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Paula Vennells

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The Reverend

Paula Vennells
Vennells in 2016
BornPaula Anne Vennells
(1959-02-21) 21 February 1959 (age 65)
Denton, Lancashire, England
EducationManchester High School for Girls
Alma materUniversity of Bradford (BA)
Occupation
Known forPost Office scandal
Spouse(s)
John Wilson
​
(m. 1994)​
Children2

Paula Anne Vennells (born 21 February 1959) is a British former businesswoman who was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Post Office Limited from 2012 to 2019. She is also an ordained Anglican priest who ceased her clerical duties in 2021.

Vennells was the CEO of Post Office Limited during the latter part of the British Post Office scandal, in which more than 900 subpostmasters were wrongly convicted between 1999 and 2015 of theft, false accounting or fraud, owing to apparent shortfalls at their Post Office branches that were caused by flaws in Horizon, an accounting software used by the Post Office. Many more subpostmasters paid the Post Office for alleged shortfalls or had their contracts terminated. The actions of the Post Office caused the loss of jobs, bankruptcy, family breakdown, criminal convictions, prison sentences and at least four suicides. Under Vennells, the Post Office led a costly and unsuccessful attempt to defend a group action brought by subpostmasters.

In 2019 she became the chair of the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, but left the role the following year. In 2021, after the convictions of 39 subpostmasters were quashed, she resigned from her non-executive directorships at the retailer Dunelm and the supermarket chain Morrisons. Vennells had been appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2019; the honour was formally revoked in 2024 for "bringing the honours system into disrepute".

Early life and education

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Born on 21 February 1959 as Paula Anne Vennells,[1][2] she was born and grew up in Denton, Lancashire.[3][4][5] Her father was an industrial chemist and academic, her mother a great-granddaughter of Sir James Watts of Abney Hall, mayor of Manchester in the 1850s and grandfather of Conservative party member of Parliament James Watts.[3] Having won a funded place, she went to Manchester High School for Girls, an all-girls private school in Manchester.[5] She studied Russian, French and Economics at the University of Bradford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1981.[1][6]

Career

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Vennells began her career as a graduate trainee at Unilever in 1981, and went on to work for L'Oréal, Lunn Poly, Dixons Retail, Argos, and Whitbread.[5][7] In 2007 she joined Post Office Limited as group network director.[8] On 1 April 2012, she became the company's chief executive officer (CEO),[9] at the same time as it was split from Royal Mail Group to become a separate government-owned company.[10]

During her time as CEO, the Post Office went from losing £120 million in 2012/13 to reporting a profit of £35 million in 2017/18.[11] The liabilities now known to have accrued over that period due to the Horizon scandal, however, were estimated in early 2024 to be £160 million in compensation and £298 million in ongoing legal fees already paid,[12] and £1 billion of taxpayer money set aside for future compensation.[13]

In her role leading the Post Office, Vennells earned a total of £5.1m, peaking in 2018 when she received £718,300 in salary, bonuses, pensions and other benefits.[6] In 2016 Vennells was appointed as a non-executive director of supermarket chain Morrisons, in addition to her position at the Post Office.[14]

In February 2019 it was announced that she would step down from her Post Office role, and that month she was appointed as a non-executive board member at the Cabinet Office.[15] In April that year she took over as the chair of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; she resigned from this role in 2021.[16][17]

Ordination

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From 2002 to 2005, Vennells trained for holy orders on the St Albans and Oxford Ministry Course.[1] She was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 2005 and as a priest in 2006.[1] She has served as a non-stipendiary minister at the Church of St Owen, Bromham in the Diocese of St Albans.[1][18] On 10 January 2024, BBC News reported sources told them that, around 2017 when Richard Chartres's tenure as Bishop of London was drawing to a close, Vennells had been interviewed for the post and reached the final shortlist of three.[19] She relinquished her clerical duties in 2021, but remains an ordained priest.[20] She stepped down from her membership of the Church of England's Ethical Investment Advisory Group in 2021.[21]

Post Office scandal

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Main article: British Post Office scandal

Vennells was the CEO of Post Office Ltd during the latter part of the Post Office scandal, which involved more than 900 subpostmasters being wrongly convicted of theft, false accounting and fraud between 1999 and 2015 because of shortfalls at their branches that were in fact errors of the Horizon accounting software used by the Post Office.[22] Thousands of subpostmasters paid for shortfalls caused by Horizon and/or had their contracts terminated. The actions of the Post Office caused the loss of jobs, bankruptcy, family breakdown, criminal convictions, prison sentences and at least four suicides.[23][24] In total, over 4,000 subpostmasters would eventually become eligible for compensation.[22] In 2013, Post Office Limited hired forensic accounting firm Second Sight, headed by Ron Warmington, to investigate the Horizon software losses. Warmington discovered the system was flawed and faulty, but Vennells was unhappy with Warmington's report and terminated their contract.[25] Prior to her role as CEO, Vennells was the Chief Operating Officer of Post Office Ltd, a position in which – according to the evidence of the then CEO, David Smith – she had responsibility for management of the "operational use" of the Horizon software.[26]: 12 

