Henry Eric Staunton (born May 1948)[1] is a British businessman, the former chairman of retailers WH Smith and BrightHouse, and of Post Office Limited.
[12] He has also been on the boards of ITN, a British news broadcaster, and BSkyB – the operator of the UK's largest digital pay television platform – and international fashion retailer New Look.
[20] In 2010, it was announced Staunton was to join the non-executive boards of WH Smith plc[21][22] and Capital & Counties Properties.
He was removed on 27 January 2024, following disagreements with the Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch on matters including the appointment of a new independent director.
[27][28] The following month, in an interview with The Sunday Times, Staunton said he had been asked by a senior civil service official shortly after his appointment to slow the payout of payments to sub-postmasters affected by the scandal so that the government could "limp into the next election".