Suanne Russell

Suanne Russell is the Lead Ombudsman for Small Business and Transactions at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). In this role, she oversees the management of small business complaints relating to financial services, as well as consumer and small business complaints involving banking transactions, payment services, and merchant disputes—currently with a strong focus on scam‑related matters.

A qualified banking and finance lawyer, Suanne joined AFCA in 2021. Her previous experience includes senior leadership roles within the St.George Bank and Westpac Group, where she served as Head of Institutional and Business Banking Legal for St.George, and as Head of Consumer Bank Legal and Head of Business Bank Legal for Westpac. In these roles, she provided oversight across business lending, deposits, and merchant and payment services.

Suanne has worked extensively on large‑scale remediation and regulatory projects and has collaborated closely with regulators and industry bodies. Her career also includes significant experience in major national law firms in both Sydney and London.