AFCA announces two senior appointments

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) has appointed Heather Gray as its superannuation lead ombudsman and Natalie Cameron as its investments and advice lead ombudsman.

AFCA chief executive and chief ombudsman David Locke welcomed the new appointments, noting the two women’s wealth of experience in the financial services industry.

“Together, Natalie and Heather bring considerable experience and exceptional knowledge in insurance, superannuation and investments to AFCA,” Mr Locke said.

“I am delighted to see them join the team and look forward to working with them more closely over the coming months.”

Ms Gray has experience as a law firm partner, including at Arthur Robinson & Co (now Allens) and Hall & Willcox, where she has specialised in superannuation and financial services law, and has been on the Law Council of Australia’s superannuation committee for more than 10 years.

Ms Gray has also served as the director of the legal industry superfund, LegalSuper, and has reportedly consulted widely with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and the Australian Taxation Office and Treasury on superannuation issues in the past.

She joins AFCA from Hall & Willcox, where she led the national superannuation practice.

“Heather is well recognised as an expert in superannuation law and practice and a leader in her field. She joins an already strong superannuation team at AFCA,” Mr Locke said.

“I am delighted that Heather has chosen to join AFCA at this exciting time.”

Ms Gray will begin her new role at AFCA on Monday, 18 May.

Ms Cameron began her career at Clayton Utz, where she completed her articles and became a solicitor, focusing on insurance and litigation, before taking a role at ASIC, where she focused on regulatory policy and markets.

Following this, Ms Cameron spent over a decade working for AIA Australia, holding many senior roles, including in operations, pricing and distributor relationships, and also served as a member of the executive committee, where she was responsible for litigation, disputes and complaints resolution.

She went on to serve the company as CEO of AIA New Zealand.

Prior to joining AFCA, Ms Cameron was the chief of customer operations for MLC Life Insurance.

“Natalie also joins AFCA with a wealth of experience in law, customer relations, disputes and complaints resolution – operating at a senior level across large financial services businesses,” Mr Locke said.

Ms Cameron is due to start in her role on Monday, 22 June.

[Related: AFCA grants extension to resolve complaints]