CX Network is proud to release our 2025 guide to the top 30 contact center leaders you need to follow this year.
From innovative directors and VPs to pioneering technology experts, strategists and transformation champions, this year’s list highlights individuals from around the world who are reshaping the contact center landscape! These leaders are pushing the boundaries of customer service, leveraging AI and automation to elevate both agent and customer experiences and inspiring the future of contact center excellence.
To compile this year’s list, the CX Network editorial team evaluated a range of criteria, including leadership impact, industry influence, expertise in contact center operations, recent innovations and contributions to the broader customer experience (CX) conversation. As contact centers continue to evolve into critical hubs of customer engagement, our selection reflects the diverse perspectives, technologies and best practices shaping this space.
Listed alphabetically, each profile showcases why the individual stands out, alongside a curated selection of their top articles, podcasts, newsletters and insights.
Scroll through to see who’s driving the future of contact centers or click a name to jump straight to their profile.
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Ian Aitchison
COPC
Ian Aitchison is CEO of a leading CX consultancy – COPC (Asia Pacific) - helping organizations optimize operations across contact centers, digital channels, back office and retail networks. With decades of experience delivering CX strategy, training and certification across markets from Australia to South Korea, Aitchison is known for driving measurable improvements in service, satisfaction and cost efficiency.
Specializing in contact center optimization and customer journey transformation, Aitchison works with major telcos, banks, airlines and government bodies to lift performance and enhance the customer experience. His expertise spans everything from service blueprinting and NPS management to vendor selection and offshoring strategy, making him a trusted advisor across the APAC CX landscape.
Our pick of Ian Aitchison's content:
- Article: From enthusiasm to experience: The hidden shift in what makes contact center agents tick
- Article: Resolution over choice: Rethinking customer contact channel strategies
- Find out what Ian Aitchison is talking about on LinkedIn
Heather Arthur
Scotiabank
Heather Arthur is VP of Global Experience Centers at Scotiabank, where she leads Canadian and international contact center operations, supporting over 3,000 employees across multiple centers - from fraud and mortgages to credit cards and everyday banking. Arthur has more than 20 years of leadership experience and is also the host of the Say YES Movement podcast and is a sought-after speaker on topics like customer experience, employee engagement and culture. Her leadership excellence has earned her numerous accolades, including the 2022 Empowered Women Award and 2020 Top VP of Communications honor.
Our pick of Heather Arthur's content:
- Say Yes Movement Podcast
- Find out what Heather Arthur is talking about on LinkedIn
Natalie Beckerman
IHG Hotels & Resorts
With over 15 years of experience, Natalie Beckerman is the Global Head of Customer Support Operations at IGH Hotels & Resorts. Beckerman drives financial growth through multi-channel contact center deployment and transformative go-to-market initiatives.
Speaking to CX Network on how she balances technology and human touch in her CX strategies, Beckerman says: "Balancing is not always easy. Each day, I strive to harmonize cutting-edge technology with genuine human empathy, ensuring automation enhances and not replaces the personalized experiences customers value."
Find out what Natalie Beckerman is talking about on LinkedIn
Pierluigi Bosco
Sky
Pierluigi Bosco is head of communications – customers and advisors at Sky, where he leads customer engagement strategies. With over 15 years of experience in B2B and B2C marketing, including roles as global head of CX & digital transformation and CRM & analytics lead, Bosco has a record of aligning cross-functional teams to drive growth and customer-centric transformation. His expertise spans lifecycle marketing, customer loyalty and digital engagement, making him a sought-after speaker and thought leader in the CX space. Previously, Bosco served as global B2C CX Lead at Shell, where he deployed award-winning CRM programs across 23 markets, enhancing customer engagement and delivering sustainable business growth.
Find out what Pierluigi Bosco is talking about on LinkedIn
Nate Brown
CX Accelerator
Nate Brown is the co-founder of CX Accelerator, a non-profit community empowering CX professionals at every stage of their journey. With hands-on experience in journey mapping, VoC programs and employee engagement, Brown helps teams turn customer understanding into action. “Make the quick parts quick and the slow parts meaningful,” he says, advocating for contact centers to shift from efficiency-first to experience-led strategies.
Having helped establish multiple contact centers, Brown excels at showing employees how they impact the customer journey. His passion for turning service interactions into strategic assets continues to inspire a new generation of CX leaders!
