Agenda

Featuring six specialised topic stages and a main stage, with the latest AV technology bringing case study presentations to life

3000+ ATTENDEES

250+ PRESENTERS

7 Stages

2 Days

EBM---Customer-Engagement-Summit---09-10-2025-0072

10:00 - 10:05 Studio Host Welcome

LIVE! From the Engage Customer studio, Gerry Brown, Chief Customer Rescue Officer at Customer Lifeguard opens the Virtual Customer Engagement Transformation Conference with a whole host of organisations set to take to the stage, ranging from BMW to Trainline, to Microsoft to Pfizer, describing the unprecedented times they have encountered so far during the last 18 months and how they have kept up with customer trends to implement winning strategies and reap the rewards of customer loyalty as a result.

Speaker: Gerry Brown Customer Lifeguard

10:00 - 10:05 Studio Host Welcome

Dates:

Wednesday 07 October 2026

08:55 - 09:00

Main Stage

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

Introduction

The Customer-Led Growth Agenda

Welcome to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 is all about The Customer Reality – putting the real pressures, gaps and successes in customer engagement front and centre. From strained contact centres and shifting customer expectations to the challenges of turning data into decisions and rebuilding loyalty, today is designed to surface what is genuinely happening in organisations right now, not just what the slideware says.

In this opening address, Martin will set the tone for a day of honest, practical insight. Today’s agenda is built to help you see your own organisation more clearly – through case studies, panels and conversations grounded in lived experience.

Speaker:

Martin Hill-Wilson

Brainfood Training

Co-Founder

Martin Hill-Wilson is a long-standing member of the Customer Engagement community. Over his career, he has launched a series of change initiatives using the dynamic of action-based learning – most recently AI for Non Technical Minds. All are designed to disrupt and reset the ‘art of the possible’ using new operating models re-imagined through foundation user education.

09:00 - 09:25

Main Stage

Live Launch: The UK CX Report 2026

Opening Keynote

The Customer-Led Growth Agenda

Engage Customer, in partnership with Ipsos, are delighted to debut the findings of their brand‑new UK CX Report – revealed for the first time at the Engage Customer Summit.

In this exclusive session, you’ll get a clear, data‑driven view of how customers are really experiencing brands today, where expectations are shifting, and which questions senior leaders need to be asking of their own organisations next. The focus is on headline insights and strategic implications rather than detailed slideware, keeping the full report content fresh for those attending.

Join Jamie and Laura as they share the top takeaways, challenge common assumptions, and highlight the areas where the market may be less prepared than it thinks.

You’ll leave with an early, privileged perspective on the new UK CX evidence base and a set of prompts to take back to your own boardroom.

Speakers:

Jamie Thorpe

Ipsos

Chief Experience Officer

Jamie is a CX, Research and Engagement professional with over 25 years industry experience and expertise. Having worked directly with clients for the duration of his career he prides himself on developing solutions with them to meet their needs and drive actionable intelligence into the business. Jamie recognises the growing need for brands to be connected with customers and the customers realisation of their own value. These elements, when blended with the technologically advanced world in which we now live and the fickle, impatient customer of today, make the customer agenda more important than ever. Customer segmentation, data, business intelligence and insight play a key part. Jamie is a member of several leading governing bodies and well networked both within the supplier and client communities - all of which enables him to provide guidance and support irrespective of sector and methodology.

Laura Godfrey

Ipsos

Head of Client Service Team, CX

Laura is the Head of Client Service for CX at Ipsos UK. With over 20 years’ experience, she leads a team that delivers cutting-edge research programmes, insights, analytics and professional services to brands across all industry verticals. Passionate about making a difference, Laura is committed to helping clients build stronger, more profitable relationships with their customers, through best practice programme design and delivery.

09:50 - 10:20

Main Stage

The Growth Conversation Every Organisation Should Be Having

Panel Discussion

The Customer-Led Growth Agenda

Customer experience has long been positioned as a strategic priority, yet the gap between organisations that talk about customer-led growth and those genuinely building commercial strategy around it remains significant. As competitive pressure intensifies, the decisions leaders make about where to invest, what to measure, and how to align the whole organisation behind a single, customer-led growth agenda are becoming increasingly consequential.

In this panel, senior leaders will share how they are making customer experience a genuine priority rather than a functional concern. From building the business case for CX investment to aligning leadership teams around a shared growth agenda, panellists will explore the strategic decisions, cultural shifts, and hard lessons that separate experience leaders from the rest.

What you'll gain:

Insight into how senior leaders are linking CX strategies to measurable growth
Practical approaches to building leadership appetite for customer-led transformation
Real examples of the strategic decisions that are making the biggest difference
A clearer picture of what genuine alignment between CX and revenue growth looks like in practice

Speaker:

Will Abbott

Workspace

Chief Customer Officer

Growth-focused marketing leader with a track record of helping organisations scale by uniting brand strategy, performance marketing, revenue optimisation, data & insight and customer experience.My experience spans FTSE-listed, PE-backed and high-growth businesses, with particular depth in SME-focused markets. Much of my work has been about applying the discipline and creativity of B2C marketing to more complex B2B environments – building brands that create preference, drive demand and long-term customer value. At Workspace, my role as Chief Customer Officer encompasses a broad growth agenda across brand, proposition, marketing, digital, CRM, partnerships and customer experience. My background includes brand repositioning, performance marketing, CRM and segmentation, digital transformation, customer experience, AI adoption, proposition development and cross-functional leadership. Across roles at Workspace, Hiscox, Neilson, Freesat, Sky and Complan, I’ve helped build stronger brands, improve conversion, grow customer bases and create more commercially accountable marketing teams.

10:20 - 11:00

Main Stage

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

The Customer-Led Growth Agenda

Step away from the Main Stage and make the most of our exhibition space.

This break is your opportunity to engage with sponsors, explore new tools and services, and exchange insights with fellow attendees. Whether you’re looking for solutions, inspiration or new connections, the exhibition floor is where conversations come to life.

Top Tip: Use the Event App to pre-book meetings with those partners and peers that matter most.

11:00 - 11:25

Main Stage

DHL Express Case Study: What Transformation Setbacks Taught Me About Scaling AI, Change and Customer Operations

Case Study

Innovation, Disruption & Building the Future-Ready Organisation

Technology transformation rarely fails because of the technology itself. More often, the challenges emerge when new systems, processes and ways of working meet the reality of day-to-day operations.
Drawing on her customer service transformation journey, this session explores the lessons learned from a major service migration, the unexpected impact, and how those experiences are now shaping the organisation's approach to AI, innovation and future change.

This presentation offers an honest perspective on what happens when transformation doesn’t go as expected, and what leaders can learn from it.

What was unexpected during a large-scale transformation and the lessons learned along the way.
Why trust, adoption and employee confidence matter as much as technology.
Building a culture that embraces experimentation, learning and continuous improvement.
Leading through uncertainty and creating the conditions for innovation to succeed.
Applying those lessons to the next generation of AI and agentic AI initiatives.

Speaker:

Jen Sharp

DHL Express

VP Customer Service

Jen Sharp is Vice President Customer Services at DHL Express, leading customer service strategy and operations in the United Kingdom. She previously served as Contact Centre Director and Acting Director of Customer Service UK, driving service excellence and employee engagement in high‑performing teams. With a background in customer experience and front-line leadership, she focuses on empowering advisors to deliver world‑class service and building a strong coaching and feedback culture. Jen brings extensive experience in operational transformation and people leadership within a fast‑paced global logistics environment.

11:50 - 12:20

Main Stage

Ahead of the Curve – What It Really Takes to Be Industry-Leading

Panel Discussion

Innovation, Disruption & Building the Future-Ready Organisation

Disruption is no longer a future threat, it is a present reality. The organisations winning in customer engagement are not just responding to change, they are driving it, making bold bets on new models, new technology, and new ways of thinking about the customer relationship before their competitors do. Yet building an organisation that can genuinely innovate at pace while maintaining strategic direction remains one of the hardest leadership challenges of our time.

In this panel, senior leaders will share how they are actively shaping the future of their industries rather than reacting to it. From creating the cultural conditions for genuine innovation to making the strategic calls that keep organisations on the right side of disruption, panellists will explore what it takes to lead boldly when the pace of change shows no sign of slowing.

What you'll gain:

Insight into how senior leaders are building organisations that can genuinely innovate at pace
Practical approaches to staying on the right side of disruption rather than reacting to it
Real examples of bold strategic bets that are paying off in customer engagement
A clearer picture of what a future-ready organisation actually looks like from the inside

Speaker:

Lisa Topliss

Ricoh Europe

Director Strategy & Operations

I cut through noise and ambiguity.Strategy | Portfolio | Go-To-Market | Enterprise Enablement I specialise in making complex digital strategy executable and adoptable at scale - ensuring investment translates into measurable performance and customer value. I lead a portfolio that enables customers to operationalise change. Aligning product direction, go-to-market execution, and business priorities to drive sustained impact. Focus Areas:• Portfolio Strategy & Enterprise Go-To-Market • Strategy-to-Execution Leadership • Adoption at Scale • Turning Complexity into Clear, Commercial Outcomes.

12:45 - 14:00

Main Stage

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Innovation, Disruption & Building the Future-Ready Organisation

14:00 - 14:25

Main Stage

From Optimisation to Reinvention: How END. Is Harnessing AI to Transform

Interview

Leadership, Culture & Trust in Driving Transformation

When Andrew Webber stepped into the Chief Digital & Customer Officer role at END., he made a deliberate choice: AI wouldn’t be a tool for marginal gains, it would be the engine of a fundamental shift in how the business performs and serves customers. In this interview, Andrew shares why he believes AI can leapfrog broken processes rather than slowly patching them, and how that conviction is shaping his transformation agenda.

Across the conversation, we’ll explore:

Why incremental optimisation is no longer enough – and what “full commercial transformation” means in practice
How AI is being applied across customer journeys, decision‑making and operational bottlenecks
The leadership, governance and talent moves needed to unlock AI’s real value at scale
What “progress” looks like through Andrew’s lens, and how he keeps customer outcomes at the heart of a tech‑driven change programme

This is a candid look at what it really takes to lead AI‑driven change as a Chief Digital & Customer Officer, with lessons for any senior leader rethinking how technology, customer and commercial strategy come together.

Speaker:

Andrew Webber

END.

Chief Digital & Customer Officer

Executive customer, data and digital focused marketer with 20 years of senior experience supporting brands to put customers at the heart of their brand, creative, performance and retention strategy.

Strategic whilst being technical and execution-focused, I have a track record of helping brands build a deep customer understanding and utilising that to build more profitable and efficient acquisition and retention journeys.

As the previous founder of an AI company, I use this experience to reshape the people, technology and processes needed to future-proof businesses for the modern world.

14:50 - 15:20

Main Stage

The Culture Problem Nobody Talks About

Panel Discussion

Leadership, Culture & Trust in Driving Transformation

Technology can be bought. Culture has to be built. And trust, once lost, is extraordinarily difficult to rebuild. For C-suite leaders, the ability to shape culture, lead through uncertainty, and build genuine trust with both customers and employees is arguably the most consequential and least discussed dimension of CX leadership. Yet in many organisations, culture and trust remain aspirational rather than operational.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what it has genuinely taken to drive cultural transformation that sticks. From building trust internally and externally under significant commercial pressure to leading through change without creating the anxiety that undermines performance, panellists will explore the lived experience of making culture and trust real competitive advantages rather than values on a wall.

What you'll gain:

Honest perspectives on what cultural transformation looks like from the top
Insight into how senior leaders are building trust with customers and employees simultaneously
Practical approaches to leading through change without losing the culture you are trying to build
Real examples of the moments that tested culture and trust, and what they revealed

Speakers:

Judy Boniface-Chang

Birdie

Chief Customer Officer

I build the commercial engines that make mission-driven companies grow. But if there's one thing twenty years has taught me, it's that strategy doesn't fail on the spreadsheet. It fails in the gap between what leaders decide and what teams actually believe. Culture and trust aren't the soft edges of transformation; they're the whole game.

I've built and restructured teams across the US, EMEA and APAC, and every time, the technical part was the easy bit. The hard part was earning the trust to take people somewhere they couldn't yet see.

At Birdie I coined the vision "it takes a village", not as a tagline, but as a genuine organising principle for how we lead and build an impactful culture that puts the person receiving care at the centre, and connect everyone around them. Over the last four years I've led a transformation of our customer organisation, redesigning it into segmented functions and embedding AI early and deliberately. While that drove a sign improvement in gross margin, the result I'm proudest of is a team that stayed engaged through the change rather than bracing against it. You don't get one without the other.

I'm convinced the leaders who win the next few years won't be the ones with the best AI roadmap, but the ones who build enough trust for their people to actually use it well. If you're wrestling with how to lead change without losing the humans in it, I'd always welcome the conversation.

Kieran Holdcroft

ManyPets

Operations Director

Hi, I am Kieran, a COO / Operations Director / Head of Operations level leader with 15 years’ experience, having operated in Professional Services, Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and the Third Sector, within start-ups, SMEs, PE and large corporates.

I am a Father, Performance-Focused Senior Operational Expert, Novice NFL Lover, Organizational Culture Developer, Emotionally Intelligent Leader, Deliverer of Change that Sticks and Talent Cultivator.

Operations, done well, can be your organizations' differentiator, giving you capabilities to outperform the competition, a commercial cost base to build a profitable service from and a controlled environment that can be relied upon to run consistently.

It’s not straightforward, however, and over the past 15 years I’ve excelled at helping businesses tackle and overcome those challenges that often get in the way.

15:45 - 16:05

Main Stage

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Leadership, Culture & Trust in Driving Transformation

16:05 - 16:30

Main Stage

Inside Bel: Building the Capability Behind Babybel, The Laughing Cow and Beyond

Interview

The State of Customer Experience: What the Data is Telling Us

As Chief Capability Officer at Bel – the group behind household names such as Babybel, The Laughing Cow and a broader portfolio of dairy and snacking brands – Hady Kalaf sits at the point where strategy, people and execution meet. In this interview, he explores what the “future of work” really means when a global consumer brand group rethinks how it builds capability across multiple markets and banners.

Across the conversation, we’ll explore:

Why future‑of‑work debates often stay abstract – and how Bel translates them into concrete capability decisions for brands customers recognise
How Bel is re‑thinking skills, structures and collaboration to stay competitive and customer‑centric in fast‑moving consumer markets
The role of capability in enabling digital, AI and CX transformation, rather than simply reacting to it
How senior leaders can align people, technology and ways of working across a portfolio of brands without losing pace or overwhelming teams

This is a practical, forward‑looking discussion about how a major consumer group designs an organisation that is genuinely ready for the future of work – with insights that will resonate for any leader responsible for people, transformation or customer outcomes.

