NHS Test and Trace app boss Simon Thompson becomes Royal Mail’s new chief executive

The boss of the NHS Test and Trace app has been appointed as as the new chief executive of Royal Mail with immediate effect. 

Simon Thompson, 54, who was Ocado’s chief product officer before taking the NHS role during the pandemic, is already a non-executive director at Royal Mail.

He will receive a base salary £525,000 and a pension allowance of 13.6 per cent. 

He replaces interim chief executive Keith Williams, who was parachuted in after Rico Back left the company in May. Williams will now move into a non-executive role. 

New boss: Simon Thompson has been appointed as as the new chief executive of Royal Mail with immediate effect

It comes almost eight months after previous boss Rico Back announced his departure from the postal giant after less than two years at the helm. 

Mr Thompson previously also worked for companies including Apple, Honda, Lastminute.com and Morrison’s.  

The appointment comes after a tumultuous year for Royal Mail, which last month agreed a pay deal with the Communication Workers Union (CWU), ending a two-year dispute.

The move is part of a raft of leadership changes which also sees Keith Williams, who had led the company as executive chairman since May, move into a non-executive role.

Royal Mail said Martin Seidenberg, chief executive of logistics firm GLS, will join the board from April.

Mr Thompson 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.’

The appointment comes less than a month after Royal Mail reached a ‘landmark’ deal with unions that put an end to a two-year dispute over pay and conditions

Thompson was Ocado’s chief product officer before taking the NHS role during the pandemic

Mr Williams said: ‘Royal Mail in the UK is in a period of significant transition and needs to move quickly, put the customer at the heart of everything we do, and adapt our business to better serve changing customer needs.

‘Simon has been a non-executive director of the group since November 2017 and already has significant knowledge of the group and its operations.

‘He also has a wealth of experience, both in digital transformation and customer experience, and is ideally placed to lead the opportunity to grow and expand our UK parcels business and to meet our customers’ needs across both letters and parcels.’

Thompson’s appointment comes less than a month after Royal Mail reached a ‘landmark’ deal with unions that put an end to a two-year dispute over pay and conditions. 

The agreement paves the way for the postal service to focus on parcel deliveries and to push ahead with technology improvements.

In exchange, posties will receive a 3.7 per cent pay rise over two years and work one hour fewer per week.    

Thompson said Royal Mail needed to build on ‘the great trust’ people have in the company.  

‘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,’ he said. 

Royal Mail shares were flat at 360p in morning trading on Monday.