Paula Vennells: How Post Office chief and ordained priest’s distinguished career fell apart

May 23, 2024 by Jill

by Josh Paine, MSN UK via Independent:

The distinguished business career of the former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells crumbled following the Horizon scandal.

ITV drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, ensured a spotlight was firmly placed on the 65-year-old, who was in charge of the Post Office during one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

More than 700 subpostmasters were prosecuted by the Post Office and handed criminal convictions between 1999 and 2015 as Fujitsu’s faulty Horizon IT system made it appear as though money was missing at their branches.

Ms Vennells had a long-standing career at the Post Office, having started as group network director in 2007, then becoming managing director in 2010, before being promoted to the top job five years later.

This week she is giving evidence at the Post Office inquiry as she faces serious questions about her conduct in the role. Below we look at her career.

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