There are nine members of the Ombudsman Services council. Six are independent and three were nominated by the member boards.

Current independent members are:

Professor Dame Janet Finch, DBE - Chair

Dame Janet has been Vice-Chancellor of Keele University since 1995.  A sociologist, she is the independent Co-Chair of the Council for Science and Technology - the Government’s advisory body which reports to the Prime Minister.  She is also chairs the Trustees of the National Centre for Social Research and is a Non-Executive Director of the Identity and Passport Service. Janet became Cjair of Ombudsman Services' council in June 2010.

Chris Kenny

Chris Kenny is the inaugral Chief Executive of the Legal Services Board. His early career was in the Department of Health and the Treasury, where he held a variety of policy and management posts including Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State. As Oftel's Director of Regulatory Policy and then Director of Compliance between 2000 and 2003, he worked on access and competition issues and worked with industry and consumer bodies to establish the Telecoms Ombudsman. Most recently, as Director of Life and Pensions for the Association of British Insurers, he led the industry's input into the work of the Pensions Commission and the Government's response to it and worked with Lord Hunt of Wirral on the independent review of the Financial Ombudsman Service. Chris has also held non-executive posts in the NHS and third sector.

Julie Meadows

Julie Meadows is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. She has significant commercial and operational business management experience and has worked as an independent auditor.

Jean Couper CBE

Jean Couper is a director of K3 Management Consultants and The Law Academy and a member of the Accounts Commission and The Police Advisory Board for Scotland. Formerly she was the Chairman of the Scottish Legal Aid Board and Vice Chairman of the Health Education Board for Scotland and The Wise Group Ltd. Jean was awarded the CBE for services to the administration of justice in the Queen's birthday honours list in 2006.

Sheila Button

Sheila has worked in local government and the not for profit sector, most recently as Chief Executive of an organisation providing services to Registered Social Landlords (RSL) and local government. She is Chair of a housing association working in the Midlands and was Chair of Postwatch South East, and a Board Member of the Housing Corporation – then regulator of RSLs – where she also Chaired the Audit Committee.

Walter Merricks  

Walter was Chief Ombudsman of the Financial Ombudsman Service from 1999 until 2009.  A former President of BIOA, he is the Chair of the Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator.  Walter and his wife established the Donor Conception Network.

Current industry members are:

Chris Holland

Chris Holland is the head of the Ombudsman Interface Team at BT and sits on the Otelo member board.

Garry Felgate

Garry is the Chairman of the Energy Ombudsman member board and the Chief Executive of the Energy Retail Association.

Steven Gould

Steven is Director of Professional Regulation and Consumer Protection for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.