Find out what Nate Brown is talking about on LinkedIn
Tim Buzza
CHAMPIONS AT WORK
Tim Buzza is a contact center technology specialist with 25 years of experience in the industry. As the founder of Champions at Work, he leads a global consultancy dedicated to enhancing employee well-being and customer experience through innovative solutions. Recognized twice as one of Australia's top industry influencers, Buzza is a prominent thought leader in flexible working software and a regular keynote speaker at industry events.
Buzza’s approach emphasizes the integration of technology to support flexible work arrangements, aiming to create environments that foster both employee satisfaction and exceptional customer service. Through his ventures, he continues to shape the future of contact centers, advocating for solutions that prioritize the well-being of employees while delivering superior customer experiences.
Our pick of Tim Buzza's content:
- Article: Why workforce planning software in contact centers is not commoditized
- Article: Make contact centers great again
- Find out what Tim Buzza is talking about on LinkedIn
Mei-Ling Cheong-Nepia
Australian Ethical Investment
As head of services and operations at Australian Ethical Investment, Mei-Ling Cheong-Nepia leads contact center strategy, CX and operational transformation. With over 25 years of experience in financial services, Nepia has managed large, multi-site service teams through growth, change and disruption, always with a focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences.
Speaking to CX Network, Cheong-Nepia said that “the rapid transition to remote work during the pandemic challenged traditional contact center models. It became clear that high-performing teams are not built on proximity, but on clear communication, psychological safety and shared purpose.”
Find out what Mei-Ling Cheong-Nepia is talking about on LinkedIn
Brad Cleveland
ICMI
Brad Cleveland is one of the most respected voices in the contact center industry, serving as Senior Advisor at ICMI, a role that follows his tenure as the organization’s founding partner and former CEO. With a consulting portfolio that includes Apple, USAA and the U.S. government, Cleveland has helped shape customer experience strategies in over 60 countries. He’s also the author of foundational texts like Contact Center Management on Fast Forward and Leading the Customer Experience, and his thought leadership is featured in LinkedIn Learning, NPR and The New York Times.
Recognized with ICMI’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Cleveland continues to inspire the next generation of CX leaders through strategic advisory, keynotes and education. He believes the best contact centers are “focused not just on resolving issues, but on winning customer loyalty and capturing insights that improve products, services and processes across the organization.”
Our pick of Brad Cleveland's content:
- Newsletter: The Edge of Service
- Find out what Brad Cleveland is talking about on LinkedIn
Sherry Comes
PwC
Sherry Comes is a conversational AI and emerging technology leader at PwC, driving innovation at the intersection of technology, customer experience and contact center transformation. With decades of experience advising Fortune 10 brands, she pioneers AI-driven solutions that elevate user engagement, streamline operations and reinvent how work is defined across global enterprises. Known for building and scaling AI practices from the ground up, Comes has led teams of 800+ across five continents and delivered transformative projects valued at up to $1B.
Find out what Sherry Comes is talking about on LinkedIn
Joshua Curtis
Super Retail Group
Joshua Curtis, customer care center manager at Super Retail Group (SRG), leads a 150-strong team across operations, workforce planning and insights. He has delivered measurable impact, boosting employee engagement by 25 points to 85, lifting NPS by 15 percent and cutting contact volumes by 25 percent. Partnering closely with SRG’s Executive Leadership Team, he’s embedded customer insights into strategy and spearheaded digital tools that enhance both customer and agent experiences.
Curtis believes the next era of CX will be defined by harmony between human and AI support. “The real shift will be how we bring AI and human support together in a way that actually improves customer outcomes, not just speed,” he says. His vision includes reimagining the contact center around flexibility and outcomes like first contact resolution, ensuring it becomes “a natural extension of the full customer experience.”
Find out what Joshua Curtis is talking about on LinkedIn
Wes Dudley
Broad River Retail
As vice president of CX and retail operations, Wes Dudley executes transformative CX strategies across 33 locations and a high-performing contact center operation. With a focus on operational excellence, Dudley has championed initiatives that reduced return rates by over 50 percent, elevated digital CX through AI integration and earned national recognition for customer satisfaction and service innovation. Dudley developed the “CX All-Stars” initiative to boost engagement, reduce attrition and build internal leadership capability.
Speaking to CX Network on his idea of a perfect contact center, he said: “I’d build an insight-driven, omnichannel experience hub focused on value creation, not just resolution, empowering teams with AI tools and metrics that prioritize customer impact over efficiency alone.”
