Royal Mail general counsel set to step down
Royal Mail general counsel Neil Harnby has announced that he will step down following four years in the job
July 27, 2015 at 07:19 AM
2 minute read
Royal Mail general counsel Neil Harnby has announced that he will step down from the role after four years as the company's legal head.
Harnby will take a year out from work to spend time with his family.
His move comes two years after Royal Mail was floated on the London Stock Exchange.
Harnby joined Royal Mail in 2012 from GE Capital where he was European and Middle Eastern general counsel. Previously he was also a partner at Linklaters.
His time at Royal Mail coincided with its privatisation. He led the legal team through its £3.3bn initial public offering in 2013 and its pay and conditions deal with the Communication Workers Union in 2014.
He also handled issues such as competition inquiries, IT procurement and Royal Mail's first bond offering in 2014.
Harnby's replacement has not yet been announced and his leaving date has also not been confirmed.
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Slaughter and May took key roles on Royal Mail's pre-privatisation restructuring and its subsequent IPO in 2013.
In November 2014 Harnby oversaw Royal Mail's first legal panel review since 2010.
Royal Mail appointed 15 firms to the panel including Slaughter and May, CMS Cameron McKenna and DAC Beachcroft. Previous adviser Bond Dickinson lost its role on the panel as a result of the review.
Other firms that won places were Addleshaw Goddard, Bristows, Dentons, DLA Piper, Herbert Smith Freehills, Macfarlanes, Michael Simkins, Strata Solicitors and Weightmans.
Carson McDowell and Napier & Sons were appointed to handle Northern Irish matters and Morton Fraser was appointed to handle Scottish matters.
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