Yvette is responsible for providing legal support to our management team and Board of Directors. She works on key projects and strategic initiatives. Their role covers a wide range of legal and regulatory issues related to the work of the Financial Ombudsman Service in carrying out its core statutory duties. Prior to joining AFCA as an ombudsman, Michael joined the Victorian Bar in 2003. He litigates a variety of insurance-related cases before Victoria`s courts, including personal injury cases, work coverage proceedings and institutional abuse claims. Prior to joining the Bar, Michael was a senior insurance litigation partner at a large Melbourne law firm. All emails we send are confidential and may be subject to legal privilege. If you receive an email that is not intended for you, please do not copy or share it. Please delete it and contact the person who sent it to inform them that an error has occurred. The content of this website does not constitute financial or other professional advice. You should consult your professional advisor if you need expert advice.
Prior to AFCA, Helen worked as an ombudsman at Financial Ombudsman Service Australia and FOS UK. Helen`s diverse professional career developed from her early years in the private law firm in Australia as a commercial solicitor. This was followed by a stay abroad as chief international legal counsel for a private investment group with interests in the Middle East, Europe and the UK. She has also held fiduciary and board positions (including President) in several professional and not-for-profit organizations. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Laws from Monash University and was appointed Adjudicator in 2017 and Ombudsman in 2020. Prior to joining AFCA, Anne Maree had extensive experience as a financial services lawyer. Anne Maree`s experience includes in-house legal roles in annuity and life insurance companies, as well as law studies at a world-class law firm. In addition, she has served on a number of trust committees dealing with complaints, claims, disclosure and risk management. Senthur joined AFCA in March 2019 as AFCA`s Systemic Issues Case Manager, specializing in pensions.
Prior to joining AFCA, he was a financial planner at one of the largest wealth management brands. Prior to joining FOS in 2010 as legal counsel in the Financial Difficulties team, Wes worked in the banking, insurance and pensions industries. He worked in-house at Commonwealth Bank, where he handled their retail banking disputes and was responsible for general insurance (CommInsure) and life insurance (Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society Limited) litigation, and then worked in superannuation at AXA Asia Pacific Holdings (now AMP). John is a member of ANZOA, the governing body in Australia and New Zealand for sectoral, parliamentary and statutory ombudsmen. Elizabeth has extensive experience in investigating and resolving complex banking and financial disputes. Prior to joining CIO, she worked at a private law firm specializing in collections processes for one of the major banks. Elizabeth was called to the Australian Bar in 2011 and holds an LLB (Hons) from the University of Glasgow. Previously, Ben worked as an in-house dispute resolution lawyer for the ATO. He has also worked with legal aid and volunteered with municipal legal centres. David Short was previously Head of Legal, Risk and Compliance at BizCover. He has over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, both in-house as general counsel at Chubb Insurance and in private practice as a partner at Ebsworth and Ebsworth, Hall and Wilcox and Meridian Lawyers.
It has been listed in Best Lawyers for Insurance Law in Australia. With BizCover, he was part of the leadership of a growing company at a time when it was expanding its complaint management. Ben joined AFCA in 2019 as Legal Counsel, focusing on pensions. Prior to AFCA, Ben worked for the Australian Government`s lawyer on important issues and litigation for the Commonwealth, including as counsel to the Royal Financial Services Commission. Ben has assisted the Commission in a wide range of work, including investigating cases of misconduct and behaviour falling within Community standards in the pension and banking sectors. Pascal has over 30 years` experience in senior management roles with leading Australian and global financial institutions managing legal and regulatory risks. He is currently Director, Corporate Secretary and responsible for governance and legal affairs of a specialized wholesale fund manager. His other most recent roles included Director of Governance of a large private health fund and General Counsel at a global fund company.
Shail graduated from the University of Melbourne with a degree in Law/Science in 1996 and began his legal career in 1997 at a leading Australian law firm, Blake Dawson Waldron (now Ashursts). Since then, Shail has worked in-house and as legal counsel to various regulatory bodies, including Worksafe Victoria and the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria. Ombudsman managers are essential to our service. They have a dual role, ensuring that all members of a customer-facing team have the skills and abilities to investigate and respond to complaints we receive. And they make legally binding decisions on some of our most difficult and sensitive cases. Prior to AFCA, Matt worked for law firms for 10 years, representing insurers and individuals. He also has several years of experience in the financial sector. Tim is an experienced session ombudsman and arbitrator.
He has many years of experience in financial services, insurance and commercial dispute resolution. He was a partner in a major Australian law firm for over 25 years and was previously appointed to the Appeal Committee of the Financial Ombudsman Service. Vicki is a lawyer with over 25 years of experience in the legal and financial services industry. Michael Brett Young has over 40 years of experience in the legal industry. He recently spent twelve months as Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Law Council of Australia. Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Criminology/Bachelor of Laws. Prior to joining FOS, Rebecca worked abroad with a local human rights and legal aid NGO. We resolve complaints that financial firms and their customers have not been able to resolve on their own. Most of our employees – our investigators and ombudsmen – investigate these complaints.
They help solve a variety of problems – if someone is struggling with their bank account, struggling with payday loans, thinking an insurance payment isn`t fair, or worried about their mortgage. Meanwhile, our support teams – from finance, legal and communications to human resources, facilities and IT – help us ensure we operate efficiently and sustainably. And every year, we recruit apprentices for positions across the company. Larissa has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. She has held retail banking positions where she held the positions of Chief Compliance Officer for Citibank and Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for CBA Retail Banking. Prior to her internal role, Larissa was a partner at Deacons. Larissa joined AFCA as a session ombudsman. Ms.
June Smith has extensive experience in financial planning and related sectors, well-established relationships with regulators, industry and consumer groups, and a significant track record as an independent decision-maker. Chris Liamos has worked for AFCA and its predecessor programs since 2007. During this time, he held positions in case management, litigation and legal advice. He also acted as an expedited arbitrator, a role he has held since its inception in October 2014. She is a qualified lawyer and accredited mediator and is currently completing her LLM at the University of Melbourne. As legal counsel, Susan often works on some of AFCA`s most complex issues, providing in-depth and thoughtful advice that demonstrates a high level of technical expertise. Dr. M. Smith holds a J.D. from Victoria University and specializes in professional and business ethics and organizational decision-making in financial services organizations. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Melbourne. Prior to joining FOS, Neva worked in the field of private law, specializing in general insurance law.
Neva holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Deakin University. Heather has also held partner positions at other superannuation and financial services law firms. Emma Curtis has 25 years of experience in financial services law and governance, including more than 10 years as a regulator. Most recently, she served as Senior Manager, Insurers, at ASIC, having established its independent insurance oversight team. Don was an ombudsman at FOS before joining AFCA. Prior to joining FOS, he was a full-time member of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). During his four years at VCAT, he served on the civil, professional, commercial and guardianship lists.