Colin is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria, having been admitted to practice in 1967. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.
Colin practiced as a Solicitor in Melbourne for 20 years between 1967 and 1987. During the last five years of that period, he was Company Secretary of AMI Toyota Ltd, then a listed public company. Between 1987 and 1996, he held senior positions with various Governments, including Secretary of the Attorney-General Department in Victoria, Commissioner for Consumer Affairs in South Australia and Managing Director of the Legal Aid Commission in New South Wales.
He commenced as Australian Banking Industry Ombudsman in February 1996 and immediately prior to his appointment as Chief Ombudsman, held the office of Banking & Financial Services Ombudsman.
He is Chairperson of the Legal Services Board of Victoria, having held that office since December 2005. He is also Chairman of the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council, having held that office since July 1997.
Ombudsman – Banking & Finance
Philip Field
Prior to the establishment of the Financial Ombudsman Service, Philip was General Manager – Corporate and Legal Counsel at the Banking & Financial Services Ombudsman (BFSO). He joined the BFSO as Legal Counsel in February 2002 and was appointed General Manager – Corporate in March 2006.
Prior to joining the BFSO, he worked in private practice and as an in-house solicitor in the financial services sector. Philip was also a volunteer solicitor at the Springvale Legal Service.
Philip holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Laws (with Honours) and a Master of Laws (Commercial Law) all from Monash University and was admitted to legal practice in March 1986.
Ombudsman – General Insurance John Price
John has over 30 years experience in the industry. Prior to his appointment as Ombudsman – General Insurance, John has been the Referee/Adjudicator/Panel Chair at the Financial Ombudsman Service (and its predecessor scheme, the Insurance Ombudsman Service) since 2004.
John was until recently also a Director of State Trustees Limited and STL Financial Services Limited and Chair of the State Trustees Limited Australia Foundation and member of the Audit, Investment and Remuneration Committees.
John's industry knowledge has been built through his experience as a solicitor at Maurice Blackburn & Co from 1978, becoming a partner in 1984. He headed up the industrial personal injuries practice until retiring from the firm in 2004. John was an accredited personal injuries specialist. He practised in personal injuries litigation for over 27 years.
John also brings his experience as a member of the Accident Compensation Committee for more than 20 years, a member of the Victorian WorkCover Authority Legal Liaison Committee and numerous Victorian Government working parties and advisory groups.
Ombudsman – Investments, Life Insurance & Superannuation
Alison Maynard
Prior to the establishment of the Financial Ombudsman Service on 1 July 2008, Alison Maynard had been Chief Executive of the Financial Industry Complaints Services (FICS) since January 2001. Prior to that she was the National Operations Manager at Insurance Enquiries & Complaints Ltd. Alison has also worked as a Director of the SIO Consumer Appeals Centre, Supervisor of Clinical Training at Leo Cussen Institute (Solicitor Training) and as a solicitor at the Coburg and St Kilda Community Legal Centres. Alison holds a Bachelor of Jurisprudence and a Bachelor of Law from Monash University and was admitted to legal practice in April 1982.
