marketing team will not be affected by the reorganisation.
Roche moots spell on the agency side
Precision Marketing, p 5 03-31-2006
Royal Mail’s former head of media markets Richard Roche is looking to move agency-side, following his departure from the postal operator.
Roche, who is understood to be leaving Royal Mail at the end of the week, has his sights set on a position within the data department of a UK direct marketing agency.
Roche’s decision to leave the postal giant follows the restructure of its sector marketing division earlier this year. As part of the restructure, called by Royal Mail’s marketing director Alex Batchelor, Roche was forced to step down and then reapply for his own position. He was unsuccessful and was replaced by Anthony Miller, although the nature of the role was altered.
Roche continued working at Royal Mail, but in a non-specific role (PM January 27).
Roche’s departure comes as the organisation’s government, financial, multichannel, retail and publishing units are being merged to form the large market development sector, to be headed up by former head of the financial unit, Leonora Corden.