Speaker:

Hady Kalaf

Bel

Chief Capability Officer

I spent my life together with other people from my country, adapting to change, learning how to turn challenges to opportunities and choosing optimism as the only way forward.

Dealing with uncertainty, building resilience, searching for meaning and transforming myself have been my lifetime story and the catalyst of my growth journey.
These experiences didn’t just shape who I am; they shaped how I lead, coach, and empower others to thrive in complexity.

As an Executive Business Coach and transformation partner, I help leaders and teams become future ready. My approach is tailor made and focuses on challenging linear mindset, embracing creativity and reimagining what’s possible.

16:30 - 17:00

Main Stage

The State of Customer Engagement – What the Data Is Really Telling Us

Panel Discussion

The State of Customer Experience: What the Data is Telling Us

Benchmarks, indices, and research reports paint a picture of the state of customer experience across industries, but how useful is that picture when it comes to making real strategic decisions? And what do the numbers inside your own organisation actually reveal about where you stand, what is working, and where the gap between aspiration and reality is widest?

In this panel, senior leaders will take a data-led look at the current state of CX, separating signal from noise and exploring what the most meaningful metrics are telling us about where the industry is heading. From using data to drive strategic decisions and make the case for investment, to identifying the priorities that will matter most in the year ahead, panellists will share how they are turning insight into action rather than into reports.

What you'll gain:

A clear view of where the industry stands on key CX metrics and what that means strategically
Insight into how senior leaders are using data to drive CX investment decisions
Practical frameworks for identifying the metrics that actually matter in your organisation
Real examples of turning data insight into strategic action rather than just reporting

17:25 - 17:30

Main Stage

Closing Remarks

The State of Customer Experience: What the Data is Telling Us

Speaker:

Martin Hill-Wilson

Brainfood Training

Co-Founder

17:30

Main Stage

Summit After-Party

The Night Summit

08:55 - 09:00

Future of The Contact Centre

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

Introduction

Scaling Service: Meeting Demand Without Compromise

Welcome to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 is all about The Customer Reality – putting the real pressures, gaps and successes in customer engagement front and centre. From strained contact centres and shifting customer expectations to the challenges of turning data into decisions and rebuilding loyalty, today is designed to surface what is genuinely happening in organisations right now, not just what the slideware says.

In this opening address, Marcus will set the tone for a day of honest, practical insight. Today’s agenda is built to help you see your own organisation more clearly – through case studies, panels and conversations grounded in lived experience.

Speaker:

Marcus Hickman

Davies Hickman

Managing Director

Jo and Marcus are founders of Davies Hickman Partners, set up in 2007. Responsible for one of the longest-running tracker studies of customer contact – The Autonomous Customer – they are market research advisers to the customer experience and contact centre industry, that includes some of the leading customer service associations. In 2023, Davies Hickman Partners were finalists in the Content Marketing Institute awards for research on AI for CX. Jo is on the BSI and ISO committee responsible for developing Contact centre, Customer service excellence and Complaint handling standards.

09:00 - 09:25

Future of The Contact Centre

Opening Keynote: The Future of the Contact Centre – What the Data Is Really Telling Us

Opening Keynote

Scaling Service: Meeting Demand Without Compromise

The contact centre sits at the sharp end of customer reality – and the pressure has never been higher. Rising volumes, complex customer needs, talent constraints and rapid technology change are colliding in ways that few operations can ignore. This opening keynote reveals brand‑new industry research on how contact centres are responding, where they are genuinely progressing, and where the gap between ambition and reality remains widest.

Drawing on fresh data and insight, the session will explore:

How service demand, customer expectations and operational strain are evolving across the industry
Where investment in digital, automation and AI is delivering tangible results – and where it is still falling short
What separates high‑performing contact centres from those struggling to keep pace
The leadership, capability and measurement shifts that will matter most in the next wave of change

Designed as the scene‑setter for the Future of the Contact Centre stage, this keynote gives senior leaders a clear, evidence‑based view of where the industry stands today – and the questions they need to be asking of their own operations as they look ahead.

09:50 - 10:20

Future of The Contact Centre

Scaling Service – How Are You Really Holding the Line?

Panel Discussion

Scaling Service: Meeting Demand Without Compromise

Contact centres are navigating a perfect storm of rising contact volumes, stretched teams, and growing customer expectations. For many organisations, the pressure is not theoretical, it is daily and operational, playing out in real time across every shift.

This panel brings together senior contact centre leaders to share how they are genuinely managing demand without compromising quality. From workforce planning and demand forecasting to the cultural and operational decisions that keep service levels stable under strain, panellists will offer honest perspectives on what is working, what is not, and where the pressure is most acute.

What you'll gain:

Honest insight into how leading contact centres are managing rising demand
Practical approaches to workforce management and demand planning under pressure
Real examples of maintaining quality when operational strain is at its highest

10:20 - 11:00

Future of The Contact Centre

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Scaling Service: Meeting Demand Without Compromise

11:00 - 11:25

Future of The Contact Centre

Cambridge University Press & Assessment Case Study: The Realities of AI in the Contact Centre

Case Study

Digital Contact Centre Transformation

AI in customer service is often sold as a quick route to full automation and dramatic cost savings – but the reality inside most organisations is far more complex. In this case study, Cambridge University Press & Assessment shares what it took to introduce AI into a global customer service operation with 7,000 employees across 50+ offices, where legacy systems, security priorities and competing demands shape what is actually possible.

Richard Murray, Global Customer Services Director, will explore:

Where AI is genuinely adding value in contact centres and customer contact – and where it isn’t
How legacy technology and access to older systems can slow or shape AI progress
The right way to talk to boardrooms about the “art of the possible” versus operational reality
Why the idea of fully automated customer service is misleading, and what a more honest future looks like
How the cost model for AI is changing – from predictable service budgets to consumption‑based models and what that means in practice

Speaker:

Richard Murray

Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Global Customer Services Director

An award-winning manager with a proven track record of increasing employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and shareholder returns, entrepreneurial and commercially astute leader with over 15 years’ experience in senior roles. I have managed operations of up to 750 FTE across diverse sectors including telecoms, utilities, retail, and software, with responsibility for global service delivery spanning both in-house teams and outsourced contact centres. My expertise includes leading 24/7 multilingual teams across multiple sites and time zones in complex environments, alongside a strong ability to set and deliver organisational vision through highly engaged, focused teams.

11:50 - 12:20

Future of The Contact Centre

Digital Transformation in the Contact Centre – Closing the Gap Between Ambition and Reality

Panel Discussion

Digital Contact Centre Transformation

Every contact centre is on a digital transformation journey, but the distance between those making it work and those still navigating the complexity of implementation is significant. Adopting digital tools, cloud platforms, and intelligent automation mid-operation is rarely straightforward, and the organisations getting it right understand that successful transformation is as much about bringing their people with them as it is about the technology itself.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what digital transformation actually looks like in a live contact centre environment. From the realities of cloud migration and automation deployment to keeping agents engaged, motivated, and central to the transformation journey, panellists will explore what genuine progress looks like, where the common pitfalls are, and what it takes to close the gap between transformation ambition and operational reality when both technology and people are part of the equation.

What you'll gain:

Honest insight into what digital transformation looks like in a live contact centre environment
Practical approaches to deploying intelligent automation without disrupting operations or disengaging frontline teams
A clearer picture of where conversational and generative AI is genuinely adding value for agents and customers alike
Real examples of how leading organisations are keeping agents engaged and empowered throughout the transformation journey

Speaker:

Tom Miller

Invoca

Senior Director, Customer Success

Tom Miller is the Senior Director of Customer Success at Invoca, helping brands optimise how they acquire and engage customers. With over 15 years of SaaS leadership experience, he works with organisations to bridge digital and offline experiences - unlocking insights from customer conversations to enhance business performance, elevate customer experience, and deliver measurable, revenue-driving impact across every stage of the customer journey.

12:20 - 12:40

Future of The Contact Centre

AI in UK Contact Centres - What's Really Happening?

Presentation

Digital Contact Centre Transformation

Speaker:

Steve Morrell

ContactBabel

Managing Director

Steve Morrell is the Managing Director of ContactBabel, the research and analysis firm established in 2001 to serve the UK contact centre industry. He has authored hundreds of research reports over more than two
decades, and his analysis has been featured across the BBC, ITV, Sky, the Guardian, Forbes and the Financial Times. He has also advised the UK government on the impact of offshoring on the UK economy.

12:40 - 14:00

Future of The Contact Centre

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Digital Contact Centre Transformation

14:00 - 14:25

Future of The Contact Centre

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Case Study: Future‑Ready Leaders in an AI‑Enabled Contact Centre

Case Study

Redefining Efficiency: Cost, Quality & the Customer Balance

AI promises new levels of efficiency – but when cost pressures rise, quality expectations don’t fall, and vulnerable customers still need human care, operational leaders can feel caught in the middle. In this case study, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham’s multi‑award‑winning Head of Customer Services, Sabina Onwuka, shares how her “Future Ready Manager” masterclass is helping leaders balance cost, quality and customer duty of care in an AI‑enabled contact centre.

Drawing on recent work to implement inclusive speech analytics and AI that has transformed support for vulnerable residents and improved quality monitoring, Sabina shows how marrying high‑precision technology with empathy, ethics and team confidence can change both efficiency and outcomes.

Attendees will hear:

Why AI can increase anxiety for managers under cost and performance pressure – and how to turn that into confidence instead.
How the Future Ready Manager masterclass equips leaders to make balanced decisions on automation, quality and human service
How Barking and Dagenham is using data, AI and speech analytics to improve efficiency and raise standards, particularly for vulnerable residents.
Practical ideas for building similar capability‑building programmes to protect both customer outcomes and budgets.

This session shows what “redefining efficiency” looks like in a real contact centre: not chasing automation at any cost, but using AI to support better decisions, stronger teams and more balanced customer outcomes.

Speaker:

Sabina Onwuka

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

Head of Customer Services

Sabina Onwuka is an award winner in Customer Experience and Innovation. She is also a champion of Customer & Colleague Experience. A passionate & knowledgeable Public Speaker she engages and inspires audiences with a dynamic approach tailored to their specific needs. A Coach, a Mentor and Leader with a genuine desire to support young leaders to be a better version of themselves for tomorrow's world. Sabina teaches how to foster team spirit, resilience, team motivation and confidence. She demonstrates how to create a safe place for people to express their concerns in any workplace situation, which is more important than ever. Sabina sits on the Standard Advisory Board of the Contact Centre Management Association, is a Chair of governors at her local primary school and Heads the Customer Services department at The London Borough of Barking & Dagenham.

14:50 - 15:20

Future of The Contact Centre

The Efficiency Equation – Finding the Balance That Actually Work

Panel Discussion

Redefining Efficiency: Cost, Quality & the Customer Balance

The pressure to reduce costs while maintaining or improving customer experience is one of the most persistent tensions in contact centre management. Getting the balance right requires more than good intentions, it demands smarter metrics, stronger operating models, and a clear understanding of where efficiency gains are genuinely sustainable and where they risk undermining the very experience they are meant to support.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore how they are navigating the efficiency and experience balance in practice. From the metrics that genuinely reflect sustainable performance to ensuring that the drive for efficiency never compromises the standard of care owed to vulnerable customers, panellists will share what a commercially successful and customer-responsible operation actually looks like.

What you'll gain:

Practical frameworks for balancing cost reduction with experience quality in a contact centre environment
Insight into the metrics that genuinely reflect sustainable operational efficiency
A clearer picture of how leading organisations are protecting vulnerable customers within efficiency-driven models
Real examples of where efficiency investment is delivering the strongest commercial returns

Speaker:

Jordan Hornby-Turner

Outsource and Workforce Optimisation Manager

Jordan Hornby-Turner is Outsource and Workforce Optimisation Manager at Nespresso in York, England. She previously worked as Planning and Reporting Manager at Nespresso. Jordan holds a degree from the University of York.

15:45 - 16:05

Future of The Contact Centre

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Redefining Efficiency: Cost, Quality & the Customer Balance

16:05 - 16:30

Future of The Contact Centre

Adanola: The Agent Experience Behind High Growth Customer Operations

Interview

The Agent Experience: People, Performance & the CX Connection

Agents sit at the point where customer expectations, operational pressure and organisational change collide. In this interview, transformative CX and operations leader Sandrea Morgan – with over two decades leading global contact centres, BPO relationships, learning and development and high‑growth customer operations – explores what it really takes to support agents when everything around them is moving fast.

Drawing on experience across different brands and sectors, including scaling digital‑first customer operations and building L&D programmes that strengthen confidence and capability, Sandrea will focus on the human side of modern contact centres: how to build teams that can handle volume, complexity and change, while introducing automation and AI in ways that help rather than overwhelm.

Attendees will hear:

What long‑term agent experience leadership has taught Sandrea about motivation, resilience and performance
How to connect people, process and technology so agents feel supported, not sidelined, by automation and AI
Practical moves leaders can make to improve day‑to‑day agent experience without waiting for a full transformation programme
How to keep customer outcomes at the heart of operational decisions when pressures and priorities compete

This session offers a people‑centred view of the future of the contact centre, with insights for anyone responsible for leading teams through ongoing change.

Speaker:

Sandrea Morgan

Adanola

Head of Customer Experience

Sandrea is a Senior Customer Service and Experience leader with over 20 years’ experience building and transforming global support functions across fashion, beauty, e-commerce, start-ups, and the public sector. She has led both in-house and outsourced operations at scale, spanning B2C and B2B environments, with deep expertise in digital-first customer support.

A strategic and commercially focused leader, Sandrea is known for transforming customer support from a reactive service into a proactive, insight-driven growth engine. She specialises in contact reduction, AI-enabled service design, and operational excellence, consistently improving efficiency, customer satisfaction, and revenue through smarter journeys and data-led decision making.

Passionate about the Voice of the Customer, Sandrea works cross-functionally with product, marketing, and technology teams to turn customer insight into meaningful,
measurable change. She is equally committed to building high-performing, engaged teams, with a strong focus on coaching, development, and leading through transformation.

16:30 - 16:55

Future of The Contact Centre

The Human Edge: Why Leadership Excellence is the True Driver of Customer Experience

Presentation

The Agent Experience: People, Performance & the CX Connection

The best technology and the most skilled agents will only take you so far. What truly separates organisations that consistently deliver exceptional customer experience from those that don't is the quality of their leadership. Leaders who operate with discipline, clarity, and empathy are the architects of CX excellence, setting the culture, defining the standards, and creating the conditions in which agents can perform at their best. This session makes the case for why leadership capability is the most critical and most underinvested variable in any CX strategy.

