| Ombud

Qualifications: BJuris and LLB (Unisa)

Adv. Simpson’s career has seen him rise through the ranks of the legal system over a 10-year period, from State Prosecutor in the Department of Justice, to Magistrate and then as an admitted advocate in private practice. His quest for renewed challenges led him to take on the positions of Manager and then General Manager for the Ombudsman for Banking Services, where he served for 11 years. This extensive experience positioned Adv. Simpson as a legal consultant, providing advice and guidance to companies on the Consumer Protection Act and assisting the National Consumer Tribunal in the design and implementation of its case management systems. He was appointed as a full time Member of the Tribunal in June 2013, adjudicating cases in terms of the National Credit Act and the Consumer Protection Act. After nine years with the Tribunal, Adv. Simpson was appointed as the FAIS Ombud from 1 November 2022.

| Chief Financial Officer

Qualifications: CA(SA)

Shaunil has committed his services to the public sector for close to twenty years. After serving his articles at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Inc., he joined the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) as an Assistant Manager in the Specialised Audit Department, which specialised in Forensic Audits and, later, Performance Audits. During this tenure, he served in various roles within the AGSA and, on various occasions, was selected to lead and conduct high-level inaugural projects. After spending six years at the AGSA, he decided to venture into the tax audit space by joining the South African Revenue Services (SARS) as a Specialist: Investigative Audit. As a Specialist, he was independently responsible for the tax audits relating to individuals, companies, trusts, etc. On several occasions during his time at SARS, he was recognised and awarded the Best Auditor Specialist: Gauteng North title. In 2018, he decided to take the leap into the Finance field and joined the Office of the FAIS Ombud and has been at the helm of the Finance and Supply Chain Management departments since.

| Head: ICT

Qualifications: Master’s degree in Business Information Technology

Petronnell Sehlola has over 18 years of ICT experience in various State-owned Entities and Public Sectors. She was appointed at the FAIS Ombud’s Office on 1 November 2015. She holds a master’s degree in Business Information Technology and other ICT-related certifications. She has extensive experience in aligning ICT strategy with Business Strategy, Cybersecurity and Risk Management, Corporate and ICT Governance, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), ICT Infrastructure, managing ICT development projects, and modernization or digital transformation. Her operational and strategic expertise enables her to manage a diverse ICT team.

| Head: Human Resources

Qualifications: BA (Psychology) – VISTA, BAHons (Counselling Psychology) UNISA and Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Henley)

Refilwe’s career has spanned over 20 years, during which she has risen through the ranks in Human Resources, starting as an HR Administrator and HR Officer at New Clicks SA in 2001. In 2005, she became a Training Co-ordinator with Legal Education and Development (LEAD – LSSA), followed by her role as HR Manager with the Law Society of the Northern Provinces (LSNP) in 2007, now known as the Legal Practice Council (LPC). She then advanced to an HR Generalist position with the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) in 2012 and became a Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) in 2015, before joining the FAIS Ombud in 2023.

Her passion for employee wellness, transformation agendas, human capital strategies, talent management, and human capital analytics and reporting keeps her grounded in the HR discipline.

After spending over seven years at the FSCA, she aimed to secure a leadership role where she could strategically influence human capital. The transformation she witnesses when employees grow is what drives her commitment to the profession. Refilwe began her journey at the FAIS Ombud on 1 May 2023, with the goal of elevating

| Head: GRC

Karlien Hechter is an experienced and versatile Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) executive and practitioner, with more than 12 years in a senior/executive management position, in, inter alia, management of governance, risk and compliance. Her career history reflects and testifies to extensive experience in banking, the financial services industry as well as the regulation of financial services. Karlien is skilled in enterprise risk management, strategic planning and performance reporting, compliance risk management, business continuity management, monitoring and evaluation as well as business analysis and process re-engineering.

In 2003, Karlien graduated in Information Technology (BCom Hons Informatics, University of Pretoria) and started her career as a Business Analyst/Business Process Engineer, after which she specialised in the implementation of financial systems. As Senior Programme Manager, she was responsible for managing various high-profile programmes relating to the implementation of financial systems and the improvement of business processes in the banking industry. From here, Karlien continued her career at the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA, formerly known as the Financial Services Board or FSB), where she played a pivotal role in the successful establishment and expansion of the Governance Risk and Assurance Department for nine years (GRA) in close collaboration with the then Chief Risk Officer.

As Senior Manager of the GRA Department, Karlien headed a team of experts in various fields of specialisation, providing strategic and operational advice in the areas of management risk and compliance to all levels of leadership and employees.

Karlien also obtained a certificate in Enterprise Risk Management at the University of Pretoria and is an avid member of the Institute for Risk Management of South Africa (IRMSA) and the Compliance Institute of South Africa (CISA).

Karlien’s career at the FAIS Ombud started in January 2021 and serves the Office on the Executive Management Committee, tasked with assessing and mitigating significant regulatory, strategic and operational risks that may potentially affect the achievement of the entity’s strategic objectives and core mandate. She has a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry, skilled in Enterprise Risk Management, Strategic Planning and Performance Reporting, Compliance and Ethics Management, Internal Audit, Business Continuity Management, as well as Monitoring and Evaluation.