Royal Mail Chairman Brydon to step down

A Royal Mail post box is seen in central London July 11, 2014. REUTERS/Neil Hall

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's postal operator Royal Mail said on Thursday its chairman Donald Brydon would step down later this year and that a search for his successor had begun. Brydon has been in the role since 2009 and oversaw the company's controversial privatisation in October 2013. He will continue to chair the Royal Mail board until at least its annual general meeting in the summer, the firm said. "Our transformation is well underway and we are now a FTSE 100 listed company. I feel that now is the right time for me to make this decision," Brydon said in a statement. (Reporting by Neil Maidment; editing by Kate Holton)