Thursday, September 19, 2024

Post Office suffers leadership crisis amid Horizon investigation

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The company is also operating with an interim general counsel. Sarah Gray is serving in the role as general counsel Ben Foat prepares to give evidence to the official inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal later this year.

Owen Woodley, the company’s deputy chief executive and chief operating officer who has been at the Post Office for eight years, is leaving the company this summer for personal reasons.

In the meantime he will lead the strategic review of the business, which is due to conclude in the autumn.

A Post Office spokesman said: “We are focused on changing our culture and rebuilding trust. Whilst this takes time, progress is being made. In addition to the recent appointment of Nigel Railton as interim chairman we have just announced a number of senior appointments as we seek to bring in new expertise.” 

The management shake-up marks efforts by Mr Railton to shore up the Post Office as bosses face scrutiny over their behaviour following the wrongful conviction of scores of subpostmasters in the Horizon scandal.

Mr Staunton was sacked by Ms Badenoch in January after less than a year in the role and he has since made a string of claims against Mr Read, including overseeing a culture of misogyny.

The company’s former human resources director Jane Davies also claimed in April that Mr Read had started a “campaign to defame and ostracise” her after she was unable to secure a pay rise for him above 5pc.

The Post Office has said that Mr Staunton and Ms Davies’ claims have been “discredited” by the independent report by Marianne Tutin of Devereux Chambers.

Mr Railton was appointed as interim chairman last month and has committed to a 12-month term. He stepped down as Camelot chief last year and Mr Brocklehurst oversaw the process of handing over the National Lottery to Czech billionaire Karel Komárek earlier this year.

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