The Post Office has announced the appointment of Paul Anastassi as the interim chief technology officer (CTO) to strengthen its tech leadership team amidst the ongoing project to replace the Horizon system provided by Fujitsu. This move comes as the organization faces tough decisions regarding the controversial IT system used in all Post Office branches.
Subpostmasters have faced blame for unexplained shortfalls caused by errors in the Horizon software, leading to wrongful convictions based on flawed evidence from the system, known as the Post Office Horizon scandal. Anastassi joins the Post Office from Rank Group, bringing valuable experience in creating and executing technology strategies for business improvement and growth.
Acting CEO Neil Brocklehurst emphasized the importance of transitioning to a new Executive Operating Model quickly to deliver benefits to Postmasters and enable broader changes as needed. The decision to appoint an interim CTO was made to enhance technology leadership capabilities and focus on strategic transformation plans for the business.
Andy Nice, chief transformation officer at the Post Office, highlighted the complexity of the technology plans and the need for increased leadership capability. The Post Office, under new leadership, is working on replacing the Horizon system with the NBIT project, which aims to build an in-house software platform to address the issues with the current system.
The NBIT project had faced challenges, with costs escalating and timelines slipping. A government report described the project as “unachievable,” prompting a reevaluation of the way forward. There are discussions about potentially purchasing the Horizon system from Fujitsu and integrating it with in-house developed and commercially available software.
The Post Office scandal, first reported by Computer Weekly in 2009, shed light on the struggles faced by subpostmasters due to the faulty accounting software. As the organization navigates through this challenging period, the appointment of Anastassi and the strategic decisions being made signal a shift towards resolving the issues surrounding the Horizon system.
