Adam Crozier, Royal Mail Group Chief Executive, will be leaving the postal industry later this yearto become head of British TV broadcaster ITV, it was announced today.
The appointment was announced by ITV and confirmed in a statement from Royal Mail.
Since becoming Royal Mail chief executive in February 2003, Crozier has led the group througha period of major transformation and financial turnaround. The company is now profitable againdespite falling mail volumes and is in the midst of a £2 billion modernisation programme that hasalready reduced costs by more than £1.5 billion. At the same time, he has had to face a series ofstrikes due to the strong opposition of the CWU postal union to major restructuring and job losses.
Royal Mail Chairman Donald Brydon said: “Adam has done and continues to do a remarkable jobin leading Royal Mail through a major transformation in extremely difficult market circumstances.The Group benefits from his strong leadership and commitment to ensuring that Royal Mail has thestrength and profitability to continue to support the Universal Service and to build the platformfor our future growth.
“Adam remains as Chief Executive of Royal Mail for the next few months and during that time Iwill continue to work closely with him to ensure that our momentum is maintained right across theGroup and to ensure a smooth transition to his successor.”
Crozier said: “I am very excited to be joining ITV – a company with a great heritageand one of the best brands in the UK. The entire media sector is going through enormous change andthat presents both great opportunities and significant challenges for everyone in the industry. Theobjective for ITV is to rise to those challenges and put itself at the forefront of change. I amvery much looking forward to working with the people at ITV and leading the transformation ahead.”
Archie Norman, Chairman of ITV Plc, commented: “Adam is a very strong leader with a greattrack record in delivering transformational change. He has worked successfully in talent-drivenorganisations, with government and regulators, and has a thorough understanding of the media,advertising and branding industries.”
Before joining Royal Mail, Crozier was chief executive of the UK’s Football Association from2000 – 2002 where he more than doubled turnover over three years and secured financial backing forthe £700 million new Wembley Stadium. He had previously been CEO of advertising agency Saatchi& Saatchi for five years.