16:55 - 17:25

Future of The Contact Centre

The Agent Experience – Engaging Your Most Valuable CX Asset

Panel Discussion

The Agent Experience: People, Performance & the CX Connection

The link between agent experience and customer experience is well established, yet in many organisations the frontline workforce remains underinvested relative to its commercial importance. Agent attrition, disengagement, and burnout are not just people management challenges, they are customer experience challenges with measurable consequences for satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue.

In this panel, senior leaders will make the commercial case for investing in the agent experience and explore what that investment looks like in practice. From wellbeing, development, and retention strategies to supporting agents who regularly handle vulnerable customer interactions, panellists will share what it takes to build a frontline workforce that performs consistently, sustainably, and with genuine care for every customer it serves.

What you'll gain:

A clear commercial framework for the link between agent experience and customer outcomes
Practical approaches to reducing attrition and building frontline resilience
Insight into how leading organisations are supporting agents who handle vulnerable customer interactions
Real examples of the agent experience investments that are delivering the strongest returns

17:25 - 17:30

Future of The Contact Centre

Chair's Close

Closing Remarks

The Agent Experience: People, Performance & the CX Connection

Speaker:

Marcus Hickman

Davies Hickman

Managing Director

17:30

Future of The Contact Centre

Summit After-Party

The Night Summit

08:55 - 09:00

Customer Contact

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

Introduction

The Omnichannel Imperative: Connecting Every Customer Touchpoint

Welcome to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 is all about The Customer Reality – putting the real pressures, gaps and successes in customer engagement front and centre. From strained contact centres and shifting customer expectations to the challenges of turning data into decisions and rebuilding loyalty, today is designed to surface what is genuinely happening in organisations right now, not just what the slideware says.

In this opening address, Nick will set the tone for a day of honest, practical insight. Today’s agenda is built to help you see your own organisation more clearly – through case studies, panels and conversations grounded in lived experience.

Speaker:

Nick Brice

Soul Corporations

CEO

Nicholas Brice is an international keynote speaker, consultant and author who helps organisations build the human capability, culture and customer experience needed to thrive in a fast-changing world. As founder of Soul Corporations® and author of The Mindful Communicator, he works with leaders and teams to strengthen clarity, communication, judgement, connection and everyday behaviour. Drawing on neuroscience, behavioural insight, culture change and theatre, Nicholas helps organisations create more aligned cultures, more consistent customer experiences and more meaningful performance.

09:00 - 09:25

Customer Contact

Opening Keynote: CCMA Research Reveal

Opening Keynote

The Omnichannel Imperative: Connecting Every Customer Touchpoint

The contact centre is changing fast – but how ready is the industry for what comes next? In this session, CCMA CEO Leigh Hopwood will unveil brand‑new research due to launch in early autumn, offering an exclusive first look at what the latest data says about the future of contact centres.

The session will spotlight:

Where contact centres are genuinely progressing – and where they’re still under strain
How leaders are thinking about technology, AI, people and operating models in the years ahead
The emerging trends that will matter most for senior contact centre and customer leaders
The questions organisations should be asking now to stay ahead of the next wave of change

Speaker:

Leigh Hopwood

CCMA

CEO

As CEO of the Contact Centre Management Association (CCMA) since 2020, Leigh is drawing on her 20+ years’ experience in supporting the contact centre industry, holding leadership positions in a variety of membership organisations and as a professional marketer. Her mission is to support the development of the contact centre industry, give it a voice in society and to improve its overall reputation.

Leigh has been an awards judge since 2006, industry speaker and host of CareerTalk, and she sits on the Profession and Business Services Council in the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) on behalf of the contact centre industry. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Chartered Marketer.

09:50 - 10:20

Customer Contact

The Omnichannel Reality – Are You Truly Connected or Just Multi-Channel?

Panel Discussion

The Omnichannel Imperative: Connecting Every Customer Touchpoint

Customers move seamlessly between channels without a second thought, yet most organisations are still operating in ways that create friction, inconsistency, and disconnection at every handoff. The gap between a genuinely joined-up omnichannel strategy and simply offering multiple contact options is significant, and customers notice it even when organisations do not.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what building a truly connected customer contact strategy looks like in practice. From integrating voice, chat, social, and self-service into a coherent experience to the operational and cultural changes needed to deliver consistency at scale, panellists will explore what it actually takes to move from multi-channel to genuinely omnichannel and why the distinction matters more than ever.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what genuine omnichannel customer contact looks like versus simply offering multiple channels
Practical approaches to integrating voice, digital, and self-service into a coherent and consistent experience
Insight into the operational and cultural changes needed to deliver true channel consistency at scale
Real examples of how leading organisations are closing the gap between omnichannel ambition and omnichannel reality

Speaker:

Colin Goodbody

Bromford Flagship

Head of Customer Operations

Executive Customer Transformation Leader with 20+ years' experience delivering AI-enabled transformation, customer strategy and operational excellence across housing, retail, utilities and international markets. Passionate about creating simpler organisations that deliver better outcomes for customers, colleagues and communities.
Removing friction from organisations through customer strategy, AI and service design.
Customer experience isn't a department. It's the engine that builds trust, drives growth and shapes an organisation's reputation.
I've led large-scale transformation across housing, retail, utilities and infrastructure, delivering enterprise-wide change through AI, digital innovation, service design and operational excellence. From leading multimillion-pound technology programmes to redesigning customer journeys and embedding customer-first cultures, my focus has always been the same: making organisations easier to do business with.
I believe technology should make services more human, not less.
Whether implementing AI-powered customer platforms, redesigning operating models or shaping long-term strategy, I combine data-driven decision making with empathy, curiosity and a relentless focus on continuous improvement.
Throughout my career I've been privileged to lead high-performing teams, influence executive boards and work alongside global organisations to deliver measurable transformation at scale.

10:20 - 11:00

Customer Contact

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

The Omnichannel Imperative: Connecting Every Customer Touchpoint

11:00 - 11:25

Customer Contact

Xero Case Study: The Future of CX: The Human and AI Partnership

Case Study

Self-Service & the Empowered Customer

How Xero is evolving CX through a human + AI model: starting with a digital-first support strategy, where AI-powered content and answers drive high self-service and allow human specialists to focus on the most complex customer issues.

It explores the impact on our people, showing how AI tools and emerging agents make work easier, while also investing heavily in training, change support, and experimentation to build confidence rather than fear around AI adoption.

The future of CX is not AI replacing humans, but a human–agent partnership where AI handles routine work and people bring empathy, judgement, and deeper problem-solving to higher-value customer moments.

Speaker:

Melanie Fischer

Xero

Director, Customer Experience - UK & EMEA

Results-oriented Director with 20+ years' experience in service excellence and continuous improvement. Expert in defining service excellence strategies that remove customer friction through AI-tooling, automation, and self-solve solutions. Motivational leader of 300+ staff, skilled in aligning global operations with business OKRs and leading Lean/Six Sigma re-engineering initiatives.

Areas of expertise include:
- AI & Technology Strategy: Defines and implements strategies to replace legacy tooling with AI-Assistance interwoven with human assistance.
- Process Innovation: Uses Lean/Six Sigma to simplify workflows and improve resolution speed
- Global Operations Leadership: Leads global teams including outsourced vendor BPO and in-house resolution and escalation teams
- Stakeholder Influence: Experienced C-level advisor and member of UK Leadership teams directly reporting to C-suite
- Quality Assurance and CSAT: Oversees CSAT and AI and Human-agent QA frameworks to drive Customer-Sentiment.

11:50 - 12:20

Customer Contact

Self-Service That Actually Works – Empowering Customers Without Losing Them

Panel Discussion

Self-Service & the Empowered Customer

Self-service has enormous commercial potential, but the gap between self-service that genuinely empowers customers and self-service that simply deflects contact and frustrates people is wider than most organisations want to admit. Getting it right requires more than deploying the right technology, it requires a deep understanding of what customers actually need and designing journeys that work for all of them, including those who are most vulnerable.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what genuinely effective self-service looks like in practice. From the design principles that make digital journeys feel effortless to the commercial and ethical case for inclusive self-service design, panellists will explore what it takes to build self-service capability that customers choose rather than endure.

What you'll gain:

Insight into what genuinely effective self-service design looks like and what separates it from self-service that simply deflects contact
Practical approaches to building digital journeys that customers actually want to use
A clearer picture of how to design self-service that works for all customers including those in vulnerable circumstances
Real examples of how leading organisations are turning self-service into a genuine competitive advantage

Speaker:

Shanti Kaur Gray

HSBC

Conversational Designer - Chat

Shanti Kaur Gray is a Conversational Designer in Emerging Channels for Retail Banking & Wealth at HSBC, where she focuses on creating effective conversational experiences for customers across digital channels. Based in Birmingham, England, she brings frontline customer service insight from her previous role as a Customer Service Advisor for social media at HSBC. Shanti graduated from Birmingham City University in 2020 with a First Class degree.

12:20 - 12:40

Customer Contact

Audience Q&A: Your Customer Contact Reality

Q&A

Self-Service & the Empowered Customer

This interactive Q&A session is all about you and your experience on the front line of customer engagement. Instead of another presentation, the focus shifts to the room – with Ipsos guiding the discussion to explore how senior leaders are thinking and feeling about the themes raised throughout the stage.

Through live polling and open discussion, the Ipsos team will delve into:

Where you see the biggest pressures and opportunities in your own organisation
How your reality compares to the stories and case studies shared on the stage
The bets you are making on people, process and technology – and where you still have questions
What support, evidence or examples you most need to move your customer agenda forward

A chance to test your thinking against peers, surface honest challenges and add your voice to the debate.

12:40 - 14:00

Customer Contact

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Self-Service & the Empowered Customer

14:50 - 15:20

Customer Contact

Smarter Contact – How Intelligent Technology Is Changing the Game

Panel Discussion

Smarter Customer Contact: Building Engagement Strategies That Scale

The organisations pulling ahead in customer contact are using intelligent technology not to replace human interaction but to make every interaction smarter, faster, and more relevant. From large language models and virtual assistants to autonomous resolution, the technology is maturing rapidly, but the gap between organisations deploying it effectively and those still in pilot mode is growing.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what genuinely scalable intelligent contact looks like beyond the proof of concept stage. From deployment realities and implementation lessons to keeping the human touch central even as technology takes on more of the contact journey, panellists will explore what it takes to use intelligent technology in a way that works for customers, agents, and the business alike.

What you'll gain:

Practical insight into what deploying intelligent contact technology at scale actually looks like
A clearer picture of where large language models, virtual assistants, and autonomous resolution are delivering real value
Insight into how leading organisations are maintaining the human touch as intelligent technology takes on more of the contact journey
Real examples of how smarter contact technology is improving outcomes for customers and agents simultaneously

Speaker:

Ange Johnson De Wet

Barclays Business Banking UK

Customer Journey Delivery Director for Lending Technology

Ange is the Customer Journey Delivery Director for Lending Technology at Barclays Business Bank.
Prior to working at Barclays, Ange was a London based head of engineering at NatWest, a head of function at Lloyds Banking Group and a Programme Director at Deutsche Bank.
Within banking she’s worked in Business and Commercial Banking, Cloud Enabled Business Transformation, Operational Technology and Cloud Risk, Data and Analytics and Capital Markets Finance Risk and Regulatory Reporting.
Before working in banking, Ange worked in consulting as a senior manager with EY and a consultant with IBM. She worked across AsiaPacific and EMEA and focused on business and commercial banking and financial services. Ange worked as a developer, tester, designer, business analyst, programme analyst, project manager and programme manager. She has led business and technology strategies, programme reviews and complex technology enabled business transformations.
Ange has an honours degree in Mechanical Engineering (Mechatronics / Robotics) and Computer Science from the University of Melbourne, Australia.

15:45 - 16:05

Customer Contact

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Smarter Customer Contact: Building Engagement Strategies That Scale

16:05 - 16:30

Customer Contact

Barclays Case Study: Customer Expectations and Technology Approaches

Case Study

Channel Strategy: Delivering Better Customer Outcomes

In this case study, Ange Johnson De Wet, Customer Journey Delivery Director for Lending Technology at Barclays Business Banking UK, explores how a major bank is re‑thinking customer journeys and technology choices to meet those expectations in practice – not just on paper.

Drawing on experience leading complex, technology‑enabled transformations across Barclays, NatWest, Lloyds Banking Group and Deutsche Bank, and a career that spans engineering, cloud, data, risk and capital markets, Ange will focus on what it takes to align customer contact, journeys and lending technology in a way that feels simple for customers but is robust enough for a regulated, high‑stakes environment.

Attendees will hear:

How Barclays is approaching customer journey delivery for lending in a way that connects front‑end experience with back‑end technology
How customer expectations are reshaping decisions about channels, contact, automation and human interaction
What Ange has learned from leading business and technology strategy across multiple banks and disciplines
Practical ideas for leaders who want their customer contact and technology approaches to move in step with what customers actually need

Speaker:

Ange Johnson De Wet

Barclays Business Banking UK

Customer Journey Delivery Director for Lending Technology

16:55 - 17:25

Customer Contact

Channel Strategy – Putting Customer Outcomes at the Centre

Panel Discussion

Channel Strategy: Delivering Better Customer Outcomes

Having more channels is not the same as having a better strategy. As the channel mix becomes increasingly complex, the organisations delivering the strongest customer outcomes are those making smarter, more deliberate decisions about which channels to invest in, how to measure their performance, and how to ensure every channel serves every customer effectively including those in vulnerable circumstances.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore what a genuinely outcome-focused channel strategy looks like in practice. From rationalising the channel mix to reduce customer effort to measuring performance in a way that reflects what customers actually experience, panellists will share the strategic and operational decisions that are making the biggest difference to customer outcomes and commercial results.

What you'll gain:

Practical frameworks for building a channel strategy that puts customer outcomes at the centre
Insight into how leading organisations are measuring channel performance in a way that genuinely reflects customer experience
A clearer picture of how to rationalise the channel mix to reduce effort and improve satisfaction
Real examples of how smarter channel strategy decisions are driving stronger commercial and customer outcomes

17:25 - 17:30

Customer Contact

Closing Remarks

Channel Strategy: Delivering Better Customer Outcomes

Speaker:

Nick Brice

Soul Corporations

CEO

17:30

Customer Contact

Summit After-Party

The Night Summit

08:55 - 09:00

Customer Experience Management

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

Introduction

CX Strategy: Building a Customer-Centric Organisation

Welcome to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 is all about The Customer Reality – putting the real pressures, gaps and successes in customer engagement front and centre. From strained contact centres and shifting customer expectations to the challenges of turning data into decisions and rebuilding loyalty, today is designed to surface what is genuinely happening in organisations right now, not just what the slideware says.

