Thompson is a non-executive director at the British postal services firm and has previously held senior executive positions at Ocado, Apple and HSBC.

Royal Mail's interim chairman Keith Williams is expected to revert to a non-executive role when Thompson takes over and it was unclear whether Stuart Simpson, who has been interim CEO since May, would remain with the company, Sky News reported.

Royal Mail declined to comment on the report.

Simpson succeeded Rico Back, who founded and ran Royal Mail's international parcels operation before becoming CEO of one of the world's oldest postal companies.

Back left after three decades following union resistance to his 1.8 billion pound ($2.44 billion) restructuring plan.

Royal Mail reached a breakthrough with its largest union last month after a long-running dispute over direction, working conditions and workplace culture.

(Reporting by Derek Francis in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Alexander Smith)