Group Board

The Board is responsible for setting the objectives and strategy for the Group and for monitoring performance and risk management. The Board is committed to ensuring that it provides effective leadership and promotes uncompromising ethical standards, setting the tone for the Company.

> Matters reserved for the Board (PDF)

 

  • Les Owen

    Chairman

    Les Owen

    Chairman

     

     

    Appointed to the Board

    As a Non-Executive Director on 20 September 2013. Les became Chairman on 19 September 2018.

    Key areas of prior experience

    Strategic skills, international experience, finance, pensions, insurance

    Current external appointments

    Non-Executive Director of Discovery Holdings, a South African listed health and life insurer

    Previous relevant experience

    Group Chief Executive Officer of AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd, a member of the Global AXA Group Executive Board and responsible for AXA’s Asian Life Insurance and Wealth Management operations

    Chief Executive Officer of AXA Sun Life plc

    Non-Executive Director of Post Office Limited

    Non-Executive Director of Just Retirement Group plc

    Non-Executive Director of CPP Group plc

    Non-Executive Chairman of Jelf Group plc

  • Rico Back

    Group Chief Executive Officer

    Rico Back

    Group Chief Executive Officer

    Current role

    Appointed Group Chief Executive Officer on 1 June 2018.

    Assumed commercial responsibility for Post and Parcels in November 2018.

    Previous experience

    Rico has been a senior Royal Mail Group executive and CEO of the Royal Mail major European subsidiary, GLS, for 18 years.

    He was a founding member of German Parcel in 1989, which Royal Mail acquired in 1999. This business was subsequently rebranded as GLS and under Rico's leadership, it is now the leading ground-based deferred parcel company in continental Europe.

    Rico has nearly 30 years' experience as a senior executive in the international parcels industry.

  • Rita Griffin

    Non-Executive Director

    Rita Griffin

    Non-Executive Director

    Appointed to the Board

    1 December 2016

    Key areas of prior experience

    Marketing, finance, logistics, strategy, transformation

    Current external appointments

    Chief Operating Officer, Global Petrochemicals at BP plc

    Non-Executive Director of Shanghai SECCO Petrochemicals Limited

    Previous relevant experience

    Chief Marketing Officer, BP plc

    Chief Operating Officer roles for several BP businesses including automotive fuels, aviation fuels, LPG, lubricants and retail

  • Orna Ni-Chionna

    Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

    Orna Ni-Chionna

    Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

    Appointed to the Board*

    20 September 2013

    Key areas of prior experience

    Consumer focus, retail, strategy

    Current external appointments

    Chair of Client Service at Eden McCallum LLP

    Non-Executive Director of Saga plc

    Non-Executive Director of Burberry Group plc

    Deputy Chairman of the National Trust

    Trustee of Sir John Sloanes’s Museum

    Previous relevant experience

    Partner at McKinsey & Company

    Senior Independent Director of HMV plc, Northern Foods plc and BUPA

    Non-Executive Director of Bank of Ireland 

    Non-Executive Director UK Holdings plc and Bristol & West plc

     

    *Appointed Senior Independent Director of Royal Mail Holdings plc on 1 April 2011

  • Stuart Simpson

    Chief Finance Officer

    Stuart Simpson

    Chief Finance Officer

    Current role

    Appointed Chief Finance Officer in July 2017.

    Assumed operational responsibility for Post and Parcels in November 2018.

    Previous work history 

    Stuart joined Royal Mail Group in 2009.  He was appointed as Deputy Chief Operations Officer in January 2014 and subsequently appointed as Director of Group Finance in July 2015.

    Prior to this, he ran Operations for the West Region of the UK and was Finance Director of UK Operations.

    Stuart has worked in the automotive industry for 15 years with senior roles in Finance and Strategy, the last 10 of which were based outside the UK.

  • Simon Thompson

    Non-Executive Director

    Simon Thompson

    Non-Executive Director

    Appointed to the Board

    1 November 2017

    Key areas of prior experience

    Digital Transformation, Customer Experience, Multi-sector Retail

    Current external appointments

    Chief Product Officer, Ocado Group PLC

    Previous relevant experience

    Global Head of Digital Commerce, HSBC

    Managing Director (On-line food), Wm Morrisons PLC

    World-wide Customer Experience, Apple Online Store

    General Manager, Apple Online Store: EMEA & India

    European Managing Director, lastminute.com

    Senior Executive positions at Motorola Inc & Honda Motor Europe Ltd

  • Keith Williams

    Deputy Chairman

    Keith Williams

    Deputy Chairman

    Appointed to the Board

    1 January 2018

    Key areas of prior experience

    Finance, consumer focus, transport

    ​Current external appointments​

    Non-Executive Chairman of Halfords Group plc

    Non-Executive Director and Deputy Chairman of John Lewis

    Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee at Aviva

    Previous relevant experience

    Executive Chairman and Chief Executive of British Airways

    Executive board member and Chair of the Audit Committee for Transport for London

    A range of senior executive positions in major corporations including Reckitt and Coleman, Apple Computer Inc and Boots and was formerly Director of Iberia Aerolinas and International Consolidated Airlines Group

    Chartered Accountant