The ex-chief executive of the former national lottery operator Camelot has been named as the new interim chair of the Post Office.
The government said on Wednesday that the business secretary, Kemi Badenoch, had appointed Nigel Railton to the role, replacing Henry Staunton, who was sacked in January.
The government said Railton had been chosen for the role because of his experience in “transforming organisations”. He will oversee the company as it looks to pay millions of pounds in compensation to victims of the Horizon IT scandal, while also managing the daily revelations from the public inquiry into the scandal.
Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 post office operators were wrongly prosecuted because of faults with the Horizon computer system, which was developed by the Japanese technology company Fujitsu.
Railton’s appointment was first reported by Sky News. The government has said he will take up the role as soon as possible, subject to the completion of pre-appointment checks.
The new chair spent seven years as Camelot boss before stepping down in 2023. He also held roles at the carmaker Daewoo and British Rail. He also chairs Argentex Group, a currency management service provider.
His appointment comes after the outgoing chair, Staunton, was involved in a war of words with Badenoch, after he claimed in an interview with the Sunday Times that he had been asked by the government to stall compensation payments to victims of the Horizon scandal. Badenoch rebutted the allegation, describing the comments as a “disgraceful representation” of the conversation they had.
Badenoch said: “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.”
Railton said: “The Post Office plays a vital role in communities across the country. It is a national institution and its success in the years ahead matters to everyone.
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“This is an incredibly challenging time for the Post Office as it works to address historic failures while also striving to transform its business.”
