The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) has appointed Paul Woodburn as its lead ombudsman for superannuation on a five-year term.
He will succeed Heather Gray who has held the position since 2020.
Woodburn has more than 20 years’ experience in senior roles across superannuation, funds management and financial services.
This includes a year at law firm Allens as superannuation and financial services consultant, three years as general counsel at the Victorian Funds Management Corporation (VFMC), three years as general counsel at Cbus and five years as head of legal and risk at UniSuper.
Outside of superannuation, he also spent five years at corporate regulator ASIC as a senior lawyer.
AFCA revealed earlier this year that superannuation complaints rose by 29 per cent over 2025 (equating to 7,687 complaints). The increase in super complaints was largely driven by delays in handling claims and disputes over claim decisions.
Dr June Smith, chief ombudsman at AFCA, said: “We are very excited to welcome Paul to AFCA. Paul is a highly regarded leader with deep technical legal and superannuation expertise and a strong track record of working constructively with diverse stakeholders. This is a significant appointment that reinforces our commitment to achieve fair and effective outcomes across our superannuation work.”
Woodburn commented: “It is a privilege to join AFCA as the lead ombudsman for superannuation and to have the opportunity to contribute to the superannuation industry for the benefit of many Australians. I look forward to working with talented and dedicated colleagues to serve all participants in a fair, independent and transparent way on our journey towards an Australia free from financial disputes.”
Commenting on the appointment, Mary Delahunty, chief executive of ASFA, said Woodburn is “well regarded” across the superannuation industry and commended the strong appointment by AFCA.
“His experience spanning in-house practice at super funds, the public sector and private practice means he understands super from the inside out. That range of experience is exactly what this role needs,” she said.
Earlier this year, the organisation appointed Deborah Jenkins as chief customer officer, Stevie-Ann Dovico its inaugural chief technology officer, and Brigid Parsonson as chief operating officer.
“We are strengthening our expertise so we can streamline our processes, make our service easier to use, and manage the sustained high volume of complaints we continue to receive,” said chief executive David Locke at the time.
Established in 2018, AFCA has expanded significantly and has received more than 100,000 complaints from consumers and small businesses in each of the past two years.