In this opening address, Brian will set the tone for a day of honest, practical insight. Today’s agenda is built to help you see your own organisation more clearly – through case studies, panels and conversations grounded in lived experience.

Speaker:

Brian Manusama

Actionary

Executive Partner

Throughout my career, I have been at the forefront of delivering impact at scale, leveraging cutting-edge technology to resolve today’s business challenges and prepare for tomorrow’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) challenges. My passion for customer engagement, digital business, artificial intelligence and customer experience focused leadership have been a consistent theme in my career.

09:00 - 09:25

Customer Experience Management

The State of CX Management – What the Latest Evidence Is Telling Us

Opening Keynote

CX Strategy: Building a Customer-Centric Organisation

Customer experience management has grown from a set of initiatives into a core discipline – but how well are organisations really doing when it comes to strategy and execution? This opening keynote reveals brand‑new research on the state of CX management, offering a clear, evidence‑based view of where organisations are progressing and where they are still falling short.

The session will explore:

How CX strategy, governance and ownership are evolving across different sectors
Where investment in VoC, journey design and measurement is delivering real impact – and where it remains cosmetic
The patterns separating CX leaders from those still struggling to embed customer outcomes in day‑to‑day decisions
The questions senior leaders should be asking of their own CX programmes as they look ahead

09:50 - 10:20

Customer Experience Management

Customer-Centricity – Closing the Gap Between Claim and Reality

Panel Discussion

CX Strategy: Building a Customer-Centric Organisation

Almost every organisation claims to put the customer first. Far fewer have built the strategy, culture, and operational foundations to make that claim genuinely true. As AI, real-time data, and personalisation technology make it increasingly possible to deliver experiences that feel individually tailored at scale, the gap between organisations that are genuinely leveraging these capabilities to embed customer-centricity and those still treating it as a cultural aspiration is becoming a measurable commercial divide.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what building a genuinely customer-centric organisation looks like in practice today. From embedding CX into board-level strategy and using real-time insight to drive faster, smarter decisions, to creating the cross-functional alignment and employee experience foundations that make long-term improvement sustainable, panellists will explore what it actually takes to move from customer-centricity as an aspiration to customer-centricity as an operational reality.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what genuine customer-centricity looks like beyond the rhetoric in an era of AI and real-time personalisation
Practical approaches to embedding CX into organisational strategy, culture, and decision-making
Insight into the critical link between employee experience and customer experience in building a truly customer-centric organisation
Real examples of how leading organisations are using emerging technology to close the gap between customer-centricity as a claim and as a reality

Speakers:

Gabriella Lambert

Nestlé Nespresso SA

Head of Customer Experience

I help organisations build customer-centred experiences that improve service performance, strengthen retention and turn customer insight into practical business change. With more than 10 years’ experience across global, commercial and purpose-led organisations, I have led customer experience transformation across B2B, B2C, financial services, retail, charity, legal, technology and professional services environments. My work spans customer operations, omnichannel journey design, CRM strategy, complaints improvement, loyalty, retention and service transformation. I have built customer experience functions from the ground up, led international teams and delivered programmes across EMEA, APAC, MENA, Europe and North America. I enjoy working with CEOs, Boards, Executive teams and cross-functional stakeholders to translate complex customer challenges into clear roadmaps, stronger operating models and measurable improvements.

Sandrea Morgan

Adanola

Head of Customer Experience

10:20 - 11:00

Customer Experience Management

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

CX Strategy: Building a Customer-Centric Organisation

11:50 - 12:20

Customer Experience Management

Voice of the Customer – From Feedback to Action

Panel Discussion

Voice of the Customer: Listening, Acting & Customer Signals in CX

Most organisations are collecting more customer feedback than ever before, but the tools and techniques available for capturing and acting on that feedback are evolving rapidly. From AI-powered sentiment analysis and real-time customer signal tracking to predictive VoC capabilities that can identify emerging issues before they become widespread, the gap between organisations using cutting edge listening capabilities and those still relying on periodic surveys is growing.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what a genuinely action-oriented VoC programme looks like in practice today. From building enhanced feedback loops and real-time customer signal capabilities that drive tangible change, to closing the loop with customers in a way that rebuilds trust and strengthens loyalty, panellists will explore what it takes to turn listening into a real competitive advantage rather than a reporting function.

What you'll gain:

Practical approaches to building VoC programmes that use AI, real-time signals, and predictive insight to drive genuine change
Insight into how leading organisations are using customer signal tracking to identify and act on emerging issues faster than ever before
A clearer picture of what a genuinely action-oriented VoC programme looks like in practice
Real examples of how turning customer feedback and signals into action is strengthening loyalty and driving commercial results

Speakers:

Vanessa Milan

Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Head of Voice of the Customer, Global Operations

Passionate about Voice of the Customer and a natural customer advocate, I specialise in engaging internal stakeholders and turning customer insight into strategic improvements that enhance the customer experience across the organisation.

A self-starter with a multidisciplinary approach, I lead the development and execution of the Voice of the Customer programme, strategy, and governance across departments at Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

Bonnie Muzam

Flogas Britain

Head of Customer Experience

Bonnie Muzam is Head of Customer Experience at Flogas Britain and a passionate advocate for customer-centric transformation. With more than 10 years’ experience leading customer service, customer success and CX functions, she specialises in connecting customer insight, operational performance and culture change to drive better outcomes.

Bonnie currently leads Flogas Britain’s customer experience strategy and transformation programme, focused on simplifying customer journeys, reducing effort, improving service performance and embedding a culture where everyone takes ownership for delivering great customer experiences. Her work spans customer insight, service transformation, employee engagement and organisational culture, helping teams turn customer feedback into meaningful action.

A recognised CX leader, Bonnie is passionate about building customer-focused organisations that deliver lasting value for customers, colleagues and businesses alike.

12:20 - 12:40

Customer Experience Management

Audience Q&A: Inside Your CX Management Practice

Q&A

Voice of the Customer: Listening, Acting & Customer Signals in CX

This interactive Q&A session is all about how you are shaping and running customer experience in your organisation. Instead of another presentation, the focus shifts to the room – with Ipsos guiding a live conversation on the way CX strategy and delivery are actually working day to day.

Through live polling and open discussion, the Ipsos team will explore:

How CX is owned, governed and championed across your leadership and teams
Where your programmes are making the biggest difference – and where momentum is harder to build
How you’re using VoC, journey design and measurement to influence decisions and investment
What support, evidence or examples would most help you move the CX agenda on from here

A chance to compare approaches with peers, surface honest challenges and shape the questions that future CX research and insight should be answering.

12:40 - 14:00

Customer Experience Management

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Voice of the Customer: Listening, Acting & Customer Signals in CX

14:00 - 14:25

Customer Experience Management

The Royal College of Surgeons of England Case Study: The CX Paradox: How AI Is Helping Us Deliver More Human Experiences

Case Study

CX Transformation: Leading Change Across People, Process & Technology

Customer experience transformation is often seen as a technology challenge - implementing new platforms, introducing automation, and harnessing the potential of AI.

But the real opportunity is not to replace human interactions; it is to create the headspace for better ones.

At the Royal College of Surgeons of England, our CX North Star is simple: we care for the people who care. To bring this to life at scale, we have adopted a clear principle: automate the repeatable, personalise the emotional.

This session explores how we are using AI, technology, and service redesign to transform CX across people, processes, and technology. By removing unnecessary friction, improving access to information, and empowering colleagues, we are creating more time and capacity for the moments where empathy, expertise, and human connection matter most.

Discover how a human-led approach to AI can help organisations navigate the complexity of CX transformation - balancing efficiency with empathy, digital capability with personalisation, and innovation with care.

Speaker:

Harry Blamire

The Royal College of Surgeons of England

Director of Customer Experience

Harry Blamire helps organisations stop talking about customer experience and start delivering it. A CX and transformation leader, he has built teams, led large-scale change programmes, and helped organisations turn fragmented customer journeys into measurable business results.

Part strategist, part operator, and full-time champion of people-centred design, Harry is known for bringing energy, clarity, and a healthy dose of pragmatism to complex challenges.

His guiding philosophy? Be curious, be kind, get things done.

14:50 - 15:20

Customer Experience Management

CX Transformation – Leading Change That Actually Sticks

Panel Discussion

CX Transformation: Leading Change Across People, Process & Technology

CX transformation is one of the most ambitious and most commonly stalled programmes on a senior leader's agenda. The pace of technological change, from agentic AI and journey orchestration to autonomous service delivery, is accelerating the need for transformation while simultaneously raising the stakes for getting it right. The ambition is rarely the problem. What derails most programmes is the complexity of managing change across people, process, and technology simultaneously while maintaining operational performance and cultural momentum.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what CX transformation looks like when it delivers lasting rather than temporary change. From navigating the integration of AI and intelligent automation into live CX operations to ensuring employee experience remains central throughout, panellists will explore what separates the transformations that stick from those that lose momentum and what leaders can do to give their programmes the best possible chance of success.

What you'll gain:

Practical approaches to managing CX transformation across people, process, and technology in an era of rapid technological change
Insight into how leading organisations are integrating generative, conversational and agentic AI and intelligent automation into live CX operations without losing sight of the human side
A clearer picture of what separates CX transformations that deliver lasting change from those that stall
Real examples of the change management decisions that are making the biggest difference in successful CX transformation programmes

Speakers:

Natalie Fuller

Zempler Bank

Head of Customer Experience

Natalie Fuller is Head of Customer Experience at Zempler Bank, where she leads efforts to make banking simpler and work better for customers. With over 15 years’ experience across financial services and consumer brands, she focuses on turning customer insight into practical, organisation‑wide change.

Natalie has spent the last 8 years at Zempler Bank, playing a key role in its journey from fintech challenger to established digital bank, with a clear focus on supporting UK small businesses.

Her work spans improving everyday journeys, reducing avoidable friction and helping teams deliver better outcomes for customers – while balancing commercial goals and regulatory expectations.

She’s particularly passionate about making CX transformation real and sustainable, sharing honest lessons on what works (and what doesn’t) when driving change across people, process and technology.

Tansy Cox

Serco

Digital Transformation Lead

Global delivery specialist with a focus on strategic and sustainable change implementation. I lead complex programmes of work and am reputed for driving true engagement, removing friction and ensuring teams are set up for success. Currently focusing on Cyber and information security transformations for Serco.Digital's Group portfolio.

Mark Clydesdale

Tap CXM

Head of Strategic Consulting

Mark is Head of Strategic Consulting at Tap CXM, helping brands unlock the value from their investments in technology and AI, and accelerate growth through strategy, measurement and new ways of working.

15:20 - 15:45

Customer Experience Management

Trusted AI in CX: What Transformation Actually Requires

Presentation

CX Transformation: Leading Change Across People, Process & Technology

The pressure to deploy AI in customer service is high. The pressure to make it work safely, consistently, and in ways customers actually trust, is even greater.

This session moves past the deployment question and into the harder one: what does it actually take to build AI that delivers, not just demos?

Through structured discussion and real-world examples, we’ll examine what separates trustworthy AI programs that scale from those that stall, and what the organizations getting it right are doing differently.

We will cover:

How to define and measure trust in AI-assisted customer interactions
What governance and human-in-the-loop models look like in practice
Lessons from implementations that succeeded and those that didn't
Practical frameworks attendees can bring back to their team immediately

15:45 - 16:05

Customer Experience Management

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

CX Transformation: Leading Change Across People, Process & Technology

16:05 - 16:30

Customer Experience Management

Experian Case Study: From Feel-Good to Bottom Line: The Business Impact of CX

Case Study

Measuring What Matters: CX Metrics, ROI & the Business Case

Customer Experience teams are no longer just the creators of reports and presenters of client feedback. Customer Experience is no longer a soft metric; it is a measurable driver of business performance. In this session, we will explore how to build a convincing business case for CX by linking customer experience outcomes to financial results and demonstrating the ROI of CX initiatives.
We will discuss how to identify the metrics that matter most, measure the impact of CX on revenue and growth, and use customer insights to make smarter decisions.

Speaker:

Emma Perkins

Experian

Head of CX Strategy EMEA & APAC

With over 25 years of experience, Emma has spent her career championing the idea that Customer Experience (CX) is about more than surveys, scores, or dashboards. She believes that when done well, CX is a powerful driver of real business results, shaping culture, strengthening relationships, and delivering measurable impact. This belief has guided her work across a wide variety of roles and industries, consistently pushing CX beyond theory and into practical, value creating action.

16:55 - 17:25

Customer Experience Management

Making the Business Case – The Metrics That Actually Move Boards

Panel Discussion

Measuring What Matters: CX Metrics, ROI & the Business Case

NPS and CSAT have served the CX industry well, but they are no longer enough to make the commercial case for continued investment at board level. As AI-driven measurement, predictive analytics, and real-time customer outcome tracking make it increasingly possible to demonstrate the financial return of experience investment with far greater precision, the organisations doing this most effectively are changing the conversation about what CX measurement is actually for and what it is capable of proving.

In this panel, senior leaders will share how they are building more commercially credible measurement frameworks that go beyond legacy metrics and connect CX performance directly to revenue outcomes, customer lifetime value, and business growth. From measurement tools to predictive models that link experience investment to future commercial performance, panellists will explore what it takes to make measurement a strategic asset rather than a reporting exercise.

What you'll gain:

Practical frameworks for building commercially credible CX measurement that resonates at board level
Insight into how advanced measurement and predictive analytics are changing what is possible in CX performance tracking
A clearer picture of how to move beyond NPS and CSAT to a measurement approach that drives strategic decisions
Real examples of how leading organisations are using next-generation measurement to strengthen the business case for continued CX investment

Speaker:

Emma Perkins

Experian

Head of CX Strategy EMEA & APAC

17:25 - 17:30

Customer Experience Management

Closing Remarks

Measuring What Matters: CX Metrics, ROI & the Business Case

Speaker:

Brian Manusama

Actionary

Executive Partner

17:30

Customer Experience Management

Summit After-Party

The Night Summit

08:55 - 09:00

Customer Relationship Management

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

Introduction

Smarter Campaigns, Better Outcomes

Welcome to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 is all about The Customer Reality – putting the real pressures, gaps and successes in customer engagement front and centre. From strained contact centres and shifting customer expectations to the challenges of turning data into decisions and rebuilding loyalty, today is designed to surface what is genuinely happening in organisations right now, not just what the slideware says.

In this opening address, Scott will set the tone for a day of honest, practical insight. Today’s agenda is built to help you see your own organisation more clearly – through case studies, panels and conversations grounded in lived experience.

Speaker:

Scott Logie

DMA

DMA Membership Advocate

Engaging, innovative and creative thinker; passionate about helping businesses build growth strategies to drive increased loyalty and value.