Acting as a private prosecutor, the Post Office repeatedly failed to make full disclosure of known Horizon problems either to defendants or to the courts in hundreds of cases. According to the Criminal Cases Review Commission the nondisclosure is "the most widespread miscarriage of justice the CCRC has ever seen and represents the biggest single series of wrongful convictions in British legal history".[27]

In Bates & Others v Post Office Ltd, a group action brought by 555 subpostmasters against the Post Office, the presiding judge, Mr Justice Fraser described the Post Office's approach to the case as "institutional obstinacy". Vennells subsequently issued a statement, saying: "It was and remains a source of great regret to me that these colleagues and their families were affected over so many years. I am truly sorry we were unable to find both a solution and a resolution outside of litigation and for the distress this caused."[28] The Post Office spent £100 million of public money in unsuccessfully defending the case.[29] Following the conclusion of the case Vennells's tenure as CEO was criticised in Parliament. The Conservative peer Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom said that "The hallmark of Paula Vennells' time as CEO was that she was willing to accept appalling advice from people in her management and legal teams. The consequences of this were far-reaching for the Post Office and devastating for the subpostmasters", and he described the behaviour of the Post Office under her leadership as "both cruel and incompetent".[30][31]

In March 2020, Vennells resigned her position as a non-executive board member at the Cabinet Office.[32][33] The Care Quality Commission (CQC) discussed concerns about Vennells's continuing role in the NHS on 8 July 2020.[30] On 3 December 2020, it was announced that Vennells would step down as chair of the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, a position for which she was paid £50,000 a year, in April 2021, for personal reasons.[34][35]

In a BBC Panorama programme screened on 8 June 2020, reporter Nick Wallis is seen phoning Vennells, who terminates the call rather than answer his questions. Wallis says "this is one of the biggest frustrations of covering this story ... the consistent refusal of the chief executive and the people at the top to answer serious questions about what has been happening".[36]

In June 2020, the Criminal Cases Review Commission sent 47 cases, in which subpostmasters had been prosecuted to the Court of Appeal, as potential miscarriages of justice.[37] During the case, the Post Office's conduct under Vennells's leadership was described as an instance of "appalling and shameful behaviour".[38] In April 2021, 39 former postmasters had their convictions quashed, and another 22 cases were still being investigated by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. A few days later, Vennells agreed to step back from her duties as an associate minister.[39] The Bishop of St Albans (himself the son of a retired subpostmaster) said that it was "right" that Vennells did so.[39][40] She apologised, saying "I am truly sorry for the suffering caused to the 39 subpostmasters as a result of their convictions which were overturned last week".

On the same day, she resigned her non-executive directorships at UK supermarket chain Morrisons and furnishings group Dunelm.[41] She also resigned as a governor of Bedford School, a position she had held since 2014.[42] In May 2021 she left the Church of England's Ethical Investment Advisory Group on which she had previously served.[21]

Vennells was portrayed by Lia Williams in a four-part television drama series, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, broadcast on ITV in January 2024 and released in its entirety on ITVX.[43]

Horizon IT inquiry

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Over three days in May 2024, Vennells gave sometimes tearful evidence to the statutory public inquiry into the Horizon scandal, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams. On the first two days she was questioned by counsel to the inquiry, Jason Beer KC. On the third day it was the turn of counsel for the core participants, including the subpostmaster victims, to question Vennells.[44] Vennells had submitted two witness statements totalling over 798 pages to the inquiry, which she denied was a "craven, self-serving account", as suggested by one of the counsel representing victims.[44][45][46]

Much of the evidence heard during the three days related to the extent that Vennells had known of flaws in the Horizon IT system and the unsafe nature of prosecutions of subpostmasters. The inquiry was shown a recent exchange of texts between Vennells and Dame Moya Greene, former CEO of Royal Mail, in which Greene said "I think you knew… How could you not have known?" Asked the same question by Beer, Vennells said "This is a situation that is so complex, it is a question I have asked myself as well."[44] During her testimony, Vennells consistently stated she was unaware of the facts or, when confronted with documents that showed she had been made aware of them, said she had not understood them.[47] She said she had given MPs incorrect information in 2012 when she told them there had been no unsuccessful Horizon prosecutions. She said that the Post Office had known but she personally had not known.[48] She said she had been "too trusting" and accused five key executives (IT executives Mike Young and Lesley Sewell, and legal general counsels Susan Crichton, Chris Aujard and Jane MacLeod) of having withheld information from her.[45]

