The current Ombudsman is Sarah Daniel. She works part-time in that role, and has no staff.

After graduating from Sheffield Hallam University with a degree in Public Administration Sarah began a career in the Civil Service. Working in the Department of Work and Pensions for the UK and Australian Government she specialised in benefit claims and tribunal work. Here Sarah gained an understanding of working with members of the public in difficult circumstances and the importance of putting complicated information into layman’s terms, allowing both sides of the story to understand why a decision has been reached.

In 2004 Sarah joined Ombudsman Services as an Investigation Officer dealing with complaints about communication providers. In 2009 she became an Ombudsman and has assisted in the investigation of thousands of complaints on a range of subjects. Sarah believes in working with the providers and regulators and using feedback from complaints to improve services for all. In 2016 Sarah was promoted to Lead ombudsman and managed the multi sector ombudsman team through a period of company-wide transformation. Sarah left Ombudsman Services and in 2019 became the Waterways Ombudsman. 

Details of the the Ombudsman Job Role and Job Description can be found by clicking on the links.