The New Homes Ombudsman Service (NHOS) has appointed Nigel Cates as the new chief ombudsman to lead the service from the end of September.
Mr Cates, who is replacing recently retired Alison MacDougall, has experience of complaint handling at a senior level in financial services, including with HSBC, the Financial Ombudsman Service, and the Office of Fair Trading.
Jodi Berg, chair of the NHOS Board, said: ‘We are excited to have Nigel lead this increasingly important service. Not only does he bring significant and relevant experience to the table, but his career has involved substantial senior level representation across the public, private and not for profit sectors. We look forward to welcoming him to our team at NHOS and to the TDS Group at large.’
Mr Cates said he was delighted to be joining NHOS at ‘this critical stage in its development.’ ‘With the Government committed to an ambitious programme of new house building, there is a growing recognition that the service should be moved onto a statutory footing to ensure that all new homeowners have access if needed to a first-rate ombudsman service.’