In a later session, the inquiry saw an internal paper drawn up in February 2014 by a committee within the Department for Business and the Shareholder Executive which considered options for dismissing Vennells from her CEO role. This followed an annual review which had raised concerns about her people management skills and a lack of knowledge of the business.[49]

Awards and honours

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In the 2019 New Year Honours, Vennells was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the Post Office and to charity.[50]

In 2021, after the successful appeals by subpostmasters prosecuted and convicted in the Post Office scandal, the Communication Workers Union called for Vennells to be stripped of her CBE.[51] In the same year, an online petition was created on the website 38 Degrees requesting that the Honours Forfeiture Committee revoke Vennells's CBE; in January 2024, following the broadcast of Mr Bates vs The Post Office, it attracted significant attention and by 9 January had received 1.2 million signatures.[52][53]

On 8 January 2024, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman said he would "strongly support" the Honours Forfeiture Committee if it decided to look at revoking Vennells's CBE appointment.[54] On 9 January, Vennells stated that she would return her CBE "with immediate effect".[55] The honour was formally revoked by King Charles III on 23 February for "bringing the honours system into disrepute".[56][57][58]

Personal life

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Vennells met her husband, John Wilson, at the Bradford University dinghy club.[59] He is a former global vice-president at the international engineering firm ABB. They married in 1994, have two sons,[5][60] and live at Box End, near Bedford, in a Grade II listed property.[61][62]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Paula Anne Vennells". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  2. ^ "New Year honours in the Anglia region". ITV News. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b "From Greater Manchester childhood to Mr Bates - real life of Post Office scandal's Paula Vennells". Manchester Evening News. 25 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Who is Paula Vennells? Ex-Post Office boss faces inquiry". Evening Standard. 22 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Shah, Oliver (17 August 2014). "Part time curate ordained to deliver salvation for Post Office". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  6. ^ a b Edwards, Charlotte (16 May 2024). "Who is Paula Vennells? Ex-Post Office boss in Horizon IT inquiry". BBC News. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  7. ^ Armitstead, Louise (8 December 2013). "Monday interview: Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  8. ^ Higginson, Richard. "Paula Vennells: a profile". Faith in Business. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Our leadership". Post Office. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019.
  10. ^ Mackie, Lindsey; Glasman, Maurice (30 March 2012). "This cynical Royal Mail and Post Office divorce will bring only misery". The Guardian. London: GMG. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  11. ^ Ballard, Oli (19 February 2019). "Post Office CEO leaves role". Business Leader.
  12. ^ Francis, Alannah (4 March 2024). "How much has the Post Office spent on legal fees as victims await compensation?". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  13. ^ Maidment, Jack, ed. (12 January 2024). "£1bn of taxpayer money set aside for Post Office scandal compensation". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Morrisons non-executive director quits over justice scandal". Retail Gazette. 26 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Paula Vennells CBE". gov.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Press release: Three new Cabinet Office Non-Executive Board Members announced". gov.uk. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Trust chair to step down next April". www.imperial.nhs.uk. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  18. ^ "The Benefice Ministerial Team". Bromham Benefice. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  19. ^ Zeffman, Henry; Farley, Harry (9 January 2024). "Paula Vennells: Ex-Post Office boss was shortlisted to be Bishop of London". BBC News. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  20. ^ Witherow, Tom; Burgess, Kaya; Allegretti, Aubrey (10 January 2024). "MPs push for emergency law to quash postmaster convictions". The Times. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  21. ^ a b Ethical Investment Advisory Group Annual Review 2020/21 (PDF) (Report). Church of England. June 2021. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2024. In May 2021, after a temporary leave of absence, Paula Vennells stepped down from the EIAG
  22. ^ a b Seddon, Sean (11 January 2024). "How do the Post Office scandal compensation schemes work?". BBC News. Retrieved 29 January 2024. ...There have been 983 convictions - 700 of which were privately initiated by the Post Office - linked to the faulty Horizon IT programme
  23. ^ Sweney, Mark (7 January 2024). "What is the Post Office Horizon IT scandal all about?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  24. ^ "Post Office and Fujitsu to face inquiry over Horizon scandal". BBC. 10 October 2022.
