Adam Crozier, the former chief executive of the Football Association, is to be the new chief executive of Royal Mail Group.

The crisis-hit postal services group has also appointed a deputy chairman, Elmar Toime, who is currently chief executive of New Zealand Post.

This combined appointment is the final piece in the new leadership jigsaw Allan Leighton, Royal Mail chairman

Mr Toime's appointment was announced in the week opposition MPs in New Zealand demanded he should quit because of extravagant spending at an NZ Post subsidiary.

The two appointments are intended to help Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton turn around the business.

"These are the latest in a series of new appointments to strengthen the leadership team at Royal Mail," said Patricia Hewitt, the Trade & Industry Secretary.

'Bright and energetic'

Mr Crozier takes over from John Roberts, who is retiring in February.

The new recruit comes highly recommended.

Ms Hewitt praised his "bright, energetic approach" and said his experience of high profile roles would help in the struggle to return the Royal Mail to profitability.

Mr Crozier was chief executive of the FA from January 2000 until October 2002, where he brought in Sven Goran Eriksson as the first non-English head of the England squad.

It is probably the single biggest corporate turnaround programme in the UK today Adam Crozier

But he stepped down after his modernising approach came up against stiff opposition from the more old-fashioned management.

Prior to the FA, Mr Crozier held a number of positions at the advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi, including joint chief executive.

Mr Leighton said both Mr Toime and Mr Crozier together created "a very powerful cocktail" of experience that would help transform the postal service.

"This combined appointment is the final piece in the new leadership jigsaw," said Mr Leighton.

New Zealand 'failures'

But in New Zealand there had been calls for Mr Toime's resignation from NZ Post after a report from the Auditor-General revealed extravagant spending by senior staff at a subsidiary company, Transend Worldwide.

The report said there was virtually no control over where staff stayed, how much they spent, or whether some overseas trips were even necessary.

Opposition MPs Murray McCully and Rodney Hide made a joint call for Mr Toime to go at the beginning of this week.

"He has to accept responsibility for the failures at Transend," they said.

Tough job

In his new job, alongside Mr Crozier, the former head of NZ Post will face a difficult task.

Royal Mail Group is losing more than �1m a day and revealed losses of �542m in the six months to September.

Mr Leighton said in November that turning around the post office group's fortunes was "one of the toughest things anybody will have to do" and estimated it would take two to three years to return to profitability.

Mr Crozier appeared to be prepared for the challenge, describing it as "exciting".

"It is probably the single biggest corporate turnaround programme in the UK today but one which we all believe is achievable."