Find out what Wes Dudley is talking about on LinkedIn
Mike Egli
RingCentral
As CX client principal at RingCentral, Mike Egli plays a vital role in guiding enterprise contact centers through digital transformation. With over two decades of experience in technology sales, telecommunications and consulting, Egli helps clients unlock the full potential of AI, omnichannel capabilities and workforce optimization. At RingCentral, he also leads the Value Practice, arming sales teams with strategic insights and ROI frameworks to effectively articulate the business value of modern contact center solutions.
Egli is a recognized thought leader and frequent speaker on the impact of AI and CCaaS innovations in CX. His leadership has consistently driven revenue growth through strategic sales initiatives and high-performing teams.
Find out what Mike Egli is talking about on LinkedIn
Jennifer Hanson
Andersen Corporation
Known for revitalizing contact centers and enterprise support teams through a mix of human capital development and AI-driven innovation, Jennifer Hanson is the director of CX at Andersen Corporation. With a focus on omnichannel experience, she has successfully led service center transformations that improve both efficiency and customer satisfaction across complex, matrixed organizations.
Hanson achieved an annual cost saving of $20 million through tech automation, while boosting customer and employee satisfaction. She brings expertise in CRM and telephony systems like Salesforce, NICE and Genesys and excels in solving cross-functional challenges, collaborating with legal, supply chain, IT and field teams to resolve high-stakes customer issues and elevate the service experience.
Find out what Jennifer Hanson is talking about on LinkedIn
Ebrahim Hyder
Michael Kors
Ebrahim Hyder, VP of customer service at Michael Kors, is a visionary CX leader with over 20 years of global experience in transforming customer service operations. At the helm of the luxury fashion brand’s service division, he has earned industry acclaim, including a Gold Stevie Award, by driving high-impact strategies that elevate brand loyalty and deliver premium, personalized experiences. He also co-chairs the Execs In The Know Advisory Board, where he champions innovation and cross-industry collaboration.
Looking ahead, Hyder sees a seismic shift toward "predictive customer success orchestration." Speaking to CX Network, he said: "We’re moving beyond responding to customer needs toward anticipating and preventing issues before they occur." His vision includes replacing traditional contact centers with a "Customer Success Command Center," where agentic AI handles routine tasks, while human supervisors focus on coaching AI and solving complex issues. For Hyder, the future of CX lies in hyper-personalized, always-on service powered by intelligent collaboration.
Find out what Ebrahim Hyder is talking about on LinkedIn
Pete Jones
Grypp Corp
Pete Jones is the founder and CEO of Grypp Corp, a digital experience platform (DXP) company transforming how contact centers engage with customers. Since launching Grypp in 2017, Jones has led the charge in redefining conversations by adding live, interactive capabilities, such as real-time visuals, file sharing and e-signatures to traditional voice, chat and messaging channels. His mission is to help contact centers move beyond transactional service and create emotionally resonant, revenue-driving experiences.
Grypp empowers agents to deliver richer, more efficient interactions that increase conversion and reduce operational costs. With over 300 billion contact center conversations happening annually, Jones sees each one as an opportunity to “be Grypped” - a moment where better technology can build stronger connections and better commerce. His vision continues to reshape what’s possible in the future of contact center engagement.
Find out what Pete Jones is talking about on LinkedIn
Mazen Khalef
Q Mobility
Mazen Khalef is the customer care manager at Q Mobility, where he oversees sales, customer service, workforce management and quality assurance. With over a decade of leadership experience in international contact centers, Khalef brings a people- and process-oriented approach to improving customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. His expertise spans diverse sectors, from real estate and telecom to online travel and government services.
Khalef has played a hands-on role in every phase of the contact center lifecycle, from forecasting and hiring to performance management and strategic planning. With over four years of direct experience serving GCC clients, he understands the importance of tailoring customer interactions to regional needs while maintaining global standards.
Find out what Mazen Khalef is talking about on LinkedIn
Sharon Melamed
Matchboard
Sharon Melamed is the Managing Director at Matchboard, a business matchmaking platform. Melamed’s career includes 15 years driving growth in Australia and the US for a Japanese multinational, helping it expand from 60 to nearly 1,000 employees and achieve IPO. A specialist in outsourcing, contact centers and multilingual CRM, she brings deep expertise and a global mindset.
"Our clients at Matchboard get great self-service when they’re trying to find the best solutions in the market to meet their CX needs, but at the same time they can access a human concierge-style advisory service if they need guidance in their buying journey," Melamed said to CX Network.
