Netflix Names Former U.S. Postmaster as COO

Online DVD rental service Netflix Inc. named former U.S. Postmaster Gen. William J. Henderson as its chief operations officer, starting next week.

Henderson, who served as postmaster general and chief executive of the postal service from 1998 to 2001, succeeds Tom Dillon, who started as Netflix COO in 1999 and is to retire in April.

Henderson, 58, will take over managing Netflix’s technology, automation and distribution operations, including 37 U.S. distribution centers that handle more than 1 million DVDs daily. Los Gatos, Calif.-based Netflix now boasts one-day delivery to more than 90% of its subscriber base of nearly 4 million.