Jane Pires, Land Access Ombudsman for Queensland was awarded the 2023 Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP) Lifetime Achievement Award at the 33rd Annual SOCAP Australia International conference in Sydney on Thursday 24 August 2023.
The SOCAP Australia Industry Excellence Awards recognises excellence within the consumer affairs, complaint management and customer service industry. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises an individual who has made a significant contribution to the industry throughout their career.
Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Jane was recognised for her service to complaints management and consumer affairs in front of guests and peers from Australia’s leading association for consumer affairs professionals.
Working in customer service and complaint management for more than 30 years with extensive senior executive experience in dispute resolution, mediation and conciliation, Jane lead change in customer relations at Suncorp for more than 20 years, and now plays a pivotal role as Land Access Ombudsman and Energy and Water Ombudsman for Queensland, working to achieve fair, independent outcomes for Queenslanders.
The Lifetime Achievement Award follows Jane’s 2022 Australian Standards Meritorious Contribution Award (National) for her work leading the review, update, and development of standards to international best-practice and new technology and helping to improve overall access standards and fair and reasonable outcomes for customers, particularly the Australian Standard – Guidelines for complaint management in organisations AS 10002: 2022.
Jane is also Chair of the Standards Australia QR-015 committee and is the Australian representative on the committee for International Standard ISO 10002: 2018.
SOCAP Australia President Mel Lawrie congratulated Jane on receiving the award.
‘Jane is an instrumental figure in the consumer affairs and the complaints management industry in Australia and globally through a distinguished career which has seen her outcomes include fair, safe and responsible customer affairs service across Australia.
‘Jane’s passion is and has always been about supporting organisations understand the real value of complaints and complaints data to improve business and customer outcomes and understanding of reputational risk and the importance of effective relationships with regulators, consumer advocates, and consumers.
‘The Lifetime Achievement Award is a tremendous acknowledgement of Jane’s invaluable contribution to consumer affairs and dispute resolution, working to benefit consumers across Australia.’
For more information contact Danielle Atkinson, Communications Officer, Office of the Land Access Ombudsman, 0466 561 816.