New Council Chairman appointed to Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman scheme

A new Chairman has been appointed to the Council of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) scheme.

Mr Andrew Dyer takes over as Chairman of the Council from Ms Virginia Hickey, who served as Chairman for the past three years.

Mr Dyer currently serves on a range on boards, including the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), BrightSource Energy Australia, the American Australian Association, The Good Foundation and the Australian Solar Energy Society. He also chairs ITSS for TAC/Worksafe, the Australian Initiative on Chile and is a member of the TAC Road Safety Committee. He was previously a Director of the East Grampians Health Service, GWM Water and Grampians Tourism.

In addition, Mr Dyer also serves on a number of advisory boards including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Football Club and the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute at Monash University.

Mr Dyer has senior level experience in water, gas and electric utilities, and in the technology, customer and professional services industries, based in Australia and overseas. He is the past Victorian Commissioner to the Americas, responsible for the bilateral trade relationships between Victoria and the Americas based in San Francisco, and was earlier a McKinsey & Co consultant. Mr Dyer holds a Bachelor of Engineering with first class honours from Monash University and an MBA from Georgetown University in Washington DC.

TIO Board Chairman John Rohan said Mr Dyer's qualifications, skills and experience made him the ideal candidate to head the TIO Council, which oversees the TIO scheme and ensures the Ombudsman's independence.

"I am delighted to announce Andrew's appointment," Mr Rohan said "His wealth of experience in a wide range of leadership roles makes Andrew eminently suitable to lead the TIO Council into a future that includes an increasingly complex telecommunications landscape and to contribute to the continuing success of the TIO as an independent dispute resolution scheme."

The TIO is a free and independent dispute resolution service for consumers and small businesses who have been unable to resolve a problem with their telecommunications or internet service provider.

Alongside the Chair, the Council consists of five consumer representatives and five telecommunications industry representatives.