Our pick of Sharon Melamed's content:
- Artice: 10 things I've learnt in 10 years of running a business
- Find out what Sharon Melamed is talking about on LinkedIn
Andrew Mulero
Telstra
Andrew Mulero is senior lead of customer service delivery at Telstra, where he drives innovation across global contact center operations. His CX strategy blends AI with human empathy, using technology for routine tasks while ensuring human support is available for more complex or emotionally charged interactions. "It’s about creating seamless, efficient and emotionally resonant experiences," he says.
Mulero’s leadership has evolved from a results-driven mindset to a people-first approach. "A happy workforce will often achieve goals and targets with ease," he reflects. By empowering frontline teams and treating each case uniquely, he fosters a culture that delivers both employee satisfaction and exceptional customer outcomes.
Find out what Andrew Mulero is talking about on LinkedIn
Megan Papadopoulos
Bendigo Bank
Megan Papadopoulos is the general manager of customer contact at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, where she leads the bank’s contact center and customer resolution teams across Australia. Under her leadership, the bank has embraced a "digital by design – human when it matters" strategy, resulting in a 20 percent uplift in customer service efficiency, a 90 percent reduction in call wait time complaints and a 17 percent year-on-year improvement in Net Promoter Score. A passionate contact center evangelist, Papadopoulos has been instrumental in transforming the bank’s operations through cloud migration and AI-driven insights.
Find out what Megan Papadopoulos is talking about on LinkedIn
Vinay Parmar
Customer Whisperers
Vinay Parmar, founder of Customer Whisperers and CX Network advisory board member, brings over 30 years of experience transforming service across travel, finance, retail and more. From contact center agent to C-suite leader, he helps brands turn everyday interactions into memorable moments that build trust, spark emotion and drive loyalty. "The product of experience is memory," Parmar says and memory shapes everything that comes next.
Looking ahead, Parmar sees contact centers evolving from transactional hubs to strategic, relationship-focused teams. "They should be part of the central nervous system of the business," he says to CX Network, "not just cost centers." He believes CX belongs at the top table, guiding strategy, driving retention and creating the kind of customer intelligence that fuels business-wide success.
Our pick of Vinay Parmar's content:
Kristina Pushik
BINGO INDUSTRIES
Kristina Pushik is a contact center manager at BINGO Industries and chair of Women of BINGO, where she has transformed the contact center into a high-impact, tech-enabled operation. With over a decade of experience in customer service and operational leadership, she has introduced innovations such as chatbots, callback systems and real-time data analytics to improve efficiency and satisfaction. Looking ahead, Pushik sees AI as the key to hyper-personalized service: "Businesses will increasingly harness AI and real-time data to create highly personalized experiences at every stage of the customer journey."
Pushik envisions the ideal contact center as fully omnichannel and AI-supported, where "all customer channels are managed from a single platform" and agents are equipped with the right data for complex issues.
Find out what Kristina Pushik is talking about on LinkedIn
Jasmine Reno
Mr. Cooper
Jasmine Reno, AVP of customer care and solutions at Mr. Cooper, is a seasoned contact center leader with a proven track record in operational excellence and team development. With extensive experience overseeing large-scale contact centers, including a 320-seat operation for a Fortune 500 mortgage lender, she has demonstrated the ability to drive efficiency through the optimization of technology, people and processes. At Mr. Cooper, Reno continues to focus on enhancing the customer experience by implementing strategic plans that monitor and measure contact center performance.
Find out what Jasmine Reno is talking about on LinkedIn
Donald Rice
Wells Fargo
Donald Rice is executive director of Call Center Technologies at Wells Fargo, where he leads global call management solutions supporting over 60,000 agents. With a team of more than 150 technology specialists, including 15+ managers across multiple time zones, he oversees a complex tech ecosystem that includes voice biometrics, predictive dialers, intelligent IVRs and hybrid call management systems. His strategic direction ensures seamless inbound and outbound call operations for one of the world’s largest financial institutions.
Find out what Donald Rice is talking about on LinkedIn
Darren Rushworth
NICE
Darren Rushworth is president of NICE International, leading global field operations with a focus on sales, marketing and customer service excellence. Since joining NICE in 2017, he has played a pivotal role in expanding the cloud contact center business internationally and building a strong partner ecosystem across markets.
With over 30 years in the IT industry - 21 of those in the Asia Pacific region – Rushworth brings deep expertise in customer experience, digital transformation and enterprise sales. His leadership has consistently driven innovation and growth, positioning NICE as a leading force in modernizing CX and contact center operations worldwide.
