Paul McFadden

Chief Ombudsman


Paul is the Chief Ombudsman and joined the organisation is January 2021.

Paul has a track record in developing Ombudsman organisations and leading them through significant change and growth. He recently served as Acting Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) and Local Government Commissioner for Standards, with oversight of Northern Ireland’s public services and local government Councillors’ conduct. He was Deputy Ombudsman for Northern Ireland from 2016, also holding the posts of Deputy Commissioner for Local Government Standards and Judicial Appointments Ombudsman for Northern Ireland in that time.

Paul joined NIPSO from the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) where he helped lead the organisation through a period of significant development and growth. He established and headed up the SPSO’s Complaints Standards Authority, implementing a streamlined and improved complaints handling framework and delivering improvements in complaints culture across Scotland’s public bodies.

 

Paul previously helped establish Scotland’s first independent Police Complaints Commission and the UK Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration.