The Society for Consumer Affairs Professionals Australia
2019 SOCAP Industry Excellence Awards
Former Commonwealth Ombudsman and ANZ Bank Customer Fairness Advisor Colin Neave has been awarded the 2019 SOCAP Australia Lifetime Achievement Award for service to complaints management and consumer affairs at the 29th Annual SOCAP Australia International Symposium Gala Dinner & Industry Awards held on Tuesday 20 August 2019.
The SOCAP Australia Industry Awards recognise excellence within the Consumer Affairs, Complaint Management and Customer Service Industry from Australia's leading association for consumer affairs professionals.
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises an individual who has significantly contributed to a lifetime of work within the consumer affairs, customer care and complaints management industry.
Colin Neave was recognised for his distinguished career for service to public administration and to the banking and finance industry through his work in dispute resolution.
Prior to his appointment with ANZ Bank as Customer Fairness Advisor, Colin Neave was the ninth Commonwealth Ombudsman, a position he held to 2016, after serving 16 years in industry ombudsman roles in the financial sector.
In 2005 Colin Neave was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for service to public administration and to the banking and finance industry, particularly through dispute resolution.
"Colin has been instrumental in guiding service providers on fair and responsible customer service provision for all sectors of the community across his distinguished career," SOCAP Australia President Dini Soulio said.
"He is passionate about fair and ethical dispute resolution and particularly for service for consumers in vulnerable circumstances, and his ethos aligns with SOCAP's for delivering fair and effective outcomes for consumers.
"This Lifetime Achievement award is a tremendous acknowledgement of Colin's invaluable contribution to consumer affairs and dispute resolution working to benefit consumers across Australia," Mr Soulio said.
The SOCAP Australia Industry Excellence Awards recognise excellence in complaint management, customer care and consumer affairs.
Four Awards were announced: Lifetime Achievement; Stellar Achievement; Rising Star; and Constellation Achievement Award.
The 2019 Rising Star Award for Complaint Handling Service Excellence awarded to a professional in the industry with less than five year tenure was awarded to Khanh Nguyen Ma, Senior Investigator - Tax Complaints and Reviews, Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman (IGTO), for his effective management of core complaints work and his desire to help vulnerable and minority groups.
The Stellar Achievement Award for 2019 for Complaint Management Excellence awarded to a professional in the industry with more than five years' experience was awarded to Abdul Salam, Specialised Operations Support, Telstra, for his contributions to outstanding service delivery including his management of the Telstra Debt Waiver policy.
The Constellation Achievement Award recognising team service excellence was won by the Accident Compensation Corporation New Zealand Review Unit for its dispute resolution function review which has significantly changed ACC's services and increased its focus on delivering satisfactory customer outcomes.
SOCAP Australia congratulates the 2019 Industry Award winners and finalists:
Rising Star Winner – Khanh Nguyen Ma, Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman (IGTO)
Rising Star Finalist – Rosina Lai, IGTO
Stellar Achievement Winner – Abdul Salam, Telstra
Stellar Achievement Finalist – Adrian Ciarrocchi, Transurban
Constellation Achievement Winner - Accident Compensation Corporation New Zealand Review Unit
Constellation Achievement Finalist - South Australia Water Customer Advocacy and Resolution Team
Lifetime Achievement Award Winner – Colin Neave, Customer Fairness Advisor, ANZ Bank
