To commemorate International Women’s Month, this blog is dedicated to women who lead and inspire us in their roles as Customer Experience (CX) leaders. These trailblazers have transformed the way businesses approach the customer experience by:

• Defining what it means to have a customer-focused business
• Advocating the importance of an outstanding customer experience across all touchpoints
• Contributing to sophisticated means to measure and analyze the customer journey
• Guiding organizations on how to not only focus on, but anticipate customer needs 
• Building the foundation for successful customer loyalty and customer marketing campaigns

The ‘Hall of Fame’ for Women CX Executives

More and more women are making strides in CX leadership. They are redefining CX through creative ideas, innovative research, and effective strategies. Here a just a few examples of women who have raised the bar as leaders:

Jeanne Bliss – Global CX leader/best-seller author, Co-founder, CXPA (Customer Experience Professionals Association). Jeanne Bliss speaks, teaches, and writes from direct experience. She was in a Chief Customer Officer (CCO) role for 25 years, and now runs her own business, CustomerBliss, where she guides CCOs and C-Suite executives around the world. She hosts a successful podcast, The Human Duct Tape Show, and has two best-selling books: “Chief Customer Officer” and “I Love You More Than My Dog”. Her latest book is Chief Customer Officer 2.0 – How To Build Your Customer-Driven Growth Engine. A favorite quote:

“Customers who love you will market for you more powerfully than you can possibly market yourself.” 

– Jeanne Bliss

Yamini Rangan – Chief Executive Officer and former Chief Customer Officer, Hubspot. Before becoming CEO, Yamini served as HubSpot’s first-ever Chief Customer Officer – overseeing HubSpot’s marketing, sales, and services teams. Prior to that, Yamini held several customer-facing leadership roles in strategy, pre-sales, and value-based selling. In 2019, Yamini was recognized as one of the Most Influential Women in Business by the San Francisco Business Times. In her words:

“When you put the customer at the center and start aligning marketing, sales, and operations around the customer…if you continue to delight them…they become promoters.”

Yamini Rangan

Allison Ausband – EVP and Chief Customer Experience Officer, Delta Airlines. As the Chief Experience Officer for Delta Airlines, Allison has transformed Delta’s internal and external customer experience across all touchpoints and continues to maintain all-time customer satisfaction scores. Her key responsibilities include leading her team to ensure 200 million Delta customers have an enjoyable flight experience while maintaining a focus on safety and sustainability. As a leader who is cognizant of the correlation between employee engagement and customer experience, she continues to build upon Delta’s “great place to work” philosophy.

Brooke Keene – SVP and Chief Experience Officer at Ryan. Brooke leads the Client Experience (CX) department at Ryan –  an award-winning global tax services, software, and technology firm. She creates and implements strategies that are based on a customer-centric culture and seeks to continuously elevate the customer experience. Her CX team is responsible for researching the client journey and determining what matters most to their clients. She also manages the Client Insights program – which analyzes client feedback and measures the experiences delivered. Brooke is the recipient of the 2019 ISEA “Customer Service Leader of the Year” Award for her outstanding leadership in the customer service sector, bestowed by the Customer Service Institute of America. 

Teresa Anania – SVP of Global Customer Success, Renewals, and Customer Experience, Zendesk – Teresa is responsible for the management and development of Zendesk’s global client base. Her vision is to ensure Zendesk’s customers are realizing maximum business value across the customer lifecycle by ensuring an outstanding customer experience. She successfully aligns sales, marketing, and customer service teams to manifest her vision by designing and executing personalized buyer/customer journeys. Here is a great quote from her podcast interview with customer service expert and author, Shep Hyken:

“Our goal shouldn’t be about the customer buying from us. Our goal should be about them getting value.”

– Teresa Anania

While these five women stand out as extraordinary leaders in the CX sector, all women in customer experience leadership and support roles deserve credit for their contributions. Join us in saluting them! 

Additional Recources:

What Is The Difference Between A CXO (Chief Experience Officer) And A COO (Chief Operating Officer)?

The Emergence Of The Chief Customer Officer

Guest Blog by Jeanne Bliss: The CCO’s Checklist: 28 Actions To Take For Customer-Driven Growth