Announcing the appointment, AFCA chief executive and chief ombudsman David Locke said Mr Guest has almost 20 years of leadership experience in a diverse career that has seen him work at senior levels in a variety of organisations, including Racing Victoria, Luna Park and member-based organisation Australian Human Resources Institute.

“Rob brings great experience and ideas to AFCA and will lead the strategic priorities to deliver on our end-to-end customer experience initiatives,” Mr Locke said.

“We look forward to working with Rob as he transforms the way consumers and small business engage with and access our service.”

Mr Guest said that he was motivated by the scope and challenge of operating in the dispute resolution space.

“My experience at Metro in dealing with a wide range of customer issues and expectations, often working with customers who are highly stressed or need extra support, positions me to help AFCA deliver on our aim of delivering world-leading customer service and early resolution outcomes in a challenging context,” Mr Guest said.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the organisation at such an exciting time.”