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