The Financial Ombudsman Service has appointed Jenny Simmonds as permanent CEO and James Dipple-Johnstone as permanent Chief Ombudsman.
Both had been acting in their roles on an interim basis since February 2025 after former Chief Ombudsman and CEO Abby Thomas left.
The appointments of the new CEO and chief ombudsman followed an open recruitment process led by the FOS board earlier this summer, it said.
It said since becoming interim CEO and chief ombudsman the pair, “have 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.”
Ms Simmonds joined the FOS in January 2023 as chief finance and risk officer. She led the finance, procurement, risk and assurance management functions and acted as company secretary. She had previously worked at Virgin Media O2 Business & Wholesale UK.
Mr Dipple-Johnstone joined the FOS in October 2022 from the Information Commissioners Office, where he was deputy commissioner and chief regulating officer, leading their regulatory service.
Liam Coleman, interim chair of the Financial Ombudsman Service Board, said: “Jenny and James have provided strong leadership during a period of significant change, delivering improvements to operations and timeliness 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 colleagues as the Financial Ombudsman Service continues to evolve.”
The recruitment for a permanent chair for the Financial Ombudsman Service is expected to commence shortly. This appointment is made by the FCA, with Treasury approval. Liam Coleman will remain in the post on an interim basis until this process has completed. The former Co-op Bank chief executive, was appointed interim chair of the Financial Ombudsman Service by the FCA in July 2025, taking up the role in October that year.
He replaced Baroness Zahida Manzoor who left the organisation on 1 August 2025 after two terms in the post.