Post Office appointment is step towards split from Royal Mail
The Royal Mail Group has taken a step towards separating off its retail network, Post Office Ltd, by appointing a separate chairman of the Post Office board. Under the Postal Services Act passed by Parliament this summer, the group is to separate with Royal Mail destined for privatisation, while Post Office Ltd remains in public hands or becomes a mutualised organisation owned by its employees.
Today, the Group announced that former senior civil servant and British Airports Authority non-executive director Alice Perkins has been appointed to the Post Office board and will chair its next meeting in September 2011.
Donald Brydon will continue as chairman of the Royal Mail Group.
Brydon said of Perkins: “Her appointment as Chair comes at an important time as the process of separation from Royal Mail commences. Alice’s combined experience of the private and public sectors will be of great benefit to the Post Office.”
Postal Affairs Minister Edward Davey said: “I am delighted to welcome the appointment of Alice Perkins. Alice is a proven leader with a wealth of experience across both the public and private sectors.”
Perkins, who is the wife of former UK home secretary and foreign secretary Jack Straw, spent more than 30 years in the civil service including senior roles in the Treasury, Department of Health and Cabinet Office.
She was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 2002.
An external member of Oxford University Council, she has recently been non-executive board member at airports operator BAA before its takeover by Ferrovial, and a director of market research agency Taylor Nelson Sofres plc, as well as working as an executive coach.
Commenting on her appointment at Post Office Ltd, which manages services across 11,500 post offices, Perkins said: “The Post Office, which has embarked on a major transformation programme, is a vital part of the UK’s economic and social infrastructure. I look forward to working with the management team, led by Paula Vennells, during this exciting period of change as well as with our colleagues at Royal Mail.”
