Our people

Our people

BFSO employs a group of highly qualified and skilled professionals whose expertise in areas such as the law, accountancy, financial markets and information technology contributes significantly to the quality of the service provided by BFSO. We also use consultants regularly to provide specialist advisory services to our staff. A financial planning adviser is called on from time to time to advise on specific cases. A professional writing consultant assists the case management team and a voice and word consultant advises case officers who provide the telephone service to the public.

BFSO employs 45 staff. The roles performed by some staff have changed to meet the different demands faced by the Scheme during the year. Click here to view the BFSO Organisational Chart

Administrative Support (3)

The Administrative Support staff provide personal assistant services to the Ombudsman and reception, mail and maintenance services for the Scheme. They contribute to case management by documenting all incoming correspondence to the office on the Scheme’s case management database.

Assistant Information Systems Manager (1)

The Assistant Information Systems Manager undertakes statistical reporting on the performance of the Scheme both internally, and for the Scheme’s stakeholders. He also provides user support and assists the Information Systems Manager with management of the Scheme’s infrastructure.

Assistant Finance Manager (1)

The Assistant Finance Manager provides clerical assistance to the Finance Manager.

Banking Adviser (1)

The Banking Adviser provides advice to the Ombudsman and staff on banking practice standards, technical knowledge of banking and banking procedures and systems. The banking adviser is seconded annually from one of the member banks.

Case Managers (13)

Case Managers are responsible for investigating disputes that have not been resolved at the initial referral and facilitation stage. They investigate and resolve disputes by providing written Findings, convening conciliation conferences and facilitating negotiation. Several of the Case Managers have additional responsibilities. One performs the role of Privacy Officer, a second is the Training and Development Coordinator and a third is the EFT Disputes Manager. Two of the Case Managers provide quality assurance services to the Case Officers and one Case Manager also provides dispute resolution services to Insurance Brokers Disputes Limited.

Case Officers (12)

Case Officers provide the telephone information and referral service of BFSO. They classify and summarise written disputes, manage the initial referral and facilitation process and are also involved in investigating some disputes.

Communications Systems Manager (1)

The Communications Systems Manager ensures the provision of quality telephone systems through the management of call flow traffic and the review and improvement of telephone processes, including the call centre service shared with other schemes, the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The Communications Systems Manager is also responsible for the maintenance of the website, electronic communication within BFSO as well as the provision of technical support for special projects.

Enquiries Officers (2)

The Enquiries Officers are responsible for answering all calls received by FOS. They direct callers through to the participating scheme with the most appropriate jurisdiction or to other more appropriate organisations.

Finance Manager and Company Secretary (1)

The Finance Manager and Company Secretary is responsible for the preparation of the Scheme’s annual budget and arranging the funding of the Scheme from members. Other responsibilities include the maintenance of all financial records and the company registers, the preparation of the Scheme’s financial statements and the payment of staff salaries and benefits.

General Manager (1)

The General Manager contributes to internal management, BFSO policy, quality assurance in case management and the management of external relationships. The General Manager also reviews and responds to complaints about the Scheme.

Information Systems Manager (1)

The Information Systems Manager has responsibility for the information technology infrastructure of BFSO, and is responsible for the integration of the IT systems across BFSO, Financial Industry Complaints Service (FICS) and Insurance Ombudsman Service (IOS). He also provides IT support to FICS and IOS for their respective case management systems and assists with their statistical reporting.

Legal Counsel (3)

The Legal Counsel group, which includes the General Counsel and the General Manager - Corporate, provides legal and jurisdictional advice to the Ombudsman and to staff. The group also provides quality assurance services to Case Managers and Case Officers to ensure all relevant legal and decision-making principles are considered during dispute resolution. The group also contributes to policy direction and to internal and external education. The General Manager – Corporate also has responsibility for assessing applications for Scheme membership, overseeing the provision of services to other dispute resolution schemes and managing relationships with non-bank members of the Scheme.

Ombudsman (1)

The Ombudsman is the Chief Executive Officer of the BFSO whose principal powers and duties are to consider disputes within the Terms of Reference and to facilitate the satisfaction, settlement or resolution of such disputes.

Policy & Public Affairs Manager (1)

The Policy & Public Affairs Manager is part of the team which develops and publishes internal and external policy, and coordinates the publication of BFSO materials including the Scheme’s annual report. The Policy & Public Affairs Manager also has responsibility for preparing submissions to government enquiries, responding to other requests for information about the Scheme’s procedures and co-ordinating projects undertaken by the Scheme throughout the year.

Systemic Issues Manager (1)

The Systemic Issues Manager is responsible for the management of all systemic issues including reporting quarterly to ASIC.

Team Leader – Complaints (2)

The Team Leader – Complaints provides leadership and case management support to Case Officers, in addition to assessing disputes and monitoring Case Officers' workloads.