Nigel Railton, the former long-serving boss of National Lottery operator Camelot UK, has been appointed as the new chair of the Post Office, the government confirmed on Wednesday.
The appointment, made by business secretary Kemi Badenoch, comes after the sacking of Henry Staunton in January due to the handling of the Horizon IT scandal that saw hundreds of post office operators wrongly prosecuted for stealing money from their shops.
Railton, who spent 24 years at Camelot before stepping down last year, has previously held senior roles at carmaker Daewoo and British Rail, and is also the chair of currency management services firm Argentex.
The Department for Business and Trade said Railton brings a “wealth of experience in transforming organisations”, and will take up the post as soon as possible.
“Nigel has the necessary experience to lead an organisation as large and complex as the Post Office and I’m confident he will work well with the leadership team to implement the change that is required in the organisation,” Badenoch said in a statement.
“The government is committed to delivering justice for the postmasters, but also fulfil our duties to Post Office staff. I want to thank Nigel for stepping up to public service at a time of need, and I know he can help fix the issues of the past whilst transforming the company for the future.”