The Financial Ombudsman Service’s (FOS) board has appointed Jenny Simmonds as permanent chief executive officer and James Dipple-Johnstone as permanent chief ombudsman.
The appointments follow an open recruitment process led by the board earlier this summer.
Recruitment for a permanent FOS chairperson is also expected to start shortly.
That appointment is made by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), with HM Treasury approval. Liam Coleman will remain in the interim post until this process has completed.
Multiple departures
Coleman’s predecessor Baroness Manzoor revealed she was stepping down in August 2025.
Her departure followed that of CEO and chief ombudsman Abby Thomas who announced she was stepping down immediately the previous week.
The two departures followed a report from Health & Protection in November that then Chancellor Rachel Reeves had outlined an overhaul and modernisation of the FOS in her Mansion House speech, with the aim of reducing uncertainly in its decisions for customers and the industry.
Significant period of change
Simmonds and Dipple-Johnstone initially took up their roles on an interim basis in February 2025.
FOS acknowledged that the pair had led the service through a significant period of change, working together with the government and the FCA to develop and deliver a series of reforms to the UK’s redress system.
It added that the service has focused on delivering for its customers against a backdrop of uncertainty and changing complaint volumes, reducing the time taken for complaints to be resolved and cutting down the number of complaints which have been with it the longest.
FOS further revealed that a series of digital improvements had been delivered following the pair’s appointments, with online portals for businesses and consumers rolled out and an enhanced online complaint form streamlining and simplifying the complaint journey.
And under their leadership, FOS has introduced charges for professional representatives to refer cases and revised the default interest rate applied to some of the awards it makes to strike a better balance between simplicity, fairness and proportionality.
The service has also consulted on proposals to modernise its case fee structure for businesses to better reflect the work undertaken on complaints.
Strong leadership
Coleman said: “Jenny and James have provided strong leadership during a period of significant change, delivering improvements to operations and timelines and driving forward proposals to transform the organisation.
“I am pleased that they will continue to build on this work as they lead the service on a permanent basis, providing stable leadership and clear direction for our dedicated colleagues as the Financial Ombudsman Service continues to evolve.”
Simmonds said: “It’s an honour to lead this organisation and I’m proud of everything we have achieved together over the past year. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with colleagues to improve our service for customers.”
Dipple-Johnstone added: “We deliver a vital service and it’s a privilege to be appointed as chief ombudsman.
“The commitment of our colleagues across the organisation gives me great confidence as we continue modernising our service and strengthening the impact we have for consumers and businesses.”