Post Office boss Paula Vennells - priest who backed Horizon and got £400k bonus
Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells is seen making key decisions that changed the entire course of the investigation in ITV's Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
The new four-part ITV drama, which debuted on January 1, dives into the 'greatest miscarriage of justice in British legal history'. Based on real-life events, the series shows how the Post Office prosecuted 700 innocent sub-postmasters and postmistresses across the UK for false accounting and theft after a faulty computer system called Horizon caused cash to seemingly vanish from their tills.
Between 1999 and 2015, the scandal saw workers lose their job and get sent to prison. Four employees even took their own lives. At the forefront of the drama is then-Post Office boss Paula Vennells. Portrayed by The Crown star Lia Williams, Vennels is an ex-British business woman and former Anglican priest. She was also the Chief Exectutive Office of Post Office Limited from 2012 to 2019.
In her early years, Vennells graduated from the University of Bradford with a BA in 1981. She went on to work for brands including L'Oreal, Argos, and Dixons Retail before joining the Post Office as Group Network Director in 2007. She then worked as a Managing Director before landing the CEO role in 2012.
The real-life Paula Vennells with Postmaster Neil MacCormack (PA)
Vennells is portrayed in the drama by Lia WilliamsDuring her time there, the Post Office went from losing a staggering £120 million a year to making a profit. However, she has since been accused of covering up the scandal, confidently branding the Horizon computer system as 'robust'. This ultimately lead to hundreds of postmasters being dragged through the courts.
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Vennells - who was also a priest in St Albans - had already stepped down from her CEO position and had started working for Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust - when the scandal came to light. The mum-of-two later issued an apology to the victims, which was heavily scrutinised.
"I am truly sorry we were unable to find both a solution and a resolution outside of litigation and for the distress this caused," she said. Despite vowing to work with 'the government inquiry to ensure staff and the public get the answers they deserve' after more convictions were quashed in 2021, Vennells still left her Post Office job with a whopping £400,000 bonus.
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In a further blow to victims, the businesswoman received a CBE for 'services to the Post Office and charity' in the 2019 New Year’s Honours List. Viewers were shocked to discover she'd been given the prestigious accolade and are now calling for the CBE to be revoked.
Vennells also stood down from positions on multiple boards following the scandal. In 2021, she said: "It is obvious that my involvement with the Post Office has become a distraction from the good work undertaken by the boards I serve. I have therefore stepped down with immediate effect from all my board positions." That same year she also stepped down from her duties as an Anglican priest.
A representative for Vennells told the Mirror that she is determined to assist in whatever way she can, so that lessons are learned.
Mr Bates Vs The Post Office is available to stream on ITVX now
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