Speakers We are inviting a number of distinguished speakers from around the world to update us on current developments. We will be posting speakers’ biographies and abstracts on this page as the information becomes available.  If you have a particular speaker who you would like to see included in the programme please email woc@confer.co.nz Ann Abraham Ann Abraham was Parliamentary Ombudsman for the United Kingdom, and Health Service Ombudsman for England from 2002 to 2011. As Ombudsman, Ann was an ex-officio member of the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council of Great Britain. She was previously Legal Services Ombudsman for England and Wales from 1997 to 2002 and Chief Executive of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux from 1991 to 1997. Ann served on the UK Committee on Standards in Public Life from 2000 to 2002. During her tenure as Ombudsman Ann published her trilogy of ‘Ombudsman’s Principles’: Principles of Good Administration, Principles of Good Complaint Handling and Principles for Remedy. These Principles have been widely endorsed and adopted in the UK and beyond. Ann has had a long involvement with the British and Irish Ombudsman Association (BIOA), initially as a member of BIOA’s Executive Committee, then as Chair of the Association from 2004 to 2006 and subsequently as a member of BIOA’s Validation Committee.  In 2010/2011 she chaired a working group reviewing BIOA’s Criteria for Recognition of Ombudsman Schemes. Bruce Barbour, NSW Ombudsman Bruce has been the NSW Ombudsman since June 2000. He has 25 years experience in administrative law, investigations and management. Bruce has led the office through significant change and growth, including a merger with the former Community Services Commission in 2002. Bruce is the regional vice president of the International Ombudsman Institute, representing the Australasian and Pacific Region Ombudsman. He has played an active role in reforming that institute and has been involved in projects aimed at strengthening the capacity of existing Ombudsman in the South Pacific. Before his appointment as Ombudsman, Bruce was a senior member of the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal and a member of the Casino Control Authority. He was also a former Director of the Australian Broadcasting Authority. Bruce is also the former Regional Vice President of the International Ombudsman Institute. Arlene Brock,  National Ombudsman for Bermuda In 2005, Arlene Brock was appointed by the Governor of Bermuda (in a competitive process and after consultation with both the Premier and Opposition Leader) as the island’s first Ombudsman. She holds a B.A. from McGill University; a J.D. (LL.B.) from York University in Toronto and a LL.M. from Harvard Law School (her thesis: the International Human Right to Reproductive Health). Ms. Brock worked in insolvency litigation in Toronto and reinsurance litigation in Bermuda. She trained negotiators and mediators and conducted systemic reviews and strategic planning around the world with Conflict Management Inc. (corporate arm of the Harvard Negotiation Program which pioneered the “interest-based” negotiation / mediation methodology). She also interned with the N.Y. office of the U.N. Center for Human Rights.  Ms. Brock was recruited home to Bermuda as Principal for Strategic Initiatives of a reinsurance company and later consulted to the Ministry of Labour. She was also an Acting (judicial) Magistrate in Family Court and Lecturer in employment law. She served as Chair of both the Permanent Arbitration Tribunal and the Police Complaints Authority. In 2009, Ms. Brock was elected to the Board of Directors of the IOI and also as the Regional Vice-President for the Caribbean and Latin America. PROFESSOR ANDREW COYLE CMG PhD FKC Andrew Coyle is Emeritus Professor of Prison Studies in the University of London and Visiting Professor in the University of Essex. He has a PhD in criminology from the Faculty of Law in the University of Edinburgh and is a Fellow of King’s College London. Between 1997 and 2005 he was founding Director of the International Centre for Prison Studies. Previously he worked for 25 years at a senior level in the prison services of the United Kingdom. He is a member of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, the UK Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council and the UK Foreign Secretary’s Expert Committee against Torture. He is a prisons adviser to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the UN Latin American Institute, the Council of Europe, including its Committee for the Prevention of Torture, and several national governments. He has recently drafted a Code of Ethics for Prison Staff on behalf of the Council of Europe. His books include The Prisons We Deserve, Managing Prisons in a Time of Change, A Human Rights Approach to Prison Management (published in 16 languages), Humanity in Prison and Understanding prisons: Key issues in policy and practice. