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We are delighted that one of our team leaders has been recognised for being a leading mediator. Riki Jamieson-Smyth was recently honoured by her peers for her highly effective work as a dispute resolution practitioner.
Resolution Institute (formerly LEADR & IAMA) is an association for mediators and other alternative dispute resolution practitioners. This not-for-profit organisation has more than 4,000 members in Australia, New Zealand and the wider Asia Pacific region. Each year, it highlights outstanding achievement. This year, one of those chosen was Ms Jamieson-Smyth who works as our Wellington investigations team leader.
The Resolution Institute board says Ms Jamieson-Smyth’s award is a tribute to her skills, and her enthusiasm and commitment to dispute resolution. The board was particularly impressed by her nominator’s comments, which praised her as a “wonderful practitioner, passionate about early resolution of disputes with as much involvement from the parties as possible”.
“She is a strong leader, demonstrating excellent dispute resolution skills for her team to learn from. I believe she has changed the way the Office of the Privacy Commissioner approached complaints, and played a pivotal role in that Office’s increased use of dispute resolution,” her nominator said.
The Resolution Institute award is an endorsement of the direction our Office has taken in the way it now deals with complaints. Our investigators have developed their skills and experience in encouraging parties in privacy disputes to talk to each other and think about different options to reach a mutual resolution. It is all part of the impartial and confidential environment that we provide to enable dispute resolution to take place.
We often highlight the importance of the complaints side of what we do. As we’ve noted before, some complaints are part of a larger conflict situation, have a high level of emotional distress, highly entrenched parties or a marked power imbalance. It takes a lot of dedication and skill to resolve these kinds of disputes.
The Resolution Institute award is welcome recognition of Riki Jamieson-Smyth’s hard work. Congratulations!
Image credit: 1959 cover of the revised version of The Secret of the Old Clock, the first Nancy Drew mystery.
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