The Post Office appointed Paul Anastassi as interim chief technology officer while it recruited for a permanent CTO, according to a Computer Weekly report published on 20 December 2024. The appointment was intended to add technology leadership capacity as the organisation pursued a broad transformation programme; it was reported in the context of efforts to replace the Horizon system.
Why did the Post Office appoint an interim CTO?
Andy Nice, then the Post Office’s chief transformation officer, told Computer Weekly that the interim post would increase technology leadership capacity and allow him to focus on delivering the organisation’s strategic transformation plan.
“The interim CTO role was introduced to allow us to increase our technology leadership capability given our extensive and complex plans for this area, as well as enabling me to focus on the delivery of our strategic transformation plan for the business.”
Nice’s explanation links the appointment to both technology oversight and the division of leadership responsibilities. Acting chief executive Neil Brocklehurst also described a move toward a new Executive Operating Model and an intent to deliver benefits from the Post Office’s Strategic Review for postmasters, alongside wider organisational change, in an internal message reported by Computer Weekly.
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Who is Paul Anastassi?
Computer Weekly reported that Anastassi joined the Post Office from Rank Group to take up the interim CTO role. The report said the organisation was also recruiting for a permanent chief technology officer, both internally and externally. These details describe the appointment as reported in December 2024; they do not establish who currently holds the role.
How did the appointment relate to the Horizon replacement?
The appointment came amid efforts to replace Fujitsu’s Horizon system. Computer Weekly reported that work had been paused on New Branch IT (NBIT), an in-house software platform intended to replace Horizon. The report described NBIT as late and over budget, citing a £1bn increase in project costs and a government report’s characterization of the project as “unachievable.” That figure and characterization are reported by Computer Weekly; they are not independently verified here.
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At the time, the future technical direction remained under discussion. Computer Weekly described possible consideration of a combination of Horizon, in-house software and commercially available products, but its account does not establish that combination as an adopted plan. Nor does the December 2024 report confirm the programme’s present status.
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What the report does—and does not—establish
- Established in the December 2024 report: Anastassi was appointed interim CTO; recruitment for a permanent CTO was underway; and the role was presented as a way to increase technology leadership capacity.
- Project context at that time: Computer Weekly said NBIT work had been paused and reported the cost increase and government assessment described above.
- Not established by that report: the Post Office’s current CTO, the current status of NBIT, or a final decision on how Horizon will be replaced.
Read Computer Weekly’s 20 December 2024 report.
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