My main aim in business is to help build and then unlock the potential in a customer base.

I love to spend my time with businesses looking at what they can achieve if they understand their customers better and use that understanding to create long term relationships.

I’m a highly experienced data based marketer, with a background in finance but I have spent lots of time with charities, automotive, FMCG, government, on-line gaming and retail.

With a grounding in data, a degree in statistics and over 20 years of working across a range of businesses, both inside and working with suppliers, I can understand the challenges any business has in growing and building long-term value and can then contribute to achieving this goal.

As a current board member and ex-Chair of the Direct Marketing Association, I get a unique perspective on industry developments which in turn helps me to understand the future of direct marketing and how businesses should adapt to meet the challenge ahead.

I’ve built successful teams, covering areas as diverse as customer insight, marketing, Consultancy and Campaign Management and led a management team through a successful MBO, dealing with private equity backers and staying with the business to a successful trade sale. It’s all about great people and I have employed and developed some of the best in the industry.

I believe my main strength is in understanding business strategy and building collaborative teams to design, build and deliver winning propositions to meet and beat expectations.

09:00 - 09:25

Customer Relationship Management

The Customer Data, CRM and Marketing Benchmark

Opening Keynote

Smarter Campaigns, Better Outcomes

Customer data, CRM and marketing are under more scrutiny than ever: personalisation promises more revenue and loyalty, but audiences are also demanding trust, relevance and better experiences. In this opening keynote, the DMA will share research findings into how organisations are really using CRM and marketing to create value – and where they are still missing the mark.

Drawing on the latest studies into email, CRM and data‑driven marketing, the session will explore:

How brands are currently organising and using customer data across CRM, email and wider marketing.
Where CRM strategies, segmentation and personalisation are delivering measurable impact – and where activity remains largely tactical.
The patterns that separate the most effective programmes from those struggling to turn data into commercial and customer outcomes.
The questions senior leaders should be asking of their own CRM and marketing strategies over the next 12–18 months.

09:50 - 10:20

Customer Relationship Management

The Single Customer View in Creating Competitve Advantage

Panel Discussion

Smarter Campaigns, Better Outcomes

A unified, accurate view of the customer remains one of the most valuable and most elusive goals in customer engagement. Despite years of investment in CRM platforms and data integration, many organisations are still operating with fragmented, inconsistent customer profiles that limit the quality of every interaction across marketing, sales, and service. The gap between organisations that have genuinely cracked the single customer view and those still stitching data together manually is a significant and growing commercial disadvantage.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what building a truly unified customer profile looks like in practice. From the data integration and quality challenges that most organisations are still navigating to the cultural and organisational changes needed to ensure teams across every function actually trust and use the data available to them, panellists will explore what it genuinely takes to turn the single customer view from an aspiration into an operational reality.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what a genuinely unified customer profile looks like and what it takes to build one that teams actually use
Practical approaches to breaking down data silos and connecting marketing, sales, and service data into a coherent whole
Insight into the cultural and organisational changes needed to ensure a single customer view drives better decisions across every function
Real examples of how leading organisations are closing the gap between CRM ambition and CRM reality

10:20 - 11:00

Customer Relationship Management

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Smarter Campaigns, Better Outcomes

11:00 - 11:25

Customer Relationship Management

Landmark Information Group Case Study: Landmark’s One Team Approach Means Success for Customers

Case Study

The Unified Customer

Speaker:

Helen Luty

Landmark Information Group

Head of Customer Experience

Helen has over 20 years of Customer Service Leadership experience across a variety of B2B and B2C businesses. As Head of Customer Experience for Landmark Information Group, Helen covers service, support and success across a variety of Landmark brands, building and improving processes to ensure Landmark are easy to do business with, that focus on positive outcomes, that seek and learn from feedback and that look to the ever-evolving needs of customers.
Helen’s passion for making a difference, cascades throughout the CX Teams and has resulted in high engagement scores and as we all know…engaged and happy teams mean engaged and happy customers.
Helen has been named in the CXM Stars Top 25 Professionals 2024 and 2025, Was awarded CX Professional of the Year at the UKCXA23, Customer Service Professional at the UK Customer Satisfaction Awards 2023 and her team won Best B2B Customer Experience at UKCXA24 and Best Use of Customer Insight at the Engage Awards 2024.

11:50 - 12:20

Customer Relationship Management

Breaking Down the Walls – How Cross-Functional Teams Are Transforming CX

Panel Discussion

The Unified Customer

Delivering a consistently excellent customer experience is not the responsibility of a single team, yet in many organisations marketing, sales, service, and operations are still working in ways that create friction, inconsistency, and missed opportunity at every handoff. The organisations genuinely raising the bar on customer experience are those that have broken down the functional walls and built truly cross-functional approaches to CX delivery that put the customer at the centre rather than the organisational chart.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what genuine cross-functional collaboration looks like in a CRM-enabled organisation. From building the structures that allow teams to work from the same customer picture, to the cultural and leadership changes needed to make cross-functional CX delivery stick, panellists will explore what it takes to move from siloed functions to a genuinely connected approach that improves experience at every stage of the customer journey.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what genuine cross-functional CX delivery looks like and what it takes to build it
Practical approaches to creating the shared data foundations and governance structures that enable teams to work together around the customer
Insight into the cultural and leadership changes needed to make cross-functional collaboration in CX sustainable rather than occasional
Real examples of how breaking down functional silos is improving customer experience and driving commercial results

Speaker:

Sharon Braude

Virgin Active

Global Group Director Marketing Technology

Leader in Digital Transformation & Performance Marketing for global brands for 20+ years. Proven ability to (i) transform marketing operations and its cost-effectiveness (ii) drive digital transformation across enterprise technology to unlock data access and deliver effective marketing strategies.

12:20 - 12:40

Customer Relationship Management

Audience Q&A: Inside Your CRM and Marketing Strategy

Q&A

The Unified Customer

This interactive Q&A session turns the spotlight onto you and how your organisation is really using CRM, data and marketing to drive growth and loyalty. Instead of another presentation, the focus shifts to a guided conversation with the room, exploring the choices senior leaders are making about customer data, segmentation, personalisation and measurement.

Through live polling and open discussion, we’ll explore:

How CRM is currently structured and owned in your organisation – and how it connects to marketing and CX
Where your campaigns and programmes are delivering clear commercial and customer impact, and where progress is slower
How you’re using data and insight to shape content, journeys and offers, rather than just report on activity
What examples, evidence or support would most help you refine your CRM and marketing strategy from here

A chance to compare approaches with peers, surface honest challenges, and contribute your experience to the evolving conversation about what modern, CRM‑led marketing should look like.

12:40 - 14:00

Customer Relationship Management

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

The Unified Customer

14:50 - 15:20

Customer Relationship Management

CRM as the Engine of the Connected Customer Journey

Panel Discussion

Why Data Powers the Connected Customer Journey

The most effective customer journeys are powered by a CRM strategy that goes far beyond contact management. When CRM is working at its best it is the connective tissue of the entire customer journey, ensuring that every interaction across marketing, sales, and service is informed by a shared, accurate, and up-to-date picture of the customer. Yet too many organisations are still using CRM as a system of record rather than as the engine driving a genuinely connected experience at every stage.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what it looks like when CRM is truly powering the connected customer journey. From using CRM data to trigger the right interaction at the right moment across every touchpoint, to ensuring every customer-facing team has the context it needs to deliver a seamless, relevant experience without the customer ever having to repeat themselves, panellists will explore what genuinely CRM-powered journey delivery looks like and what it takes to get there.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what it looks like when CRM is genuinely powering the connected customer journey rather than simply recording it
Practical approaches to using CRM data to trigger relevant, timely interactions across every customer touchpoint
Insight into how leading organisations are ensuring every customer-facing team has the context needed to deliver a seamless experience
Real examples of how CRM-powered journey delivery is reducing customer effort and driving stronger commercial outcomes

15:45 - 16:05

Customer Relationship Management

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Why Data Powers the Connected Customer Journey

17:00 - 17:05

Customer Relationship Management

Closing Remarks

The Reality Check: Measuring Adoption, ROI & Real Business Impact

Speaker:

Scott Logie

DMA

DMA Membership Advocate

17:05

Customer Relationship Management

Summit After-Party

The Night Summit

08:55 - 09:00

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

Introduction

Loyalty Beyond Points & Programmes

Welcome to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 is all about The Customer Reality – putting the real pressures, gaps and successes in customer engagement front and centre. From strained contact centres and shifting customer expectations to the challenges of turning data into decisions and rebuilding loyalty, today is designed to surface what is genuinely happening in organisations right now, not just what the slideware says.

In this opening address, Andrew will set the tone for a day of honest, practical insight. Today’s agenda is built to help you see your own organisation more clearly – through case studies, panels and conversations grounded in lived experience.

Speaker:

Andrew Hough

Cranfield University

Associate Professor Sales Leadership & Performance

Andrew has spent all of his working life in sales. Starting in financial services in Lloyds, then Barclays Asset Finance initially in Manchester, then London. The foundations gained in selling externally and internally, the need for asset finance loans (externally) and the . acceptable risk (internally), have never been lost on him. From there he moved to GE Capital and ran their joint venture with Sun Microsystems Ltd, and from there to EMC2 Inc (now part of Dell). He held roles from need of customer financial services (UK and EMEA levels), through to Director EMEA Sales enablement. In that role understanding sales learning and tool needs and developing programs for growth, were critical and Andrew’s relationship with Cranfield began there. He also held roles in specialist sales and core storage group sales with 2000 sellers under leadership. Leaving after 16 years he founded the Association of Professional Sales, focused on developing sales into a recognised profession and placing it on parity with other professions. Following a merger with the ISM the Institute of Professional Sales was formed with 8000 members world-wide. As founder Andrew stays actively involved with thought leadership and research which links to his role as researcher in sales at Cranfield University. Passionate about sales at every level Andy supports organisations embrace you learning methodologies and frameworks for sales ecosystems. He lives in Highgate, with wife Alison (his personal CEO and Managing Partner of EY), their two children, and mad working cocker (who has never worked in her life).

09:00 - 09:25

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

From Contacts to Confidence: How Customer‑Led Growth Really Happens

Opening Keynote

Loyalty Beyond Points & Programmes

Brands talk a lot about customer‑centricity, but growth still often starts from channels and campaigns rather than from people. This opening keynote reframes CRM, marketing and customer engagement around one simple idea: growth happens when customers feel confident choosing you, staying with you and recommending you.

The session will explore how leading organisations are joining up CRM, content, data and service into journeys that build that confidence over time. It will look at what modern “customer‑led growth” really means – from the way teams are structured and targets set, to how personalisation, loyalty and measurement work together rather than as separate initiatives. Delegates will leave with a clear set of questions to apply to their own strategies during the day: who are we really serving, what confidence are we building, and how do we know?

09:50 - 10:20

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Beyond the Points Card – What Loyalty Really Means Today

Panel Discussion

Loyalty Beyond Points & Programmes

Points, rewards, and tiered programmes have their place, but the customers who stay, spend more, and advocate for a brand are rarely those motivated by a points balance alone. The organisations building genuine long-term loyalty are those that have moved beyond the transactional and started creating the emotional connections, relevant experiences, and sense of genuine value that make customers choose to stay rather than feeling incentivised to.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what modern loyalty strategy looks like when it goes beyond the programme. From understanding what is actually driving repeat behaviour today to building the emotional connections that create lasting brand relationships, panellists will explore what it takes to build loyalty that is genuinely felt by customers rather than mechanically administered.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what modern loyalty strategy looks like beyond points and traditional rewards mechanics
Practical approaches to building the emotional connections that drive genuine long-term loyalty
Insight into what is actually driving repeat behaviour in a market where switching has never been easier
Real examples of how leading organisations are creating loyalty that customers feel rather than just participate in

Speakers:

Harry Blamire

The Royal College of Surgeons of England

Director of Customer Experience

Simge Sertbas

JLR

UK Customer Experience Design Lead

Strategic Customer Experience & Transformation Leader with 20 years of professional experience in leadership roles, driving enterprise-wide customer strategy, loyalty, engagement, and digital transformation across automotive, financial services, and retail sectors. Proven ability to define and deliver end-to-end customer experience strategies, combining deep expertise in CRM architecture, data governance, AI-enabled insights, and digital platforms with strong commercial acumen to drive retention, revenue growth, and long-term customer value. Experienced in leading cross-functional transformation programmes, influencing senior executives, and embedding customer-led operating models across complex, multi-brand organisations. Adept at partnering with Sales, Marketing, Digital, and Operations teams to deliver measurable business impact through insight-driven customer engagement and loyalty initiatives.

10:20 - 11:00

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Loyalty Beyond Points & Programmes

11:00 - 11:25

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Serco Case Study: Retention Under Pressure: Why People Leave Emotionally Before They Leave Commercially

Case Study

Retention Under Pressure: Keeping Customers in a Competitive Market

In competitive markets, organisations often focus on customer churn as a metric to manage rather than a behaviour to understand. But customers rarely leave suddenly. More often, they disengage gradually, with confidence, trust, and emotional connection declining long before commercial signals appear.

Drawing on experience from digital transformation, stakeholder engagement, and community-building, this session explores the concept of "quiet churn" – the subtle behavioural indicators that signal when people are beginning to disengage.

Tansy Cox will share practical lessons on identifying early warning signs, creating meaningful interventions, and building environments where people actively choose to stay engaged. Attendees will learn how trust, transparency, communication, and visible progress can strengthen loyalty in situations where customers have greater choice than ever before.

Through real-world examples and a human-centred approach, the session will challenge delegates to think differently about retention, moving beyond transactions and metrics to focus on confidence, connection, and long-term engagement.

Speaker:

Tansy Cox

Serco

Digital Transformation Lead

11:50 - 12:20

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Retention Under Pressure – Keeping Customers When Switching Has Never Been Easier

Panel Discussion

Retention Under Pressure: Keeping Customers in a Competitive Market

Churn is rising across sectors and the commercial cost is significant. In a market where switching is easier, faster, and less risky than ever for customers, the retention strategies that worked even a few years ago are showing their age. The organisations holding on to their customers most effectively are those that have moved beyond reactive win-back tactics and built genuinely proactive retention models that identify and act on risk before it becomes defection.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what effective retention looks like under genuine commercial pressure. From churn prediction and at-risk customer strategies to the operational and cultural levers that are making the biggest difference to retention rates, panellists will explore what it takes to keep customers in a competitive market where their next alternative is always just a click away.

