PolyAI


The CX 100


2026

The CX 100 is PolyAI's annual list of the most transformative, empowering and customer-focused CX leaders in the world. This year's winners are focusing on putting their customers in the driver's seat, making sure that every customer's voice is heard.

We are thrilled to celebrate these 100 trailblazers revolutionizing the way their businesses interact with customers. Each individual has been selected for their exceptional contributions to customer service. These leaders are setting new benchmarks in customer experience, empowering organizations and individuals, and driving transformation across the whole business.

Our 2026 winners

Eddie Acosta
Senior Vice President, Sales
Intellisys

Anthony Ainsworth
COO
E.ON

Daniel Bay
VP of Engineering, Guest Engagement & Digital Platforms
lululemon

Katie Beaudry
Senior Vice President, Global Head of Client Care
Visa

James Blackwood
Head of Contact Centres
Eurostar

Patti Breyfogle
VP, Global Consumer Services
Mattel

Andrea Brugger
Vice President, Salesforce Effectiveness
United Rentals

Cat Cleary
Head of Virtual Experiences
Barclays

Claudiu Coltea
Enterprise Head of CX
Travelers

Stephanie Courakos
Dr Customer Service & IT Ops
Pet Supermarket

Aimee Davis
VP, Head of Marketing, Communications and Customer Operations
Alliant Energy

Micheal DiPaolo
VP of CX Solutions
Verinext (now Artiq)

Mike Dolloff
EVP of Sales
AmpliX

Kim Estrada
AVP Customer Operations
Chesapeake Utilities

Danielle Evans
Director, Customer Experience Operations
APS

Nancy Flowers
VP, Customer Experience
Voya Financial

Oliver Fordham
Head of Conversational Banking
Nationwide Building Society / Virgin Money

Peter Formisano
COO
Valeris

Jeff Gagnon
VP Service Operations
Amica Insurance

James Glavey
COO Tesco Business Solutions
Tesco

Arienne Griffin
Director of Customer Services UKI
Flutter

Samvel Grigoryan
Senior Director, Global Customer Capabilities
Amgen

Jon Halvorsen
VP, Customer & Compliance
1-800 - Contacts

Shawn Hawley
VP, Support Operations
Asurion

Brian Higgins
Chief Customer Experience Officer
Verizon

Ebrahim Hyder
VP, Customer Service
Michael Kors

Ganesh Jayaram
Chief Digital & Information Officer
American Airlines

Brandon Jenkins
CEO/Founder
CBA Solutions

Harj Johal
MD, Customer Operations
The AA

David Johnson
SVP, Chief Customer Experience Officer
PSEG

Edgar Jones
Global Director, Performance Management for Global Business Services
BD

Zach Jones
VP, Practice Lead - Contact Center/CX/AI/Consulting
Simplify

Lukana Justin
CMO
Now Optics

Tom Karinshak
EVP, Chief Customer Experience Officer
Comcast

David Knight
Vice President / General Manager
Labcorp

Sheevali Knox
Head of Contact Centre Operations
Next

John Kochavatr
CIO & VP Digital Solutions
Portland General Electric

Gene Kropfelder
Executive Director, Customer Care & Experience
Ally

Mike Leonardi
Managing Director of CX/AI Practice
UPSTACK

Bill Lewis
Senior Director - Communications Technology
AdaptHealth

Christine Lin
Director, CX Strategy & Transformation
American Honda

Mike Lorenz
VP Resupply Software
Brightree

Jess Lucas
Head of Operations Delivery
Citi

Mark Lukens
GM - Customer Digital Solutions
Duke Energy

Jennifer MacKay
Vice President, Global Wealth & Asset Management Contact Centres and Customer Success
Manulife

Elka Macknicki
Sr. Product Owner
Automobile Club of Southern California

Jamey Maki
Vice President of eCommerce & Omnichannel, Customer Satisfaction
AutoZone

Richard Mann
COO
Decisely

Todd Manning
VP Customer Service and Platform Engineering
Premera Blue Cross

Steven Martinez
VP IT
Juniper Landscaping

Chris Matlock
Director of Customer Experience
O'Reilly Auto Parts

David McAbee
VP, Collobration & CX
Bridgepointe

Devlin McConnell
Sr. Manager Emerging Technology/ Generative AI
Vanguard

Shane McNamara
EVP of Engineering & Operations
Avant

Cristy Metre
AVP Contact Center Ops
Royal Caribbean Cruises

Sean Middleton
CTO
RazorMetrics

Brien Mikell
Sr Director of Customer Engagement
Love’s

Bill Miller
VP of Operations
Hyundai

Esther Mitrani
Operations Center Director
Brightline Trains

Laura Moore
SVP Technology Engineering
Global Credit Union

Sam Nelson
VP of CX and AI
Telarus

Andrew Parker
Founder / CEO
Papa

Valetta Parker
AVP, Unified Experience Services
Navy Federal Credit Union

Harry Parkes
VP Product & Experience
Ovo Energy

Andre Partridge
Head of Customer Service
DPD

Craig Paterson
VP - Digital Strategy & CX
Avangrid

Patrick Pent
Customer Engagement Technology Solutions
Southern Company

Lori Pon
AVP, Claims Innovation & Technology
Hanver Insurance

Justin Poser
EVP Customer Contact
M&T Bank

Tulio Prado
Head of Customer Service
Banco PAN

Sushant Prasad
VP Product/Engineering
QuinStreet

Harriet Quick
Director of CX Transformation
Thames Water

Mary Quinones
SVP Global Customer Services
Accurate Background

Indie Rai
Head of Customer Services
Travelodge

Thea Rasmussen
Director of CX Strategy
BroadReach

Joe Rice
CEO
CXponent

Vern Roberson
SVP
Discount Tire

Kriston Romano
VP, Customer Experience
Elexicon Energy

Ulku Rowe
CIO
Lloyds Banking Group

Jason Rudman
Chief Member & DIgital Experience Officer
BECU

Sri Sankar
VP, Enterprise Customer Experience
Nationwide

Eileen Saunders
Chief Customer Officer
PPL Corporation

Phoebe Schultz
VP Customer Experience Operations
Zillow

Mike Shay
SVP Global Member Services
TechStyle Fashion Group

Erik Snell
EVP and Chief Customer Experience Officer
Delta Air Lines

Dave Sprouse
Dr Contact Center Ops
Travel + Leisure

Brindha Sridhar
VP, Customer Experience Strategy
MetroPlusHealth

Joe Steele
VP of Business Enablement
Quick Quack

Sarina Swan
Senior Director, Customer Contact Center
Vitalant

Brandon Thompson
Director, Contact Center Operations
SRP

Ed Tollinton
Chief Information Officer
Nandos

Nilesh Upadhye
Vice President of Global Customer Delivery
Mastercard UK

Carissa Upshir
VP Strategic Initiatives, Contact Center
Velera

Matt Vaccarezza
Chief, Strategic Analyst
PG&E

Bala Venkataramanan
SVP Customer Experience & Operations
BILL

John Whelan
VP, Customer Experience
Squaretrade, Allstate

Mark Wiebe
Group Dr Transportation Management
Ryder Systems

Sarah Wright
Vice President of Global CS
ResMed

Jane Yuen
Head of Enterprise Channels
CIBC