About the Council
Financial Dispute Resolution Service is governed by Fair Way’s Board of Directors and a specially appointed Advisory Council who provide advice and recommendations.
The Advisory Council is made up of five members: an independent chair, two industry representatives and two consumer representatives.
Independent Chair
Stephen Ward
Stephen is a consultant in the corporate and commercial department of Simpson Grierson. He advises corporations and crown entities on all aspects of corporate governance, statutory compliance, companies law, mergers and acquisitions, overseas investment in New Zealand and related issues.
Stephen also has more than 25 years' experience establishing, managing, amalgamating and winding up life and general insurance companies, superannuation schemes, KiwiSaver schemes, and other investment vehicles.
Stephen is an independent non-executive director of ASX-listed Sydney Airport, Sovereign Assurance Company Limited, SecureFuture Wiri Limited, SecureFuture Wiri Holdings Limited and Central Emergency Communications Limited.
Stephen is a trustee and Deputy Chair of the LifeFlight Trust, a member of the Governance Board a of Wellington Free Ambulance, a member of the Investment Management Committee of Wellington Free Ambulance, and a member of the National Provident Trust Board.
Stephen has a background in law, having trained as a solicitor in the UK, and is also a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors.
Industry Representatives
David Whyte
David has served at senior management and director level in a number of prominent organisations, including the Insurance & Savings Ombudsman Scheme (ISO), the Insurance, Savings & Investments Association (ISI — now called the Financial Services Council – FSC), and Southern Response Earthquake Services Ltd. He is currently the managing director for DCW Management Limited.
David served as General Manager of AIA in New Zealand, and as Managing Director of AIG Life in Australia before returning to New Zealand.
In addition to a Master of Arts (Honours) degree, David has a post-graduate Masters Degree in Management and has completed a post-graduate course at Waikato University in Corporate Governance & Leadership. He is also a Chartered Member of the NZ Institute of Company Directors.
Toni Dodds
Toni is currently the Quality and Assurance Manager for Lifetime Group.
She has over ten years’ experience in the financial advice industry and holds Level 5 qualifications, as well as degrees in Business and Supervision Management.
Consumer Representatives
Trevor Slater
Trevor has extensive expertise within the financial service sector and experience as commercial mediator, negotiator and trainer.
Trevor is the current General Manager of Resolution Institute and a former Client Director of Financial Dispute Resolution Service. Trevor was previously the General Manager to the financial compliance company IDS Limited. Before joining IDS, Trevor was the General Manager of Financial Services Complaints Limited (FSCL) having co-started this company in 2010; lead conciliator at the Banking Ombudsman and National Relations Manager with the Financial Industry Complaints Service (FICS) in Melbourne.
Simon Roughton
Simon has a background in education and dispute resolution, and previously undertook an independent review of the Financial Dispute Resolution Service.
Simon is an NMAS mediator, conflict coach and Justice of the Peace. He is the Director of Orb Solutions Ltd, an organisation specialising in dispute resolution skills, training and mediation practice for government and non-government organisations. He works across a number of complaint jurisdictions and has previously resolved consumer disputes at the Office of the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner (now Utilities Disputes Ltd) and the Real Estate Authority. He currently is contracted to the Human Rights Commission, assisting with complaints of unlawful discrimination.