What you'll gain:

Practical approaches to building proactive retention models that act on churn risk before it becomes defection
Insight into the churn prediction and at-risk customer strategies that are delivering the strongest results
A clearer picture of the operational and cultural levers that are making the biggest difference to retention rates right now
Real examples of how leading organisations are holding on to customers in markets where switching friction has almost disappeared

Speakers:

James Vukashin

phs Group

Head of Commercial Operations

James has over 20 years’ experience in customer roles, working across varies blue chip businesses as well as startups. This has included leading large contact centres, cross functional teams and delivering large change programmes for some well-known brands.

Currently the Head of Commercial Operations at phs Group, his focus is on improving the customer experience, increasing customer loyalty/reducing churn, ensuring the commercial teams are as efficient as possible, driving a new data strategy, ensuring the business is insight focused, the sales teams deliver and have the tools/systems to do the job and ensuring customer needs are met through a great service delivery, pricing model and product range.

Oliver Parsons

Lloyds Banking Group

Head of Ecosystems, Customer Propositions

Oliver leads a proposition team at Lloyds Banking Group, building digital ecosystems that better serve customers by supporting them through contextually relevant customer journeys that help present the right solution at the right time, to help them better achieve their day to day needs. He is a digitally proficient leader with a passion for delivering insight driven business and customer outcomes, with expertise in delivering customer centric propositions; new products; marketing communications; and business improvement through multiple methodologies.

12:20 - 12:40

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Audience Q&A: Beyond Points and Perks: Real Talk on Loyalty and Retention

Q&A

Retention Under Pressure: Keeping Customers in a Competitive Market

Loyalty is about more than cards, points and discounts – it’s about whether customers choose to stay, come back and grow with you over time. In this audience Q&A, we’ll dig into how organisations are really approaching loyalty and retention today, beyond the glossy programme mechanics.

Through live polling and open discussion, we’ll explore:

How you define and measure loyalty, and whether that matches how customers see your brand
What’s genuinely working to reduce churn and grow customer value – and where progress is stalling
The balance between rewards, experience and product when it comes to keeping customers over the long term
Where growth targets and “doing right by the customer” pull in different directions, and how leaders are resolving those tensions

A conversation designed to surface real examples and challenges from the room, giving delegates fresh ideas on how to strengthen loyalty and retention beyond points and perks.

12:40 - 14:00

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Retention Under Pressure: Keeping Customers in a Competitive Market

14:00 - 14:25

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

The Future of Subscriber Retention: AI, Personalisation and the Next Best Action: In Conversation With Charlotte Vlahavas from The Economist

Interview

Personalisation, Relevance & Growth: Turning Customer Understanding into Commercial Results

For years, retention strategies have relied on broad segmentation, fixed offers and one-size-fits-all interventions. As AI capabilities mature, organisations have an opportunity to move beyond static retention tactics towards real-time, personalised decision-making.

In this fireside chat, Charlotte Vlahavas, Global Head of Subscriber Retention & Engagement at The Economist, will discuss how AI is reshaping subscriber retention, from predicting churn and personalising experiences to determining the next best offer and action for individual subscribers. The session will explore both the opportunities and challenges of applying AI in a subscription business, alongside practical lessons for organisations looking to move from experimentation to implementation.

Speaker:

Charlotte Vlahavas

The Economist

Global Head of Subscriber Retention & Engagement

Charlotte Vlahavas is Head of Retention Trading at The Economist, responsible for subscriber retention, customer lifecycle strategy and commercial performance across the subscription business.

Passionate about the role of AI in customer engagement, Charlotte is leading work to develop AI-powered decisioning and personalised retention experiences, helping shape how The Economist delivers more relevant customer interactions at scale. She also serves as the B2C AI Lead, supporting AI adoption across the organisation.

14:50 - 15:20

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Personalisation as a Growth Driver – Turning Customer Understanding into Commercial Results

Panel Discussion

Personalisation, Relevance & Growth: Turning Customer Understanding into Commercial Results

Personalisation is one of the most talked about strategies in customer engagement, but its commercial value is only realised when it genuinely drives behaviour rather than simply feeling clever. The organisations using personalisation most effectively are those that have connected their customer data, their experience design, and their commercial goals into a single, coherent growth strategy where relevance at every stage of the customer lifecycle translates directly into retention, revenue, and relationship depth.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what commercially effective personalisation looks like in practice. From translating customer data and understanding into experiences that genuinely strengthen relationships to the role of frontline employee experience in delivering personalised service at the moments that matter most, panellists will explore what it takes to turn customer understanding into measurable commercial results rather than just more targeted communications.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what commercially effective personalisation looks like when it is genuinely driving behaviour rather than just improving open rates
Practical approaches to connecting customer data, experience design, and commercial goals into a coherent personalisation-led growth strategy
Insight into how leading organisations are using personalisation to strengthen relationships and drive retention across the full customer lifecycle
Real examples of how frontline employee experience is being used to deliver personalised service at the human moments that matter most

Speaker:

Kathleen MacLean

Dr. Martens

Global Head of Customer Growth Strategy & Planning

Kathleen MacLean is a growth strategist and customer intelligence leader specialising in helping organisations identify, unlock and scale new growth opportunities.

With more than 15 years of experience across scale-ups, technology businesses and global consumer brands, Kathleen has built and led growth, customer intelligence and digital transformation initiatives spanning automotive, clean technology, telecommunications, fintech and retail. She has worked with organisations including Dr. Martens, BMW, O2, BT, Huawei and ev.energy, helping businesses accelerate customer acquisition, increase retention, optimise customer lifetime value and deliver measurable commercial growth.

Known for translating complex customer, data and organisational challenges into practical growth strategies, Kathleen combines deep expertise in customer intelligence, digital transformation and commercial strategy to help businesses uncover untapped opportunities, scale more effectively and build the foundations for long-term success.

Her approach bridges strategy and execution, enabling organisations to turn customer insight into sustainable growth and competitive advantage.

15:45 - 16:05

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Personalisation, Relevance & Growth: Turning Customer Understanding into Commercial Results

16:05 - 16:30

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Turning Customer Insight Into Business Impact: In Conversation With Linzi Hindle at DHL Supply Chain

Interview

Customer Lifetime Value: Measuring Relationships, ROI & Revenue Potential

Customer insight is only valuable if it leads to action. Linzi Hindle, Director of Customer Experience shares how she transformed customer feedback from a measurement activity into a strategic driver for growth and cultural change. Through a clear vision, strong leadership, and a relentless focus on outcomes, she helped establish DHL Supply Chain UKI as a global benchmark for customer experience excellence.

Linzi will discuss the leadership decisions and actions that enabled customer experience to become one of the organisation's top priorities. Attendees will gain practical lessons on leading transformation, building customer-centric cultures at scale, securing executive sponsorship, and turning insight into measurable business impact. Whether you're starting your CX journey or looking to accelerate an existing programme, this session offers proven leadership lessons for creating meaningful and lasting change.

Speaker:

Linzi Hindle

DHL Supply Chain

Customer Experience Director

Linzi Hindle is Customer Experience Director at DHL Supply Chain UK & Ireland, leading the strategy of customer experience across a business serving 300+ customers and 35,000 colleagues. She has led a business-wide transformation that established the UKI region as a global benchmark for customer experience, and under her leadership, customer loyalty almost tripled and customer experience became one of the organisation’s top strategic priorities.

Known for combining strategic vision with authentic leadership, Linzi has built a culture where customer insight drives action, innovation, and growth. This has contributed to industry recognition including multiple UK Customer Experience Awards, most recently Gold for Best CX Strategy and Best Measurement.

A regular conference speaker and industry judge, she is passionate about creating lasting competitive advantage through customer-centric leadership and an advocate for creating cultures where customer experience becomes everyone’s responsibility.

16:30 - 17:00

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

The CLV Growth Opportunity – Are You Measuring the Right Things to Drive Long-Term Growth?

Panel Discussion

Customer Lifetime Value: Measuring Relationships, ROI & Revenue Potential

Customer lifetime value is one of the most powerful commercial metrics available, yet many organisations are still not using it to drive strategic decisions. The gap between organisations that genuinely understand the long-term commercial value of their customer relationships and those that are still optimising for short-term acquisition and transaction metrics is significant, and it is showing up in the way they invest, prioritise, and make decisions about the customer experience.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what a genuinely CLV-driven approach to customer strategy looks like in practice. From building CLV models that reflect the true value of customer relationships to aligning teams across the organisation around long-term value rather than short-term targets, panellists will explore what it takes to make CLV a genuine driver of commercial decisions rather than just a metric on a dashboard.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what a genuinely CLV-driven customer strategy looks like and the commercial difference it makes
Practical approaches to building CLV models that reflect the true value of customer relationships
Insight into how leading organisations are aligning teams around long-term value rather than short-term acquisition and transaction metrics
Real examples of how CLV-driven decision-making is changing the way organisations invest in and prioritise the customer experience

Speakers:

Malory Beaham-Powell

WeWork

Senior Manager, SaaS Customer Success

Malory Beaham-Powell is a Senior Manager of Digital Products & Partnerships at WeWork where he leads the International Customer Success team for the company's digital products and drives global partnerships. With over a decade of experience, Malory is passionate about building strategic partnerships and helping organizations optimize their hybrid work strategies through tech driven solutions.

Ben Truppin

Ford Credit Europe

Group Product Manager

With experience across Ford Credit Europe, Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays – amongst others – I’ve typically sat at the intersection of product, transformation and technology teams and am consistently asked to walk into complex environments to generate straightforward experiences that customers can complete themselves.

Turning ambiguity into structure is a common thread, as is navigating the early part of making change happen. You might recognise this, it’s when organisations know they need to do things differently but are yet to settle on exactly what that might look like in practice.

With autonomy to get close to customers, understand their problems, and then to work with people who care about improving these experiences is where I do my best work.

17:25 - 17:30

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Closing Remarks

Customer Lifetime Value: Measuring Relationships, ROI & Revenue Potential

Speaker:

Andrew Hough

Cranfield University

Associate Professor Sales Leadership & Performance

17:05

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Summit After-Party

The Night Summit

08:55 - 09:00

Data, Insights and Analytics

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

Introduction

Turning Data into Actionable Insight

Welcome to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 is all about The Customer Reality – putting the real pressures, gaps and successes in customer engagement front and centre. From strained contact centres and shifting customer expectations to the challenges of turning data into decisions and rebuilding loyalty, today is designed to surface what is genuinely happening in organisations right now, not just what the slideware says.

In this opening address, Gerry will set the tone for a day of honest, practical insight. Today’s agenda is built to help you see your own organisation more clearly – through case studies, panels and conversations grounded in lived experience.

Speaker:

Gerry Brown

Customer Lifeguard

Chief Customer Officer

Gerry Brown, aka The Customer Lifeguard, is on a mission to save the world from bad customer service. He helps businesses save customers at risk of defecting and breathes life into their customer service operations and customer experience strategy. Gerry has provided organizational leadership on people development, business transformation, customer engagement and technology enablement for some of the largest companies in the UK, Canada, and EMEA. These include National Express, Nutricia, The Royal Albert Hall, Endsleigh Insurance, O2, Screwfix, Sage, Sky, Bell Canada and TELUS. He is a frequent speaker, chairperson, panellist and facilitator at conferences, webinars, company events and other business gatherings, where his many years of business and customer service experience provide stimulating, thought-provoking engagement and audience participation. He is also a published author and his new book When a Customer Wins, Nobody Loses is available on Amazon to help business leaders to create winning and memorable customer experiences.

09:00 - 09:25

Data, Insights and Analytics

The Customer Truth: Turning Data into Decisions Across the Journey

Opening Keynote

Turning Data into Actionable Insight

Customer data has never been richer, but the gap between what we could know and what we actually use is still wide. This keynote sets the tone for your data, insight and journey conversations by focusing on “customer truth” – the shared, actionable understanding of customers that leaders can trust and act on.

We'll unpack the building blocks of that truth: how organisations are connecting fragmented data, agreeing on a common view of the customer, and then using it to design better journeys, smarter interventions and clearer measures of success. It will highlight the mindset shift from reporting to decision‑making, and show how insight teams, CRM, marketing and service can collaborate around journeys instead of isolated metrics. Attendees will be primed to listen to the rest of the day through a different lens: how does this help us see customers more clearly, and act on that clarity?

09:50 - 10:20

Data, Insights and Analytics

From Data Rich to Insight Led – Making Customer Data Work Harder

Panel Discussion

Turning Data into Actionable Insight

Most organisations are sitting on more customer data than they know what to do with. The challenge is no longer collection, it is translation. The gap between organisations that are genuinely turning data into customer engagement decisions that improve experience and drive commercial performance, and those where data sits in silos, goes unanalysed, or informs reports that nobody acts on, is one of the most significant divides in customer engagement today. The organisations pulling ahead are those that have made insight the engine of every customer engagement decision they make.

In this panel, senior leaders will share how they are building the data cultures, analytical capabilities, and operational foundations needed to turn customer data into actionable insight that drives better customer engagement and stronger commercial outcomes. From breaking down data silos to creating the conditions where insight shapes every interaction across the customer lifecycle, panellists will explore what it takes to move from data rich to truly insight led in a way that delivers measurable commercial results.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what a genuinely insight-led customer engagement organisation looks like and what it takes to build one
Practical approaches to breaking down data silos and turning behavioural patterns into customer engagement decisions that improve experience and drive commercial performance
Insight into how leading organisations are building data cultures where insight shapes every customer engagement decision rather than sitting in reports
Real examples of how turning data into action is delivering measurable improvements in customer engagement quality and commercial outcomes

Speakers:

Aida Mutapcic

KFC

Customer Recovery Manager

Specializing in customer service management and process optimization, I am passionate about aligning operational strategies with evolving customer needs. My mission is to empower teams and deliver exceptional experiences through collaboration, innovation, and effective communication. I remain committed to driving continuous improvement and fostering a positive organizational culture.

Cher Lowies

Interactive Investor

Customer Insights Manager

Cher’s the Customer Insights Manager at Interactive Investor, where she helps teams better understand their customers and turn insight into action.

Blending behavioural science with customer insight, Cher is naturally curious about why customers behave the way they do and enjoys helping organisations challenge long-held assumptions with real evidence. She believes the best research doesn't just answer questions, it changes the way people think.

Her work focuses on uncovering what really matters to customers, translating complex research into practical recommendations, and helping organisations make confident, evidence-based decisions.

Danny Bradley

Virgin Media O2

Senior Data Engagement & Execution Lead

Senior Data Engagement & Execution Lead with over 15 years of experience, operating at the intersection of data, AI, and business strategy.
My focus is on translating complex capabilities into tangible business value. I partner with senior stakeholders to shape requirements for AI and data products and drive their adoption at scale.
I act as a bridge between vendors, internal engineering, and end users, evaluating product capabilities, advocating for features that unlock meaningful outcomes, and influencing roadmaps.
Beyond delivery, I build and nurture data and AI communities through events, training, and enablement programmes to accelerate adoption and drive tangible outcomes.
My foundations are built on deep technical expertise in Tableau and Alteryx, strong stakeholder partnership, and data governance shaped by time spent within government entities. I bring cross-sector perspective to building data strategies and leading teams.
I’m passionate about enabling people and organisations to get more from their data and AI investments.

