Revealed: Royal Mail chief at the centre of a pay row has a string of jobs earning her GPB300,000 a year at top firms such as Burberry and Saga

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -year.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Orna Ni-Chionna, 62, has part-time jobs as well as her position at Royal Mail
She is currently heading a remuneration panel for new German boss Rico Back
She works for Burberry, Saga, National Trust, Sir John Soane's Museum too

The woman at the centre of the pay row engulfing Royal Mail has a string of jobs that earn her hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.

Orna Ni-Chionna, 62, is under fire for heading a remuneration panel that signed off a bumper deal for new boss Rico Back.

But this is only a part-time role. She has jobs at fashion house Burberry, over-50s specialists Saga and consultancy Eden McCallum.

Miss Ni-Chionna, known as Lady Turner because she is married to former City regulator Lord Turner, is also deputy chairman of the National Trust and a trustee of Sir John Soane's Museum in London.

Her jobs at stock market listed companies Royal Mail, Burberry and Saga earn her almost £300,000 a year.

Labour MP Peter Kyle, who sits on the Commons business committee, said: 'It is clear to me that she has very serious questions to answer about how these decisions on pay were made because it has comprehensively failed the common sense test.

Whether this was a result of overwork or just poor judgment is something that needs answering.

'There may well be lessons for other boards looking to appoint their remuneration committee chairmen.

'The quantity of her commitments has certainly sent a red flag up.'

Miss Ni-Chionna is expected to be hauled before MPs on the business committee to answer questions about the crisis at Royal Mail.

Her pay panel approved a near £6million windfall for German executive Mr Back before he took charge.

She also signed off Mr Back's £640,000 a year salary, which is 17 per cent higher than that paid to his predecessor Dame Moya Greene. It could reach £2.7million through bonuses and other awards.

Miss Ni-Chionna faced humiliation last week when 70 per cent of Royal Mail investors voted against the remuneration report in one of the biggest shareholder rebellions in British corporate history.

In a further blow, 15 per cent of shareholders opposed her reappointment to the board. She is paid £85,000 a year.

The issue of business leaders taking on too many directorships has become known as overboarding.

James Jarvis, corporate governance analyst at the Institute of Directors, said: 'Having experience in a few boardrooms can make a director more effective.

'However, organisations need to ensure that their board members have sufficient time available to fulfil their duties.'

A Royal Mail spokesman said: 'Orna Ni-Chionna has sufficient time to meet her responsibilities at Royal Mail.'

[Celgar]

Would be nice to see her struggle in front of a government select committee. We will have a while to wait for that now as the MPs have just gone on holiday for a few months.

[wongpongrog]

maybe all those other jobs are her lapsing

[blue1873]

Including Royal Mail the lady holds down 5 jobs all at the age of 62
and no thoughts of retiring ,aye she seems to have had a hard working life.

[Bernardson]

I wish I saw the job advertised

[redneck]

House of Lords next stop.

[Celgar]

House of Lords next stop.

Her husband is already in the house of lords so I don't think she can become a member of the house as well. I think her husband was involved in the deregulation of the UK banking system which directly resulted in the 2008 banking crisis and a lot of the financial mess we are still drowning in. So as a couple they are a complete disaster zone!!