33 Facts About Paula Vennells

Paula Anne Vennells was born on 21 February 1959 and is a British former businesswoman who was the chief executive officer of Post Office Limited from 2012 to 2019.

Paula Vennells is an ordained Anglican priest who ceased her clerical duties in 2021.

Paula Vennells had been appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2019; the honour was formally revoked in 2024 for "bringing the honours system into disrepute".

Paula Anne Vennells was born on 21 February 1959, in Denton, Lancashire, where she grew up.

Paula Vennells's father was an industrial chemist and academic, her mother a great-granddaughter of Sir James Watts of Abney Hall, mayor of Manchester in the 1850s and grandfather of Conservative party member of Parliament James Watts.

Paula Vennells studied Russian and French interpreting with Economics at the University of Bradford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981.

Paula Vennells then began working in marketing, and later at another Unilever company as a junior product manager for pharmaceuticals.

Paula Vennells later had product manager and marketing manager roles for L'Oreal, BAA, and Hamleys.

Paula Vennells then became marketing director for Lunn Poly, and later held similar roles for Reed International Exhibitions, Dixons Group and Sears plc.

From 1998 to 2001, Paula Vennells was marketing and e-commerce director at Argos.

Paula Vennells then worked as marketing director and then group commercial director at Whitbread until 2006.

Paula Vennells became Chief Operating Officer on 1 April 2010 and managing director on 18 October 2010.

From 2002 to 2005, Paula Vennells trained for holy orders on the St Albans and Oxford Ministry Course.

Paula Vennells was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 2005 and as a priest in 2006.

Paula Vennells has served as a non-stipendiary minister at the Church of St Owen, Bromham in the Diocese of St Albans.

On 10 January 2024, BBC News reported sources told them that, around 2017 when Richard Chartres's tenure as Bishop of London was drawing to a close, Paula Vennells had been interviewed for the post and reached the final shortlist of three.

Paula Vennells relinquished her clerical duties in 2021, but remained an ordained priest at January 2024.

Paula Vennells stepped down from her membership of the Church of England's Ethical Investment Advisory Group in 2021.

Warmington discovered the system was flawed and faulty, but Paula Vennells was unhappy with Warmington's report and terminated their contract.

In March 2020, Paula Vennells resigned her position as a non-executive board member at the Cabinet Office.

The Care Quality Commission discussed concerns about Paula Vennells's continuing role in the NHS on 8 July 2020.

Paula Vennells apologised, saying "I am truly sorry for the suffering caused to the 39 subpostmasters as a result of their convictions which were overturned last week".

Paula Vennells resigned as a governor of Bedford School, a position she had held since 2014.

Paula Vennells was portrayed by Lia Williams in a four-part television drama series, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, broadcast on ITV in January 2024 and released in its entirety on ITVX.

Over three days in May 2024, Paula Vennells gave sometimes tearful evidence to the statutory public inquiry into the Horizon scandal, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams.

Paula Vennells had submitted two witness statements totalling over 798 pages to the inquiry, which she denied was a "craven, self-serving account", as suggested by one of the counsel representing victims.

Much of the evidence heard during the three days related to the extent that Paula Vennells had known of flaws in the Horizon IT system and the unsafe nature of prosecutions of subpostmasters.

Paula Vennells said she had given MPs incorrect information in 2012 when she told them there had been no unsuccessful Horizon prosecutions.

Paula Vennells said that the Post Office had known but she personally had not known.

Paula Vennells said she had been "too trusting" and accused five key executives of having withheld information from her.

In 2021, after the successful appeals by subpostmasters prosecuted and convicted in the Post Office scandal, the Communication Workers Union called for Paula Vennells to be stripped of her CBE.

Paula Vennells met her husband, John Wilson, at the Bradford University dinghy club.

Paula Vennells is a former global vice-president at the international engineering firm ABB.