Mrs. Ina Wilken - Member of the Ombudsman for Banking Services Board

Ina is the Partner and Chief Compliance Officer of Finbond Group Ltd.

For years Ina has been acting as a "consumer activist" and talks on behalf of the man on the street. Her point of view is valued by the South African media, and one of her key roles is to advise and monitor academic publications and studies on consumerism - a topic developing at an extraordinary pace after the introducing of the new National Credit Act (2007) and the Consumer Protection Bill (2009).

This extraordinary vocation and commitment is underpinned by solid qualifications. These include a B Comm. Honors, AltX Director's Diploma from the Wits Business School, VIP Certificate (2006) from Softline, a Leadership course from the Bank of the OFS, and a Bankers Diploma from Rapid Results College.

Ina gained her consumer based enthusiasm and experience while working as Public Servant's Director of the former South African Consumer Council. And having been closely involved with the South African National Consumer Union (NGO; Est. 1946) since 1996, in 2009 she cut all ties with the union to act independently as consumer activist!

In 2005 Ina was awarded the Department of Trade and Industry's prize as "Individual Consumer Champion" of South Africa. She was the runner-up for the same award in 2006.

Being a free-lance fighter for the rights of the South African consumer Ina is often invited by bodies and institutions countrywide to act as keynote speaker in various consumer rights, initiatives and events. This led to her 2007 invitation to attend the Consumer Representatives Forum in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia in July 2007.

She was once more invited to Sydney in October 2007 to act as keynote speaker on the yearly congress of the organization Consumers International. The title of her lecture, "Credit and debt: Problems in Accessing and dealing with it" highlighted the problems faced by consumers around the world in accessing and dealing with credit and debt - a topic even more related today!

In February 2010 Ina joined the South African consumer body, National Consumer Forum and is currently the Vice Chairperson of the body.

Since working as Director of the former SA Consumer Council in 1995, Ina has served on several other South African Bodies and companies. These include:

• Executive Member of the Oil Seeds Advisory Commission
• Trustee of the Dried Fruit Technical Services
• Trustee of the Oil and Protein Seeds Development Trust
• Vice President of the Pretoria Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• President and Club III of the International Training and Communication
• Board member of the SA Pharmaceutical Council
• Board member of the City Council of Pretoria: Property Evaluation Board
• Director of the South African Micro Lenders Association
• Director of the SA Banking Adjudicator Commission
• Director of the Pretorium Trust
• Board member of the Department of Justice: Debt Collectors Council
• Owner & Executive Chairperson of IW Properties (Pty) Ltd
• Owner of the SA Consumer (Pty) Ltd (CEO)
• Owner and CEO of the SA Consumer Services (Pty) Ltd
• Vice Chairman of the SA National Consumer Union
• Member of the Agricultural Research Council
• Chairperson of the SABS Consumer Sector Board
• Member of the FSB/FAIS
• Director of Lethimvula Investment Ltd
• Member of the Financial Services Board & Consumer Advisory Panel
• Director of Netpartner Investments

Ina's endless energies have also been focused on other institutions on a number of publications concerning the rights, finances and education of the consumer:

• "Instructions for the use of consumer products"
• "Manual for Complaints Handling"
• "Recommended practice for the marking of appliances for handicapped people"
• "The Self-help Approach to Personal Budgeting and Money Management" (1999)
• "The Self-help Guide to Eezi Financial Planning for South Africans" (2008)
• "Spend Wisely - Learn the secrets toward financial freedom" (2009)

One of the most celebrated achievements in her career as consumer activist is her release and financing of the book, "The Consumer's Guide to Personal Budgeting and Money Management" in 2002. As author of the book, Ina's aim was to continue her journey to educate the broad public in the responsibilities and procedures related to personal budgeting, lending money and paying your debts, loopholes and procedures when getting Black-listed, the new FAIS Act and its protection of the consumer. She dedicated the release of the book to the millions of South African consumers and confused users of credit and other financial services and products.

Ina is married to a musician and has two children. She adores her Persian cat Wanja, her Chow Chow doggy Shanna and three grey Parrots. The youngest, and her darling of the parrots, is named after the music composer Vivaldi!