Vanessa Hardy-Bowen

Director of Guest Care & Contact Centers Spirit Airlines

Vanessa Hardy-Bowen is a transformative leader in customer experience strategy, known for her ability to blend cutting-edge AI innovation with practical, results-driven operations leadership. With over two decades of experience in the airline industry, Vanessa currently leads customer care transformation efforts at Spirit Airlines, where she has been instrumental in reimagining the guest experience through digital innovation, workforce optimization, and strategic vendor partnerships.

Vanessa has spearheaded initiatives that integrate AI and automation across customer service channels—streamlining operations, increasing self-service adoption, and improving agent enablement through intent-driven design. Her work has led to measurable gains in cost efficiency, customer satisfaction, and team productivity.

In addition to her AI-focused efforts, Vanessa brings deep expertise in managing global BPO relationships. She has overseen multi-site contact center networks, driven performance alignment, and helped restructure partner roles to support compliance, training, quality assurance, and scale. Her approach emphasizes partnership transparency, cultural integration, and a strong focus on delivering consistent, empathetic service.

Vanessa is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, was named runner up to Contact Center Leader of the Year at CCW 2024, and is passionate about mentoring future leaders, championing diversity in leadership, and shaping strategies that empower teams while enhancing the digital guest journey.