our ombudsmen and senior staff
panel of ombudsmen
Appointments to the panel of ombudsmen are made under paragraphs 4 and 5 of schedule 17 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
Our ombudsmen make final decisions in the cases that our adjudicators have not been able to resolve more informally, earlier in our dispute-resolution process.
Walter Merricks CBE, chief ombudsman
appointed June 1999
previous jobs
- ombudsman, Insurance Ombudsman Bureau
- assistant secretary-general, law society
Tony Boorman, principal ombudsman and decisions director
appointed March 2000
previous jobs
- deputy director-general, Ofgem
- director of supply competition, Office of Electricity Regulation
- director, Electricity Consumer Council
David Thomas, principal ombudsman and corporate director
appointed December 1999
previous jobs
- ombudsman, Office of the Banking Ombudsman
- lawyer, private practice
Peter Hinchliffe,
lead ombudsman – general insurance
appointed February 2005
previous jobs
- director of legal & risk management, Cancer Research UK
- executive vice-president of legal & commercial, Marconi
Jane Hingston
lead ombudsman – banking & credit
appointed January 2005
previous jobs
- ombudsman, Financial Ombudsman Service
- customer services manager, Guardian Building Society
- assistant chief clerk, Yorkshire Building Society
Caroline Mitchell
lead ombudsman – general investment
appointed January 2005
previous jobs
- ombudsman, Financial Ombudsman Service
- member, Police Complaints Authority
- senior assistant, Insurance Ombudsman Bureau
Caroline Wayman
lead ombudsman – mortgage endowments
appointed June 2007
previous jobs
- service manager, Financial Ombudsman Service
- adjudicator, Insurance Ombudsman Bureau
- non-practising barrister
Greg Barham, ombudsman
appointed January 2008
previous jobs
- assistant casework manager, Financial Ombudsman Service
- insurance claims negotiator
Audrey Baxter, ombudsman
appointed November 2004
previous jobs
- adjudicator, Financial Ombudsman Service & Personal Investment Authority Ombudsman Bureau
- compliance technician, Century Life plc
- financial consultant, Nationwide Building Society
David Bird, ombudsman
appointed May 2003
previous jobs
- casework manager, Financial Ombudsman Service
- compliance officer, Co-op Bank Financial Advisers
- sales support, Equitable Life Assurance Company
Cathy Bovan, ombudsman
appointed January 2008
previous jobs
- assistant casework manager, Financial Ombudsman Service
- branch manager, Alliance & Leicester plc
Mike Boyall, ombudsman
appointed July 2002
previous jobs
- deputy director, Department for Trade and Industry
- official receiver, Insolvency Service
- investigator/auditor, Audit Commission & Serious Fraud Office
Juliana Campbell, ombudsman
appointed February 2005
previous jobs
- head of professional conduct, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
- solicitor, private practice
Melissa Collett, ombudsman
appointed December 2004
previous jobs
- solicitor, Lovells
- assistant legal counsel, ACE Insurance
- assistant corporate lawyer, Aviva plc
Reidy Flynn, ombudsman
appointed April 2000
previous jobs
- ombudsman, Insurance Ombudsman Bureau
- barrister, private practice
- editor, All England Law Reports
Dawn Griffiths, ombudsman
appointed January 2008
previous jobs
- adjudicator, Financial Ombudsman Service
- complaints handling in the consumer credit and independent financial advisory sectors
Adrian Hudson, ombudsman
appointed December 2004
previous jobs
- senior actuary, Barclays Life Assurance Company Limited
- pensions actuary, Commercial Union Life
- assistant director and scheme actuary, Godwins Limited
Michael Ingram, ombudsman
appointed November 2003
previous jobs
- adjudicator, Financial Ombudsman Service
- solicitor, private practice
Simon Leach, ombudsman
appointed September 2006
previous jobs
- adjudicator, Financial Ombudsman Service
- assistant pensions manager, Blick Rothenberg
- broker-consultant, Scottish Equitable
Steve Lilley, ombudsman
appointed April 2000
previous jobs
- senior executive, Insurance Ombudsman Bureau
- underwriter, Lloyd's of London
- assistant manager, insurance broker
Doug Mansell, ombudsman
appointed November 2004
previous jobs
- adjudicator, Financial Ombudsman Service & Personal Investment Authority Ombudsman Bureau
- administrator, Barney Wilkins & Howard Ltd
- administrator, McHale Heaney Brokers Ltd
David Millington, ombudsman
appointed October 2000
previous jobs
- adjudicator, Office of the Banking Ombudsman
- senior manager, Midland Bank (now HSBC)
- head of customer relations, Midland Bank (now HSBC)
Roy Milne, ombudsman
appointed November 2003
previous jobs
- assistant casework manager, Financial Ombudsman Service
- case officer, National Provident Institution
- case officer, Black Horse Financial Services
Clare Mortimer, ombudsman
appointed November 2004
previous jobs
- casework manager, Financial Ombudsman Service
- deputy complaints manager, Office of the Banking Ombudsman
- manager, Lloyds Bank plc
Claire O'Connor, ombudsman
appointed October 2006
previous jobs
- solicitor, DLA
- accountant, Ernst & Young
Nigel Pope, ombudsman
appointed January 2008
previous jobs
- adjudicator, Financial Ombudsman Service
- compliance functions within the stockbroking sector
Richard Prior, ombudsman
appointed April 2000
previous jobs
- ombudsman, Personal Investment Authority Ombudsman Bureau
- general manager, Lloyd's of London
Philip Roberts, ombudsman
appointed April 2000
previous jobs
- ombudsman/senior legal officer, Personal Investment Authority Ombudsman Bureau
- senior legal officer, Office of the Building Societies Ombudsman
- solicitor, private practice
Mark Sceeny, ombudsman
appointed July 2002
previous jobs
- casework manager, Financial Ombudsman Service
- adjudicator, Insurance Ombudsman Bureau
- barrister, private practice
Robert Short, ombudsman
appointed November 2003
previous jobs
- assistant casework manager, Financial Ombudsman Service
- underwriting team leader, Independent Insurance
- customer liaison, Eagle Star
Charlie Sweeney, ombudsman
appointed January 2008
previous jobs
- adjudicator, Financial Ombudsman Service
- compliance auditor at an independent financial advisory firm
- retail banking manager, Abbey
Richard Thompson, ombudsman
appointed October 2006
previous jobs
- head of consumer enforcement, Ofcom
- competition policy manager, Oftel
- investigating officer, OFT
Chris Tilson, ombudsman
appointed April 2000
previous jobs
- ombudsman, Personal Investment Authority Ombudsman Bureau
- senior executive, Insurance Ombudsman Bureau
- compliance officer, Pinnacle Insurance
Claire Wells, ombudsman
appointed January 2008
previous jobs
- adjudicator, Financial Ombudsman Service
- complaints handling within the mortgage broking sector
Richard West, ombudsman
appointed November 2003
previous jobs
- adjudicator, Financial Ombudsman Service
- solicitor, private practice
Sue Wrigley, ombudsman
appointed September 2000
previous jobs
- assistant director, Office for the Supervision of Solicitors
Roger Yeomans, ombudsman
appointed April 2000
previous jobs
- ombudsman/head of legal services, Office of the Building Societies Ombudsman
- corporate lawyer, Alliance & Leicester Building Society
- solicitor, private practice