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2003 for his contribution to international penal reform. P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, European Ombudsman P. Nikiforos Diamandouros is, as of 1 April 2003, the European Ombudsman. From 1998 to 2003, he was the first National Ombudsman of Greece. He has also been Professor of comparative politics at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration of the University of Athens since 1993 (currently on leave). From 1995 to 1998 he served as Director and Chairman of the Greek National Centre for Social Research (EKKE). He received his B.A. degree from Indiana University (1963) and his M.A. (1965), M.Phil. (1969) and Ph.D. (1972) degrees from Columbia University. Prior to joining the faculty of the University of Athens in 1988, he held teaching and research appointments at the State University of New York and Columbia University respectively (1973-78). From 1980 to 1983, he served as Director of Development at Athens College, Athens, Greece. From 1983 to 1988, he was Program Director for Western Europe and the Near and Middle East at the Social Science Research Council, New York. From 1988 until 1991, he was the Director of the Greek Institute for International and Strategic Studies, Athens, a policy-oriented research organisation established with joint funding from the Ford and MacArthur Foundations. In 1997, he held an appointment as Visiting Professor of political science at the Juan March Centre for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (Madrid). He has served as President of the Greek Political Science Association (1992-98) and of the Modern Greek Studies Association of the United States (1985-88). In 1999 and 2000, he was appointed member of Greece’s National Commission on Human Rights and the National Council for Administrative Reform respectively. In 2000, he was a participant in the Bilderberg Conference. Since 1990, he has been co-chair of the Subcommittee on Southern Europe of the Social Science Research Council, New York, whose activities are funded by a grant from the Volkswagen Foundation. He is also joint General Editor of the Series on the New Southern Europe published by the Johns Hopkins University Press and the recipient of Fulbright and National Endowment for the Humanities research grants. He has written extensively on the politics and history of Greece, Southern Europe and Southeastern Europe and, more specifically, on democratisation, state and nation-building, and the relationship between culture and politics. His hobbies include reading, writing, classical music and films. Chris Field Chris Field is the Western Australian Ombudsman.  He concurrently holds the roles of Energy Ombudsman and State Records Commissioner. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Australia and holds a Professorial Chair in Consumer Law at La Trobe University.  He is the author of the university text, Current Issues in Consumer Law and Policy, numerous articles on law, economics and public policy and the ‘Consumer Dealings’ editor of the Australian Business Law Review. Immediately prior to his appointment as Ombudsman he was an inaugural Member of the Economic Regulation Authority, Western Australia. His previous roles include Executive Director, Consumer Law Centre Victoria; Chair, Australian Consumers’ Association (now Choice); Chair, Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre, Director, Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria and lawyer, Arthur Robinson and Hedderwicks (now Allens Arthur Robinson).  He holds Arts and Law (Honours) degrees. Andrew Goldsmith Andrew Goldsmith is Executive Director, Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention, and Professor of Law, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. He holds degrees in law, criminology and sociology, and has practised law in South Australia and Victoria.  He has a longstanding interest in police governance and accountability, and has published extensively in this area, including two books on civilian oversight of policing.  In 2010, he established the Integrity Studies program at the University of Wollongong. In November 2011, he was the keynote speaker at the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference in Fremantle, Western Australia. Among his current research interests is the significance of social media for public sector accountability. Young-ran Kim, Chairperson, Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission(ACRC), Republic of Korea Ms. Young-ran Kim has been the Chairperson of ACRC since January 2011. She is playing an active role in enforcing of the newly passed Act on the Protection of Public Interest Whistleblowers. She was elected to the Asian Directors on the IOI Board of Directors in August 2011. She had worked as a judge for 30 years(1981-2010), including 6 years(2004-2010) as the first female Justice of the Supreme Court in Korea. As a judge, she had tried to accomplish the social justice by listening to the voices of socially disadvantaged people and minorities. She holds LL.B.(1979) and LL.M.(1983) from School of Law, Seoul National University. Dr Richard Kirkham, School of Law University of Sheffield. Dr Richard Kirkham has been researching the ombudsman institution for almost ten years and has written extensively on the subject. In 2011 his book /The Ombudsman Enterprise and Administrative Justice /(co-authors T.Buck and B.Thompson - Farnham: Ashgate) was published which analysed the constitutional role of the ombudsman in the 21^st century. Dr Kirkham's current research is centred on exploring the different means by which the ombudsman institution can demonstrate its impact, as well as the effectiveness of the various ways by which the ombudsman's work can be called to account.     