10:20 - 11:00

Data, Insights and Analytics

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Turning Data into Actionable Insight

11:00 - 11:25

Data, Insights and Analytics

HSBC Case Study: From Understanding to Action, How the Right Customer Mapping Impacts the Business

Case Study

Customer Journey Mapping: From Insight to Outcome

Turning what we learn about customers into practical improvements that deliver measurable results.

Map the end-to-end journey across channels (digital, branch, contact centre), capturing key steps, touchpoints, emotions, and pain points.
Use evidence, not assumptions by combining customer feedback, behavioural data, and frontline insights to identify what really drives friction or drop-off.
Prioritise opportunities based on customer impact and business value (e.g., reduced effort, higher conversion, fewer complaints, improved NPS).
Design and deliver changes by translating insights into clear actions: process fixes, content changes, product tweaks, and service improvements.
Measure outcomes with defined KPIs and ownership so the map leads to tangible benefits, not just a nice diagram.

Speaker:

Ricardo Toral

HSBC Expat

Head of International Customer Acquisition

Commercial banking executive with 21+ years of international experience leading customer acquisition, offshore banking growth, and cross-border banking strategies across the UK, USA, Mexico, Argentina, and global markets.

Proven track record of leading global business, growth strategies, developing international banking propositions, and driving commercial transformation initiatives that delivered sustainable revenue growth, increased customer acquisition, and enhanced market positioning.

Specialised in international customer acquisition, commercial growth strategy, strategic partnerships, digital acquisition optimisation, and stakeholder leadership within complex global banking environments.

11:50 - 12:20

Data, Insights and Analytics

Customer Journey Mapping That Drives Impact

Panel Discussion

Customer Journey Mapping: From Insight to Outcome

Customer journey mapping has become a standard tool in the CX leader's toolkit, yet too many maps gather dust rather than driving meaningful change in customer engagement or commercial performance. The gap between organisations that use journey mapping to create genuine commercial and experience outcomes and those where it becomes an exercise in documentation rather than transformation is one of the most telling indicators of customer engagement maturity. Getting it right requires more than a good workshop, it requires the organisational will, cross-functional alignment, and measurement discipline to turn maps into action that improves the customer relationship and drives commercial growth.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what journey mapping looks like when it genuinely drives change in customer engagement and commercial outcomes. From the methodologies that work in practice to the leadership and cultural conditions needed to align teams around the customer perspective in a way that creates momentum, panellists will explore what it takes to move from journey mapping as a process to journey mapping as a genuine driver of customer engagement improvement and commercial results.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what journey mapping looks like when it is genuinely driving customer engagement and commercial outcomes
Practical approaches to moving beyond documentation to real improvement action that strengthens customer relationships and drives revenue
Insight into how leading organisations are creating the cross-functional alignment needed to turn journey maps into meaningful customer engagement change
Real examples of how effective journey mapping is identifying friction, prioritising improvement, and delivering measurable commercial results

Speaker:

Adam Powers

Experian

Head of Customer Experience

I am a creative and strategic senior leader successfully operating in the world of cx design, brand and technology. I have built and led high-performing design teams on some of the world’s most iconic brands in both a client-side and agency-side capacity. I retain a passion for design in all of its guises.

Rather than fearing developments such as generative AI, I have an undiminished hunger to understand and shape how innovation can enhance design practice and what happens next. I believe holistic design thinking is a business imperative and that the convergence of UX and Service Design is a priority.

My own success has come from an ability to combine an empathetic but demanding leadership style with a track record of consistently delivering award-winning experiences that have generated both enormous human engagement and significant commercial return.

Fellow Royal Society of Arts
Global Design Standards Board Member at General Assembly
BIMA Awards Judge
Ranked in Top 50 of CX Professionals in 2021

12:20 - 12:40

Data, Insights and Analytics

Audience Q&A: Beyond Dashboards: Real-Talk on Data, Insight and Customer Journeys

Q&A

Customer Journey Mapping: From Insight to Outcome

Customer data and insight promise clearer journeys and smarter decisions – but many teams still struggle to turn insight into action. In this audience‑led Q&A, we’ll dig into how organisations are actually using data to shape customer journeys, beyond the charts and dashboards.

Through live polling and open discussion, we’ll explore:

How you capture and connect data across key journey stages and touchpoints.
Where analytics are genuinely improving journeys – and where they’re just reporting what you already know.
How teams turn insight into changes: triggers, experiments and journey tweaks that reduce friction and improve outcomes.
The biggest gaps in skills, tools or behaviours that hold back journey analytics from driving real value.

A fast‑paced, candid conversation designed to surface real examples and challenges from the room, giving delegates fresh ideas on how to make data, insight and analytics truly work for their customer journeys.

12:40 - 14:00

Data, Insights and Analytics

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Customer Journey Mapping: From Insight to Outcome

14:00 - 14:25

Data, Insights and Analytics

E.ON Next Case Study: Identifying the Silent Customer With AI Driven Insights

Case Study

Real-Time Insight & Acting on Customer Signals

Not all dissatisfied customers raise complaints or provide feedback. Many disengage quietly, leaving organisations with limited visibility into churn risk. This session explores how organisations can better understand the “silent customer” by identifying behavioural signals that indicate dissatisfaction before it becomes visible in traditional metrics.

Learn how AI can be applied to uncover hidden patterns in customer interactions, detect early warning signs, and enable more proactive engagement strategies. The session will focus on practical approaches to combining data, analytics, and operational processes to better capture and act on these unseen signals.

Speaker:

Abdul Khaled

E.ON Next

Director of Transformation

Abdul Khaled is an award-winning digital transformation, AI and customer experience leader with 15+ years of experience driving growth, innovation and large-scale business change. He currently leads Digital Transformation at E.ON, where he is spearheading a major digital transformation and introduction of a AI native operating model. Abdul also delivers AI leadership sessions at London School of Economics and Political Science. He has been recognised as one of Europe’s leading customer experience professionals, including being named in the Top 50 CX Leaders, Top 35 CX Professionals in Europe and the Inspire 100 UK list. As a speaker and industry commentator, Abdul is passionate about helping organisations harness technology, AI and customer-centricity to create sustainable competitive advantage.

14:50 - 15:20

Data, Insights and Analytics

Reading the Signals – How Leading Organisations Are Acting on Customer Behaviour

Panel Discussion

Real-Time Insight & Acting on Customer Signals

The ability to identify and respond to customer signals in the moment is becoming one of the most significant competitive advantages in customer engagement. The window between a customer showing signs of dissatisfaction, disengagement, or intent to leave and the point at which intervention is still effective is shrinking, and the organisations that are acting on signals fastest are pulling ahead.

In this panel, senior leaders will share how they are building the real-time insight capabilities needed to act on customer signals when they matter most. From real-time dashboards and trigger-based interventions to early churn signal detection and the operational changes needed to turn insight into customer engagement action at speed, panellists will explore what it takes to build an organisation that responds to what customers are telling them in the moment.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what real-time customer signal capability looks like and the value it delivers when it is working well
Practical approaches to building trigger-based customer engagement strategies that act on signals before they become churn
Insight into how leading organisations are reducing the gap between signal detection and customer engagement action to improve retention and commercial outcomes
Real examples of how acting on customer signals in the moment is making a measurable difference to customer engagement quality

Speaker:

Joss Murdoch

Energy Saving Trust

Customer Experience Specialist

I’ve worked my way up from frontline customer service to designing and implementing new and improved digital services with stops along the way working on complaint handling and minimisation, efficient multi-channel working and digital user experience and accessibility. Currently I’m focused on helping Home Energy Scotland and Energy Saving Trust translate their services to the digital world.

I’m most interested in the opportunities of WhatsApp as a customer service channel, how to balance efficiency with effective personalisation in digital customer service, and how best to utilise AI to level up the customer experience.

15:45 - 16:05

Data, Insights and Analytics

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Real-Time Insight & Acting on Customer Signals

16:05 - 16:30

Data, Insights and Analytics

Olympia Events Case Study: Building CX From the Ground Up: Launching London’s New ICC at Olympia

Case Study

Hyper-Personalisation & Real-Time Relevance: Delivering Individual Experiences in the Moment

Olympia Events share how a major London venue is building a customer experience strategy from a blank slate while bringing an established operations and guest experience team along on that journey.

Attendees will hear:

How the CX strategy for a new convention centre connects venue vision, day to day service delivery and team roles and behaviours.
How customer expectations for large scale events shape decisions about arrivals, flows, touchpoints and interactions – and what that means for how the team shows up.
Lessons from leading guest and customer experience across complex venues and multi stakeholder environments, translated into clear expectations for the people delivering CX.
Practical ideas for leaders who want customer experience strategy and team culture to evolve together, so staff feel equipped – not overwhelmed – by a more ambitious CX vision.

16:55 - 17:25

Data, Insights and Analytics

Every Customer, Every Time – The Reality of Hyper-Personalisation at Scale

Panel Discussion

Hyper-Personalisation & Real-Time Relevance: Delivering Individual Experiences in the Moment

The gap between broad segmentation and hyper-personlisation is one of the most significant opportunities available to customer engagement leaders today, yet genuine personalisation at scale remains elusive for most organisations.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what personalisation at scale looks like when it is genuinely working across every customer touchpoint. From the data and technology foundations needed to move beyond segment-level thinking to the organisational and operational changes required to deliver truly individual experiences in real time, panellists will explore what it takes to close the gap between personalisation ambition and personalisation reality and what genuinely individual customer engagement looks like in practice.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what genuine personalisation at scale looks like when it is working across every customer touchpoint
Practical approaches to building the data infrastructure and capability needed to move beyond segmentation to truly individual customer engagement
Insight into how leading organisations are closing the gap between personalisation ambition and what customers are actually experiencing
Real examples of what individual-level customer engagement looks like in practice and the difference it makes to experience quality and customer relationships

17:25 - 17:30

Data, Insights and Analytics

Closing Remarks

Hyper-Personalisation & Real-Time Relevance: Delivering Individual Experiences in the Moment

Speaker:

Gerry Brown

Customer Lifeguard

Chief Customer Officer

17:30

Data, Insights and Analytics

Summit After-Party

The Night Summit

Thursday 08 October 2026

09:50 - 10:20

Main Stage

Investing in People - The Competitive Advantage Driving Next-Generation Engagement

Panel Discussion

People, Skills & the Future of CX Teams

The future of customer engagement will be shaped as much by people as it is by technology. As the skills required to deliver great customer experiences evolve, the organisations pulling ahead are those investing in their people with the same ambition they bring to their technology strategies, building workforces that are confident, capable, and ready for what is coming next.

In this panel, senior leaders will share how they are equipping their teams with the skills, tools, and development opportunities needed to thrive in a rapidly changing environment. From innovative approaches to reskilling and talent development to building a culture where people and technology work together at their best, panellists will explore what genuine workforce investment looks like and the difference it is making to customer outcomes.

What you'll gain:

Insight into how leading organisations are building the skills and capabilities needed for the future of customer engagement
Practical approaches to reskilling and talent development that are genuinely making a difference
A clearer picture of how investing in people drives stronger customer outcomes
Real examples of what a thriving, future-ready CX workforce looks like in practice

Speakers:

Joanna Reynolds

Beauty Pie

Director of Customer Experience (CX)

As Director of CX at Beauty Pie, I lead the development and execution of global data-driven CX strategies that enhance member satisfaction, reduce churn and improve LTV. Leveraging strategic planning, budget management, and forecasting, I focus on balancing short-term operational excellence with long-term growth for the world’s first luxury beauty buyers’ club. With over 15 years of experience in CS/CX management, I excel at integrating AI-driven analytics and predictive modeling to enhance customer journeys and drive retention. Passionate about collaboration, I work closely with cross-functional teams to align CX strategies with organizational objectives, ensuring measurable and scalable impact.

Kate Philpot

Getty Images

Vice President Global Sales Enablement

I am a Senior International Sales Enablement Leader, ICF Certified Coach and Independent Board Advisor working across highly regulated, fast-paced organisations to define strategies, challenge the status quo and deliver sustainable commercial and cultural change.

For the past decade, I have ascended through Getty Images in increasingly senior sales and service coaching, performance optimisation and training roles, currently as Vice President for Global Sales Enablement and ERG Co-Chair.

Alongside this, I am an Advisory Board Member for Black Women in Tech, helping them focus their short-, medium- and long-term strategic and tactical ambitions.

My earlier career includes founding and running a consultancy business specialising in commercial negotiation, sales skills, leadership and management training, working with major corporates. Prior to this, I was Director of Sales Capability at GlaxoSmithKline, having started at Mars and Shell.

Leveraging my substantial worldwide business development and training experience, including full life-cycle programme design and execution, and a passionate commitment to advancing DEI agendas, I drive talent acquisition and development and place diversity, equity and belonging at the core of commercial success and compliant ways of working.

With a reputation as an inclusive, pragmatic and motivational executive mentor, I support the design of digitally enabled processes and identify behaviours for customer-centric commercial success, while making a compelling case for greater professionalisation in sales.

As a thought leader and panel member, I present at major industry events and conferences including the Sales Enablement Collective Conference and Everywoman Summit.

In recent years, I have been shortlisted for the Novi Inspirational Leader Award and Computer Weekly’s ‘Most Influential Women in Tech’.

10:20 - 10:50

Main Stage

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

People, Skills & the Future of CX Teams

10:50 - 11:15

Main Stage

Rail Europe: From Intent to Confidence: Building Intelligent Customer Experiences

Interview

The Intelligent Business: Leading End-to-End Customer Experience

In high-intent, high-research categories, customers rarely move in a straight line from interest to purchase. They compare options, validate choices, look for reassurance, and often hesitate when the decision feels complex, unfamiliar, or high-stakes.

In this interview, Robert From, Chief Growth Officer at Rail Europe, will explore how businesses can build customer confidence across the full journey: from discovery and evaluation through to purchase, service, and repeat engagement. The conversation will focus on how trust, clarity, customer insight, and the intelligent use of data can turn complexity into confidence, and how leaders can make customer experience a practical driver of growth across functions.

Speaker:

Robert From

Rail Europe

Chief Growth Officer

I'm a commercial leader in B2C and B2B services and products with 15+ years of experience and a consistent track record in growing technology and media businesses (revenue range $10M-$100M). International experience in developing business strategy, leading multicultural teams, and building customer-centric brands and acquisition engines. Successfully partnered and developed customer relationships across multiple industries in a versatile and consultative role. Helped companies ranging from tech hyperscalers to global billion-dollar brands put in place advanced commercial and data-driven best practices. Fortunate to have seen the opportunities and challenges companies face when competing in some of the toughest markets on the planet.