Find out what Darren Rushworth is talking about on LinkedIn
Peter Ryan
Ryan Strategic Advisory
Peter Ryan is president and principal analyst at Ryan Strategic Advisory, where he provides strategic counsel to stakeholders across the global contact center and BPO ecosystem. Ryan is a trusted voice in the contact center space, helping organizations align strategy with shifting customer expectations, emerging markets and evolving tech trends. His insights continue to shape the future of front-office services worldwide.
Speaking to CX Network, Ryan said: "Sadly, there are too many generic facilities that still have that 1990s feel to them – cavernous, bland and uninspiring. For any contact center to be effective, agents and their supervisors need to be inspired in an atmosphere that is conducive to driving the best results."
Find out what Peter Ryan is talking about on LinkedIn
Joe Smyth
Genesys
Joe Smyth is SVP of R&D for digital, AI and journey management at Genesys, a global leader in cloud customer experience and contact center solutions. With a focus on innovation, Smyth leads the development of cutting-edge technologies that drive seamless, personalized customer journeys across digital and AI-powered channels.
A vocal advocate for responsible AI and scalable CX architecture, Smyth plays a key role in shaping the future of customer engagement. His work empowers organizations to predict intent, automate intelligently and deliver experiences that meet customers where they are, all while optimizing operations behind the scenes. Joe’s passion for practical innovation has helped position Genesys as a front-runner in delivering empathetic, outcome-driven customer interactions.
Find out what Joe Smyth is talking about on LinkedIn
Josh Streets
QX Now
Josh Streets is the founder and CEO of QX Now, an AI and IT transformation consultancy specializing in customer and employee experience innovation. With over 25 years in contact center leadership and strategy, Josh has guided major brands through AI implementation, ROI modelling and workforce transformation. He coined the term “QX” (Quantum Experiences) to describe the future of CX, where AI, security and proactive services converge to deliver seamless, emotionally intelligent interactions.
A longtime advisor to ICMI and HDI, Streets is a sought-after speaker and contributor on AI and CX transformation. He envisions a reimagined contact center as a destination for long-term careers, stating, “Every type of professional or personal strength anyone has can be leveraged somehow within a contact center career.” Through QX Now, he continues to help organizations build future-ready service models.
Our pick of Josh Streets' content:
- Newsletter: Modern Executive Insights
- Find out what Josh Streets is talking about on LinkedIn
Saki Takeda
Netflix
Saki Takeda is Director of Product Management for Customer Service at Netflix, where she leads innovation in customer service technologies to elevate both customer and employee experiences. With over 20 years in the IT industry and a decade focused on CX, she is passionate about combining digital tools with human-centric service to drive lasting impact in the contact center space.
Saki’s leadership balances tech advancement with empathy. "By automating routine processes, we enable our team to focus on personalized, empathetic interactions," she says. Transparent about using tools like generative AI, she believes trust and clear communication are essential. Her evolving strategy emphasizes not just efficiency, but enhancing the quality and depth of customer engagement.
Find out what Saki Takeda is talking about on LinkedIn
Adam Toporek
CTS Service Solutions
Adam Toporek is an internationally recognized CX strategist and founder of CTS Service Solutions, where he helps organizations elevate their contact centers through smarter strategy, training and communication. With a background in retail, franchising and small business, Toporek brings a practical, bottom-line perspective to CX that resonates across industries. He’s also the author of Be Your Customer’s Hero and the voice behind the long-running Customers That Stick® blog and Crack the Customer Code podcast.
A sought-after speaker and trainer, Adam is known for his ability to blend frontline empathy with strategic CX insights, earning him recognition in Entrepreneur, Forbes and over 200 media outlets. His virtual training programs and hands-on approach have made him a go-to expert for organizations looking to transform their contact centers into customer loyalty engines.
Find out what Adam Toporek is talking about on LinkedIn
Paulette Toynton
HSBC
As global head of channel servicing and customer care strategy for HSBC's Commercial Bank, Paulette Toynton is redefining how commercial clients interact with the bank by implementing a digital-first, 24/7 service model that ensures seamless and secure banking experiences, supported by skilled human advisors when needed. With over 25 years of experience in financial services, she has held senior leadership roles at institutions including Bank of America, Santander, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB.
Toynton is recognized for her ability to transform strategic visions into operational realities, leveraging technologies like AI and generative AI to enhance both customer and agent experiences. Her leadership philosophy centers on simplifying complex challenges and fostering a customer-centric culture within the contact center environment.
Find out what Paulette Toynton is talking about on LinkedIn