André Marin, Ombudsman of Ontario, Canada As Ombudsman of Canada’s largest province since 2005 (reappointed in 2010), André Marin’s investigations into broad systemic issues have sparked widespread government reforms affecting millions of citizens. His Special Ombudsman Response Team (SORT) focuses on high-profile field investigations affecting large numbers of people, from the screening of newborn babies to property tax assessment to the provincial lottery system. Mr. Marin’s training course, “Sharpening Your Teeth,” hosted annually by his office in Toronto and also in Vienna by the IOI, has trained hundreds of ombudsmen and administrative watchdogs around the world in the SORT methodology and best practices for conducting systemic investigations, assessing evidence, and putting together memorable, persuasive reports. Mr. Marin has been North American Regional Vice-President of the IOI since 2006. He is the sixth Ombudsman of Ontario since 1975 and the first to be reappointed. Mr. Marin also served as Canada’s first military ombudsman from 1998 to 2005, and Director of Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit from 1996 to 1998. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Crown Attorney and part-time professor of law at the University of Ottawa, where he also received degrees in common and civil law. Back to top Professor John McMillan Professor John McMillan AO was appointed Australian Information Commissioner in November 2010, to head a new office responsible for freedom of information, privacy protection and advice to government on information management policy. John was formerly the Commonwealth Ombudsman from 2003–2010; and the Integrity Commissioner (Acting) for the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity in 2007. He is an Emeritus Professor of the Australian National University. He is co-author of a leading student text, Control of Government Action. John was a founding member in the 1970s of the Freedom of Information Campaign Committee, which led the public campaign for enactment of the Freedom of Information Act 1982. He is a National Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia; a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law; and former President of the Australian Institute of Administrative Law. Professor Linda Reif,  Faculty of Law, University of Alberta  Professor Linda Reif obtained her law degree from the University of Windsor (1982) and her master’s degree in law from the University of Cambridge (1985).  A member of the Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, she is the CN Professor of International Trade and from 2009 to 2011 she served as Associate Dean (Graduate Studies).  She was I.O.I. Editor of Publications from 1989 to 2009. Professor Reif has published widely on the ombudsman and national human rights institutions.  Her publications include her 2004 book The Ombudsman, Good Governance and the International Human Rights System (Martinus Nijhoff Pub., 2004), and articles and book chapters, including in the Harvard Human Rights Journal, Boston College Third World Law Journal, Alberta Law Review, Asia Pacific Law Review, and I.O.I. publications. Professor Reif has provided consulting services and academic support on NHRIs to the Commonwealth Secretariat.  In 1991 she was Director of Legal Services, Office of the Alberta Ombudsman. Rafael Ribó, Síndic de Greuges de Catalunya Born in Barcelona on May 10 1945, Ribó was elected twice Síndic de Greuges de Catalunya. First, he was elected on June 17 2004, and took office on July 1 of the same year. He was re-elected on February 10 2010 and took office on March 1 2010. On June 2009, in Stockholm, Ribó was appointed President of the Board of Directors of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), where he had been a member since 2006. As a President and Director for the European Region, Ribó is also a full member of IOI worldwide Board of Directors. With degrees in Economics and Law from the University of Barcelona, he holds a PhD in Political, Economic and Business Science from the same University and is Master of Arts in Political Science from The New School for Social Research of New York. He is a university lecturer of Political and Administration Science and since 1970 has taught at the University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Pompeu Fabra University, the American College and the New School for Social Research. He began his political activity in 1963 as a member of the faculty senate for the Democratic Students’ Union of the University of Barcelona. At the beginning of the 1970’s, he formed part of the Assembly of Intellectuals of Catalonia, was one of the drivers behind the campaign to restore the Catalan language’s official status, and served as secretary of the liaison committee for the Catalonia Assembly. In 1977, he participated in the Catalan Culture Congress as coordinator of the institutional area, and headed up the campaign for the self- government institutions within the Congress itself. Elected Secretary General of the PSUC (Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia) in 