Helen Weir, finance director of Lloyds TSB, is joining the board of Royal Mail as the state-owned postal service looks to raise £2bn through a share issue to employees.

It is thought that Royal Mail will announce the appointment of Ms Weir as a non-executive director today. She is likely to sit on the audit committee and will be a useful addition to the board as it hammers through the details of its £2bn fund raising with the government.