Our Ombudsmen make final decisions in cases where we can’t resolve a consumer’s complaint about a business more informally. If someone who has made a complaint accepts an Ombudsman’s final decision, the business involved has to do what the decision says. Find out more about how we make decisions.
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 Chairman and Board of Directors are responsible for appointing our Ombudsmen. Find out more about how our service is governed.
Chief Ombudsman
Abby Thomas
Chief Executive and Chief Ombudsman
Appointed October 2022
Career history
- Director of Strategy Marketing and Transformation, Virgin Media O2
- Executive Customer Director, Virgin Media O2
- Global Head of Customer Operations, Vodafone Business
- Transformation Director, BT
Deputy Chief Ombudsman
James Dipple-Johnstone
Deputy Chief Ombudsman
Appointed October 2022
Career history
- Deputy Commissioner and Chief Regulating Officer, Information Commissioners Office
- Director of Investigation and Supervision, Solicitor’s Regulation Authority
- Operations Director, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
- Commissioner, North West England Police Forces
Senior Ombudsmen
Richard West
Director of Casework Policy
Appointed December 2022
Career history
- Lead Ombudsman, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Ombudsman, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Adjudicator, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Solicitor, Private Practice
Pat Hurley
Ombudsman Director
Appointed December 2022
Career history
- Lead Ombudsman and Director of Casework, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Director of Casework, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Head of Casework Teams, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Manager, Paralegal Firm
Rachel Lam
Ombudsman Director
Appointed January 2023
Career history
- Ombudsman Leader, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Head of Casework Operations (new services), Financial Ombudsman Service
- Head of Casework teams (mortgages), Financial Ombudsman Service
- Social Fund Manager, London and the South East, Jobcentre Plus, DWP
Clare Mortimer
Ombudsman Leader
Appointed April 2014
Career history
- Ombudsman, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Casework Manager, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Deputy Complaints Manager, Office of the Banking Ombudsman
Vivienne Kelly
Ombudsman Director
Appointed January 2023
Career history
- Head of Customer Service, Shell Energy
- General Manager, Capita Customer Management
- Senior Client Relationship Manager, Equidebt Limited
-
Senior Manager, Collections Operations, Black Horse Finance
-
Head of Customer Service, Lloyds TSB Autolease
Our Ombudsmen in alphabetical order
Paul Hamber
Ombudsman
Appointed September 2023
Career history
- Investigator, Financial Ombudsman service
- Associate Caseworker, Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman
- Detective Inspector, Covert Policing, Metropolitan Police
- Detective Inspector, Intelligence Manager, Harrow Police Station
- Detective Sergeant, Camden Community Safety Unit (MPS)
- Detective Sergeant, CID, Hampstead Police Station
Paul King
Ombudsman
Appointed November 2020
Career history
- Associate Partner, Ernst & Young
- Executive Director, E&Y
- District Auditor, Audit Commission
Paul Lawton
Ombudsman
Appointed June 2020
Career history
- Ombudsman, Legal Ombudsman
- Senior investigator, Legal Ombudsman
- Team leader, Legal Ombudsman
Paul Lawton
Ombudsman
Appointed June 2022
Career history
- Ombudsman, Legal Services Ombudsman
- Team Leader, Legal Services Ombudsman
Paul Mellor
Ombudsman
Appointed February 2020
Career history
- Ombudsman, the Legal Ombudsman
- Senior Investigator, the Legal Ombudsman
- Analyst, West Mercia Police
Paul Phillips
Ombudsman
Appointed May 2016
Career history
- Head of Casework Teams, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Team Manager, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Operations Manager, Barclays Bank PLC
Paul Reilly
Ombudsman
Appointed July 2017
Career history
- Vice President, Head of Income and Taxation Group, the Bank of New York Mellon Corp
- Head of Service Incident Team, Barclays Bank PLC
- Business Planning Manager, Barclays Bank PLC
Paviter Dhaddy
Ombudsman
Appointed June 2020
Career history
- Team leader, Solicitors Regulatory Authority
- Team leader, Legal Ombudsman
- Consultant, Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman
Peter Averill
Ombudsman
Appointed November 2020
Career history
- Finance and Contracts Manager, Affordable Warmth Solutions CIC
- Commercial and Regulatory Manager, Cadent Gas Ltd
- Senior Finance Business Partner, National Grid plc
Peter Cook
Ombudsman
Appointed May 2012
Career history
- Relationship Manager, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Adjudicator, Financial Ombudsman Service
- Management Roles at Halifax PLC
Peter Whiteley
Ombudsman
Appointed September 2014
Career history
- Team Leader/Lawyer, Office of the Pensions Ombudsman
- Senior Investigator/Acting Assistant Ombudsman, Local Government Ombudsman
- Partner, Lister Wood Solicitors
Philip Gibbons
Ombudsman
Appointed April 2015
Career history
- Company Solicitor, The Protection Specialist Ltd
- Partner, BLM LLP
- Solicitor, BLM LLP
