Simon Thompson has quit as Royal Mail CEO just days before the company plans to reveal the cost of a series of unprecedented strikes. Thompson has led the 507-year-old postal group since 2021, during his tenure the company benefited from the pandemic-related ecommerce boom but in recent times it's has been locked in bitter disputes with unions. Last month Royal Mail finally agreed a pay deal with workers after it warned that it was losing more than £1m a day and could be forced to call in administrators if the situation did not improve. Royal Mail’s new boss will be the third in five years and will face the unenviable task of turning around a business that will have to improve its relationship with its workforce, and push through some big changes to modernise the business and make it more efficient.