Simon Thompson to leave Royal Mail

Hardly surprising, but news is out that Simon Thompson is to leave Royal Mail. He’ll be gone by the end of October which probably won’t upset the CWU Union or Posties too much – the Union made multiple calls for him to go during the industrial action.

After his recall by Parliament and accusation of misleading MPs his position was pretty untenable, not to mention the overseeing industrial action for the best part of a year and operating the business at a loss of a £1m per day.

What Royal Mail now needs is a steady pair of hands that can not only run the business but can work with the Unions and not be constantly accused of ripping up agreements. This will be tricky as ongoing transformation for their parcels business and deliveries later in the day are not going away.

The biggest problem for the incoming CEO will be attempting to win back business that walked away during the latest period of strikes. It’s easy to lose business, it’s a lot harder to win it back and get businesses to trust you again.

Royal Mail Comments

The Board is in advanced stages of appointing a new CEO, and Simon Thompson has agreed to remain with the business until 31 October 2023 as part of the transition. Chairman of IDS, Keith Williams, will be providing additional oversight and support alongside his Board colleagues through this period. A further announcement will be made in due course. 

– Royal Mail

On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Simon for his significant contribution over more than five years at Royal Mail, both as CEO and previously as a Non-Executive Director of the Board. As CEO, his leadership, resilience and unwavering drive to ensure that Royal Mail transforms for the benefit of our customers means we have set a clear path to turn the business around. We are grateful for his dedication and what he has achieved at the company, and wish him well for the future.

– Keith Williams, Chairman, IDS

I have been incredibly proud to lead Royal Mail during this crucial period in its 507 year history. The changes we have made, the infrastructure we have put in place, and the agreements negotiated with our trade unions mean that Royal Mail now has a chance to compete and grow. That is what I have always wanted, and it is now the right time to hand over to a new CEO to deliver the next stage of the company’s reinvention. I would like to thank my team for their support during a difficult and important time of change.

– Simon Thompson

CWU Comments

Simon Thompson is one of the key individuals responsible for the financial crisis that Royal Mail Group has created over the course of the last year.

The CEO was also one of the key people responsible for the appalling mantra of ‘it’s our business to run’ – which saw the employer openly attack its own workforce on a relentless basis, including developing a culture of imposition and creating service quality and USO failures on a scale which threatens the future of the company.

However, we recognise that the CEO was only one of the senior leadership team responsible for the unacceptable actions and behaviours of managers across the UK throughout this dispute. Further change in Royal Mail Group’s leadership team is vital.  It is important that the next Royal Mail Group CEO is somebody who understands the only way to turn around the fortunes of the company is by taking the workforce with them.

– Dave Ward, General Secretary,CWU