1986, he has served as MP in the Catalan Parliament until the end of the sixth legislature (1980-2001), MP in the Spanish Parliament (1993-1995) and president of the Iniciativa per Catalunya political party (1987-2000). He has been chairman of the board of trustees of the Ulls del Món (Eyes of the World) Foundation since 2001. He has published various books, chapters and studies such as Catalonia’s Political System, The National Question and the Catalan Nations, Handbook of Political Science, Citizenship and Nationalism and Special Regions and European Union Treaty Reform. His doctoral thesis was entitled: “The concept of political culture”. He regularly collaborates with Catalan, Spanish and international newspapers and magazines. Back to top Alasdair Roberts Alasdair Roberts is the Jerome L. Rappaport Professor of Law and Public Policy at Suffolk University Law School, and Faculty Director of the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service. Previously, he was a professor of public administration in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and an associate professor of public administration at Queen's University, Canada. Professor Roberts writes extensively on problems of governance, law and public policy.  His next book, America’s First Great Depression, will be published by Cornell University Press in 2012.  His last book, The Logic of Discipline: Global Capitalism and the Architecture of Government, was published by Oxford University Press in March 2010.  In 2011 it received an honorable mention from the Best Book award committee of the American Society of Public Administration’s Section on Public Administration Research. A previous book, The Collapse of Fortress Bush: The Crisis of Authority in American Government, was published by New York University Press in 2008.  Kirkus Reviews called it "a trenchant analysis of the last eight years of American political history."  An earlier book, Blacked Out: Government Secrecy in the Information Age, received the 2006 Brownlow Book Award from the US National Academy of Public Administration, and three other academic book awards.  Professor Roberts has also won several awards for his journal articles. Professor Roberts was elected as a fellow of the US National Academy of Public Administration in 2007.  He was appointed as a public member of the Administrative Conference of the United States in 2010.  He is also an Honorary Senior Research Fellow of the School of Public Policy, University College London. He is co-editor of the journal Governance and serves on the editorial boards of several other journals in the field of public administration. At Suffolk Law, Professor Roberts teaches Administrative Law and Law and Public Policy. Professor Roberts received a JD from the University of Toronto in 1984, a Master's degree in Public Policy from Harvard University in 1986, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University in 1994. His web address is www.aroberts.us. HOWARD SAPERS On March 5, 2009 Mr. Howard Sapers was reappointed as Correctional Investigator of Canada, having first been appointed on February 24, 2004 for a five-year term.  Previously, Mr. Sapers was the Vice-Chairperson for the Prairie Region of the National Parole Board of Canada.  From 2001-2003, he held the position of Director of the Crime Prevention Investment Fund at the National Crime Prevention Centre. In 1993 he was elected to the Alberta Legislative Assembly and represented Edmonton Glenora until 2001. He served as health critic, treasury critic, House Leader and Leader of the Official Opposition.  He was active on a number of committees including the Standing Committee on Legislative Officers, the Public Accounts Committee and the Select Committee on Privacy and Access to Information. Mr. Sapers was the Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Alberta in Grande Prairie from 1982 to 1983, and then moved to Edmonton where he served as the Society's Provincial Executive Director until 1993. Mr. Sapers has taught courses in Criminology, Correctional Law and Communications in the Correctional Services Program at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton. Mr. Sapers obtained a B.A. in Criminology from Simon Fraser University in 1979.  He has a strong background in corrections, rehabilitation of offenders and crime-prevention gained through employment and community service.  Volunteer positions held have included: Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 1999 Biannual Congress on Criminal Justice, President of the Canadian Criminal Justice Association, President of the Alberta Criminal Justice Association and Vice-Chair of the City of Edmonton Safer Cities Advisory Committee.  He is currently an Advisor to the YOUCAN Certificate Program at Ottawa’s St. Paul University, Chairman of the DND/Canadian Forces Ombudsman Advisory Committee, and a Member of the Board of Directors of the Forum of Canadian Ombudsmen. Mr. Sapers has received significant recognition for his contribution to the community-at-large and for his pursuit of social justice, including: the Canada 125 Medal; the Weiler Award for Social Development; and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal.  