John Pinnock ended his term as Ombudsman on Thursday 24 May, a role he had held from 1995. A farewell party was held at The Chapter House, St. Pauls Cathedral, Melbourne with staff, Board, Council and industry attending.

During his 12 years, Mr Pinnock led the TIO through significant growth; from a staff of 16 to over 100, complaint increases from 45,000 to 95,000 and a budget of $2 million to $10 million. He tackled many important issues and made decisions with integrity and strength of character.

John led his staff by example. He embodied the TIO approach of independence, objectivity, integrity and above all fairness and he encouraged everyone at the TIO to strive for these.

In July, the telecommunications industry marked John’s distinguished service by presenting him with the 2007 Telecommunications Ambassador of the Year award. The award is given by the Communications Alliance and Communications Day to an outstanding CEO, senior executive or senior individual working within the telecommunications sector.