  25. ^ "Second Sight's Ron Warmington breaks his silence". Post Office Trial. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  26. ^ "WITN05460100 David J Smith - Witness Statement". Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  27. ^ "The CCRC and Post Office/ Horizon cases". ccrc.gov.uk. Criminal Cases Review Commission. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  28. ^ Glass, Katie. "Victims of the Post Office's sub-postmaster scandal on their decade of hell". The Times. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  29. ^ "Secret papers reveal Post Office knew its court defence was false". BBC. 28 March 2024.
  30. ^ a b Flinders, Karl (22 June 2020). "Care Quality Commission to discuss concerns over Paula Vennells' NHS role". Computer Weekly. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  31. ^ Flinders, Karl (4 June 2020). "MPs' investigation into Post Office Horizon IT scandal bares teeth". Computer Weekly. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  32. ^ Jones, Kevan (19 March 2020). "Horizon Settlement: Future Governance of Post Office Ltd". House of Commons debates – via TheyWorkForYou.
  33. ^ "Cabinet Office Annual Report 2019–20" (PDF). Cabinet Office. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  34. ^ Zakir-Hussain, Maryam (21 May 2024). "Paula Vennells 'refused to quit £50k-a-year NHS role' after Horizon scandal broke". The Independent.
  35. ^ Witherow, Tom (28 May 2024). "Paula Vennells clung on to 'plum' NHS role after Horizon scandal". The Times.
  36. ^ Presenter: Nick Wallis (8 June 2020). "Scandal at the Post Office". Panorama. 26:00 minutes in. BBC. BBC One.
  37. ^ Flinders, Karl. "Post Office IT scandal executive forced out of job at Football Association of Wales". Computer Weekly. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  38. ^ Lea, Robert. "Post Office falls to loss after Horizon IT scandal". The Times. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  39. ^ a b Powell, Luke; Kay, Jaimie (26 April 2021). "Herts minister 'truly sorry' after dozens of post workers wrongly convicted". Herts Live. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  40. ^ "Ex-Post Office head apologises to workers after convictions quashed". The Guardian. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  41. ^ "Ex-Post Office chief Vennells quits Morrisons and Dunelm boards". Sky News. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  42. ^ "Ex-Post Office chief stands down as Bromham church minister and Bedford School governor". Bedford Independent. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  43. ^ Mr Bates vs. The Post Office (TV Mini Series 2024) - IMDb, retrieved 9 January 2024
  44. ^ a b c "Ex-Post Office boss Vennells' five big inquiry moments". BBC News. 24 May 2024.
  45. ^ a b "Paula Vennells names five executives she blames over Post Office scandal". The Guardian. 24 May 2024.
  46. ^ "All Evidence". Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  47. ^ "Tearful testimony confirms for many how much Post Office's Vennells knew". The Guardian. 24 May 2024.
  48. ^ Espiner, Tom (22 May 2024). "Ex-Post Office boss cries as admits incorrect evidence". BBC.
  49. ^ "Paula Vennells was 'under consideration' to be removed as Post Office boss by government in 2014". ITV News. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  50. ^ "No. 62507". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2018. p. N9.
  51. ^ "Ex-Post Office chief should be stripped of CBE over Horizon scandal, union says". Evening Standard. 23 April 2021.
  52. ^ Rawlinson, Kevin (8 January 2024). "Post Office scandal: more than 1m sign petition to strip ex-boss of CBE". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  53. ^ Hockaday, James; Manning, Ellen (9 January 2024). "Ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells hands in CBE after 1.2m sign petition". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  54. ^ Crerar, Pippa (8 January 2024). "Post Office scandal: Sunak would 'strongly support' review of ex-boss's CBE". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  55. ^ Stacey, Kiran (9 January 2024). "Former Post Office chief hands back CBE as Horizon scandal intensifies". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2024. I am, however, aware of the calls from sub-postmasters and others to return my CBE. I have listened and I confirm that I return my CBE with immediate effect.
  56. ^ "No. 64326". The London Gazette. 26 February 2024. p. 3758.
  57. ^ "List of individuals who have forfeited their honour (since August 2023)". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  58. ^ "King strips CBE from former Post Office boss Paula Vennells". The Guardian. PA Media. 23 February 2024. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  59. ^ Fenton, Rosaleen; Otter, Saffron (9 January 2024). "Post Office boss Paula Vennells now from 'church resignation' to giving CBE back". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  60. ^ Hamilton, Fiona; Parker, Charlie; Burgess, Kaya (13 January 2024). "From the pulpit to scandal: Paula Vennells' fall from grace". The Times. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  61. ^ Roffe, Erica (9 January 2024). "Former Post Office chief and ex-Bedford School governor hands back CBE following IT scandal". Bedford Independent. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  62. ^ Witherow, Tom (12 January 2024). "Paula Vennells CBE: the ex-Post Office boss at the heart of the Horizon scandal". The Times. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
[edit]
Business positions
Preceded by
David Smith
as Managing Director 		Chief Executive Officer of Post Office Limited
2011–2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
2019–2021 		Succeeded by
Matthew Swindells
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