In 2010, Mr. Sapers was recognized as a Champion of Mental Health by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health and he received the President’s Commendation from the Canadian Psychiatric Association. Mr. Sapers has authored several publications, including articles regarding the role of the Ombudsman, human rights and corrections, and the prevention of crime. Back to top Anita Stuhmcke  Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, University of Technology, Sydney Professor Anita Stuhmcke is a member of the Faculty of Law at the University of Technology, Sydney.  For over a decade her research has explored the institution of the ombudsman.  Anita’s research into this institution includes published research with respect to: public law ombudsmen, private industry ombudsmen, organisational ombudsmen and human rights ombudsmen. The main aim of Anita’s research is to examine the adaptability of the institution with the objective of facilitating the effective application of ombudsmen throughout the wider legal system. Mr Mark C.A. Thomson Secretary General Of the Association for the Prevention Of Torture, Geneva (Since April 2001) A manager of a successful international human rights NGO. Human rights interest emerged from social and rural development work in Latin America. Involved in adoption and implementation of international human rights norms. Experienced in visiting places of detention and engaging with government authorities. Public speaker on prevention of torture and other ill treatment. Works with specialist team and wide variety of partners in all regions of the world. Chris Wheeler, NSW Ombudsman  Chris Wheeler is the Deputy NSW Ombudsman. He has over 25 years experience in complaint handling and investigations, as well as extensive experience in management and public administration. He is a town planner and lawyer who previously worked in a variety of positions in State and local government in NSW and Victoria.  He also worked for some years as a solicitor in the private sector. Chris has direct responsibility for the Public Administration and Strategic Projects Branch of the NSW Ombudsman, including oversight of the responsibility conferred on the NSW Ombudsman under the Public Interest Disclosures Act. Chris is currently the Project Sponsor of the Dealing with Unreasonable Complainant Conduct project being undertaken by the nine Australasian Parliamentary Ombudsman. Qualifications Bachelor of Town & Regional Planning (Melbourne University) Master of Town & Country Planning (Sydney University) Bachelor of Laws (University of Technology, Sydney) Back to top JOHN T.D.WOOD  JOHN T.D. WOOD runs his own international consultancy business, Baljurda Comprehensive Consulting, specialising in complaint handling, accountability, consumer affairs, and anti-corruption measures. He was Deputy Commonwealth Ombudsman in Australia from 1994-99. Prior to that he was for 10 years, Director of the Federal Bureau of Consumer Affairs.   He advised on the establishment of Ombudsman Institutions in Indonesia and Thailand, and designed and directed the Accountability Programme for the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, and was a consultant for anti-corruption institutions in Timor-Leste and Tonga. He is a Director of the Foundation for Effective Markets and Governance, Australian National University; Chair of the Australian Direct Marketing Code Authority; a Member of the Consumer Standing Forum, Standards Australia; Member of the International Ombudsman Institute; a Program Visitor, Regulatory Institutions Network, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University; a Member, Transparency International Australia; and a Life Member of CHOICE – the Australian Consumers’ Association. He was a founding member and a past President of SOCAP (the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals). Kim Workman QSO Kim Workman (of Ngati Kahungunu and Rangitaane descent) is a retired public servant,   whose career spans roles in the Police , the Office of the Ombudsman, State Services Commission, Department of Maori Affairs,  and Ministry of Health.  He was Head of the Prison Service from 1989 – 1993, and oversaw a major reform in the Prison Service.  He is a graduate of Massey University, and has completed post- graduate study at the University of Southern California, and Stanford University.  He is currently a Senior Associate of the Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University. Kim was appointed to the position of National Director, Prison Fellowship in 2000, which  established the first faith-based prison unit in the British Commonwealth, a mentoring programme for released prisoners, and in-prison restorative justice services.  In 2005, Kim was the joint recipient (with Jackie Katounas) of the International Prize for Restorative Justice. In 2006 Kim joined with the Salvation Army, to launch the “Rethinking Crime and Punishment” Project, which is under the Robson Hanan Trust, of which Kim is Executive Director.   The Trust promotes public education, discussion and debate on crime and punishment and was established with a broader mandate to conduct or commission original research, implement innovative crime prevention projects, and engage in public education in issues of crime and punishment. Kim recently completed a three year term as a Families Commissioner.