11:15 - 11:40

Main Stage

Clarity Environmental Case Study: Customer Adversity into Customer Advocacy

Case Study

The Intelligent Business: Leading End-to-End Customer Experience

How do you build customer trust and advocacy in a sector defined by complexity and continual change?

Natalie Rea, CEO of Clarity Environmental and winner of three Engage Awards in 2025, shares the journey behind Clarity's success, including winning Best Customer Service Team 2024 and Best Use of Customer Insights 2025. Through a relentless focus on empathy, personalisation, and meaningful customer outcomes, Clarity has developed practical approaches that cut through complexity and inspire confidence.

Join this session to discover the strategies, insights, and real-world examples that helped turn customer adversity into lasting customer advocacy.

Speaker:

Natalie Rea

Clarity Environmental

Chief Executive Officer

Natalie is CEO of Clarity Environmental, winner of the Engage Great Place to Work Award 2025 and Engage Best Employee Wellbeing Strategy 2025. Named in the FEBE growth 100 list 2 years in a row, an annual ranking highlighting the 100 fastest growing privately owned businesses in the UK, Clarity Environmental celebrates an enviable 99.6% customer retention, demonstrating how forward thinking and futuristic people and culture strategy,
directly transforms customer experience and financial performance.

Natalie is a Great British Entrepreneurial Award Winner, approaching her CEO role from an HR background and will share her case study,
detailing how Clarity’s unique people strategy developed a culture of “People with purpose, finding joy in the job, turning visions into victory.”

As a speaker, Natalie openly shares the core methodologies driving award-winning employee engagement of 97% of employees agreeing they would recommend Clarity as a place to work and how this engagement strategy achieved more than 58% profit growth in 2 years.

11:40 - 12:10

Main Stage

From First Click to Loyal Customer: Leading the End-to-End Experience

Panel Discussion

The Intelligent Business: Leading End-to-End Customer Experience

The most successful customer-facing organisations are those that think about experience as a single, connected journey rather than a series of separate functions. From the moment a customer first encounters a brand through to post-sales, loyalty, and advocacy, every interaction shapes the relationship and the commercial outcome.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore what it takes to build and lead an end-to-end customer experience strategy that connects acquisition, experience, and retention into one coherent strategy. From aligning teams across the full customer lifecycle to delivering consistency across global and local markets, panellists will share how they are creating seamless, commercially driven customer journeys that deliver at every stage.

What you'll gain:

Insight into how leading organisations are connecting acquisition, experience, and retention into a single growth strategy
Practical approaches to delivering consistency across the full customer lifecycle
Real examples of what end-to-end customer experience leadership looks like in practice
A clearer picture of how seamless customer journeys drive commercial growth and long-term loyalty

Speaker:

Naomi Sweeting

Places for People

Director of Customer Research & Insight

Naomi has over 25 years’ experience as an insight, customer experience and strategy professional.

She has worked across the public and private sector including positions at Lloyds Banking Group, Central Office of Information, The Research Factor and The University of the West of England.

Naomi is currently Director of Customer Research & Insight at Places for People, and has held previous senior roles at Grand Union Housing Group and Alliance Homes.

Naomi is passionate about understanding customers’ needs and evidencing the importance of inclusion in driving operational efficiency and customer experience.

The award-winning psychographic segmentation Naomi has developed has now been delivered for 14 housing organisations.

12:10 - 13:00

Main Stage

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Innovation, Disruption & Building the Future-Ready Organisation

13:25 - 13:50

Main Stage

Cumberland Case Study: How a Customer-Owned Model Is Shaping Strategy

Case Study

The Loyalty Crisis: Why Customers Are Leaving & How to Win Them Back

What changes when customers are not just served by a brand, but are fundamentally part of what it exists to protect and deliver? In this case study, Cumberland shares how its customer-owned model is shaping strategy, decision-making and the way the organisation thinks about growth, trust and long-term customer value.

As one of the very few mutuals in the market offering a current account, Cumberland occupies a distinctive position. This session explores how that difference translates into a genuinely customer-driven strategy, and how initiatives such as community conversations are helping the organisation stay closely connected to the people and places it serves.

Attendees will hear:

How Cumberland’s mutual model creates a different foundation for customer strategy
What being customer-owned means in practice for decision-making, priorities and long-term thinking
How community conversations are helping shape a strategy rooted in real customer needs
What other organisations can learn from a model where customer value and organisational purpose are more closely aligned

This session offers a fresh perspective on what customer-centricity looks like when it is embedded in the structure of the organisation itself, rather than layered on as a brand promise.

Speaker:

Claire Deekes

Cumberland Building Society

Chief Customer Officer

Claire Deekes is Chief Customer Officer at Cumberland Building Society. She leads the customer function at the Cumberland in her role as CCO. Claire previously served as Head of Retail Distribution at Cumberland Building Society. Earlier in her career, she held senior roles at Virgin Money and HBOS.

13:50 - 14:20

Main Stage

Why Are Customers Really Leaving?

Panel Discussion

The Loyalty Crisis: Why Customers Are Leaving & How to Win Them Back

Customer defection is rising across sectors, and many of the traditional responses are proving less effective than they once were. Loyalty schemes are being redesigned, retention budgets are increasing, and yet churn persists. The organisations genuinely turning the tide are asking harder questions about why customers leave in the first place, and finding answers that go well beyond price and product.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what the data and the honest customer conversations are telling them about the root causes of defection and what is genuinely working to reverse it. From rethinking loyalty strategy from the ground up to making the bold moves that rebuild lasting relationships, panellists will explore how organisations are winning back customer confidence in a market where switching has never been easier.

What you'll gain:

Honest insight into the root causes of customer defection beyond the obvious explanations
Real examples of retention and loyalty strategies that are genuinely reversing churn
Practical approaches to rebuilding lasting customer relationships in a high-switching environment
A clear view of where traditional loyalty approaches are losing effectiveness and what is replacing them

Speakers:

Lisa Johnstone

Virgin Media O2

Director of Priority, Loyalty & Rewards

Customer Champion with a track record in devising and delivering market leading initiatives to optimise lifetime value. Award winning innovator in digital and service transformation. Data savvy and insight led. Skilled in building and managing teams, partnerships, creative agencies and 3rd parties. Significant budget management experience. Accomplished navigator of complex and time critical environments. Accountable at Executive level with extensive stakeholder management expertise. Career spans B2C and B2B.

Jamie Thorpe

Ipsos

Chief Experience Officer

14:20 - 14:40

Main Stage

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

The Loyalty Crisis: Why Customers Are Leaving & How to Win Them Back

14:40 - 15:05

Main Stage

The Quiet Tech Giant: How Auto Trader Turned Data and AI into Competitive Advantage

Interview

The Future Customer: Trends, Expectations & Strategic Readiness

Few British businesses have reinvented themselves as completely as Auto Trader. In this Main Stage interview, Ian Plummer, Chief Customer Officer at Auto Trader UK, tells the story of a remarkable transformation – from a print publisher to a multi-billion-pound tech and data company, and one of only two technology businesses on the FTSE 100.

Ian will explore what sets Auto Trader apart: a rare and proprietary data asset built on more than 18 million monthly visits and relationships with 15,000 retailers, and over a decade of sustained investment in AI – so much so that a third of its 1,200-strong workforce now works in data science and engineering.

Speaker:

Ian Plummer

Autotrader UK

Chief Customer Officer

The automotive industry isn’t just evolving - it’s completely rewriting its playbook. As Chief Customer Officer at Auto Trader UK, my role is to ensure our partners are the ones holding the pen. I'm lucky to sit right at the intersection of shifting consumer behaviour and complex industry trends, aiming to transform that understanding and our digital marketplace insights into actionable commercial strategies. With over two decades of experience spanning automotive, retail, and franchise management, I focus on building deep, collaborative relationships with partners from global manufacturers to local retailers. True innovation doesn't happen in a vacuum, and I am passionate about creating partnerships that actually move the needle-aligning industry capabilities with what today's car buyers want in order to drive real, sustainable growth. Ultimately, my mission is to ensure Auto Trader remains a trusted, vital engine for the UK market, helping to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the transition to sustainable mobility and of digital transformation, while delivering long-term value for all our partners. The Road Ahead is full of opportunity. Let's connect to drive the conversation forward.

15:30 - 16:00

Main Stage

A Strategic Lens on the Customer of Tomorrow

Panel Discussion

The Future Customer: Trends, Expectations & Strategic Readiness

Customer expectations are evolving faster than most strategic planning cycles can accommodate. The organisations that will win over the next five years are those that can distinguish between genuine emerging trends and passing noise, and build the readiness to act on what matters before their competitors do. Yet for many senior leaders, the gap between strategic intent and organisational readiness remains stubbornly wide.

In this panel, senior leaders will benchmark strategic readiness for the future customer across the industry. From separating signal from noise to placing the right strategic bets at the right time, panellists will share how they are preparing for a customer whose expectations, behaviours, and values are shifting in ways that demand a fundamentally different organisational response.

What you'll gain:

A clear benchmark of where the industry stands on strategic readiness for the future customer
Insight into which emerging trends senior leaders are taking most seriously and why
Practical frameworks for building organisational readiness to act on what is coming before competitors do
Real examples of the strategic bets being placed now to stay ahead of shifting customer expectations

16:00 - 16:05

Main Stage

Closing Remarks

The Future Customer: Trends, Expectations & Strategic Readiness

Speaker:

Martin Hill-Wilson

Brainfood Training

Co-Founder

08:55 - 09:00

Main Stage

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

Introduction

People, Skills & the Future of CX Teams

Welcome back to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 put the customer reality front and centre – the pressures in your contact centres, the gaps in journeys and data, and the honest stories of where organisations are succeeding and where they’re still under strain. Day 2 shifts gear to The Engagement Benchmark: Where Do You Stand?

In this opening address, Martin will connect yesterday’s themes with the question at the heart of today: how does your organisation compare against the best when it comes to customer engagement? From the strategies, technologies and operating models you’ve heard about, to the evidence on where real progress is being made, today’s agenda is designed to help you benchmark, prioritise and decide what needs to happen next.

A moment to reset, refocus and look ahead together – before you dive into a day built around understanding where you stand, what your peers are doing, and how to move your customer agenda forward with confidence.

Speaker:

Martin Hill-Wilson

Brainfood Training

Co-Founder

08:55 - 09:00

Future of The Contact Centre

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

Introduction

The High-Performance Contact Centre: Delivering More for Customers

Welcome back to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 put the customer reality front and centre – the pressures in your contact centres, the gaps in journeys and data, and the honest stories of where organisations are succeeding and where they’re still under strain. Day 2 shifts gear to The Engagement Benchmark: Where Do You Stand?

In this opening address, Marcus will connect yesterday’s themes with the question at the heart of today: how does your organisation compare against the best when it comes to customer engagement? From the strategies, technologies and operating models you’ve heard about, to the evidence on where real progress is being made, today’s agenda is designed to help you benchmark, prioritise and decide what needs to happen next.

A moment to reset, refocus and look ahead together – before you dive into a day built around understanding where you stand, what your peers are doing, and how to move your customer agenda forward with confidence.

Speaker:

Marcus Hickman

Davies Hickman

Managing Director

09:00 - 09:25

Future of The Contact Centre

Live Interview with a Surprise Guest from the World of Elite Performance

Headliner

The High-Performance Contact Centre: Delivering More for Customers

We open Day Two with a major shared moment across the Summit: a live interview with a very special guest from the world of elite performance and high‑profile broadcasting, whose identity will be revealed in the coming weeks. Having spent years at the heart of top‑level sport and media, they have seen up close what performance, pressure, winning and losing really look like – and what it takes to show up consistently when millions are watching.

In this headliner interview, they will share what they have learned from working alongside top performers, managers and teams: how they prepare, how they make decisions when the stakes are visibly high, and how they stay grounded and human when everything feels “always on”. The conversation will connect directly to the themes of the Summit – leadership under strain, trust and reputation, adapting at pace, and building cultures that can cope with uncertainty and scrutiny.

Attendees will hear:

How to lead, decide and stay focused when the spotlight never truly switches off
What resilience, recovery and reinvention look like behind the scenes, not just in headlines
How great teams balance ambition, risk and consistency when expectations keep rising
Reflections leaders can translate into their own organisations, teams and customer strategies

Who do you think it could be? Watch this space for our speaker reveal....

09:50 - 10:20

Future of The Contact Centre

Raising the Bar – What High-Performance Contact Centres Do Differently

Panel Discussion

The High-Performance Contact Centre: Delivering More for Customers

High performance in a contact centre is not just about hitting service level agreements. It is about consistently delivering more for customers, more efficiently, more sustainably, and in ways that drive genuine commercial value. Yet performance levels across the industry remain uneven, and the gap between contact centres that are genuinely excelling and those simply keeping pace is increasingly visible.

In this panel, senior leaders will benchmark what genuine high performance looks like across the industry today. From where technology investment is delivering real returns to the operational and cultural decisions that separate leading contact centres from the rest, panellists will help you understand where your operation stands and what it will take to close the gap between where you are and where the best are operating.

What you'll gain:

A clear benchmark of what high-performance contact centre operations look like across the industry
Insight into where technology investment is delivering the strongest operational returns
Practical approaches to closing the gap between average and excellent contact centre performance
A clearer picture of the decisions that are making the biggest difference in leading operations right now

10:20 - 10:50

Future of The Contact Centre

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

The High-Performance Contact Centre: Delivering More for Customers

10:50 - 11:15

Future of The Contact Centre

The Telegraph: The Best of Both: Blending Human Insight and AI in Customer Service

Interview

The Human-Digital Balance: Getting the Blend Right

As AI reshapes the contact centre, the real challenge isn't choosing between people and technology – it's getting the blend right. In this interview, Carolyn Forbes, Head of Service Innovation at The Telegraph, shares what she's learning from implementing AI and agent automation on the front line of customer service.

Carolyn will explore where automation delivers most value, where the human touch remains irreplaceable, and how to bring the two together in a way that serves customers and empowers teams – offering practical lessons for anyone navigating the same journey.

Speaker:

Carolyn Forbes

The Telegraph

Head of Service Innovation

As Head of Service Innovation with over 15 years in the media industry and recent experience in banking, I specialise in leading technical optimisation programmes and driving operational improvements. I am passionate about leveraging technology and data to optimise customer operations, while also working alongside the traditional methods of quality management, training and development of teams to lead change.

11:40 - 12:10

Future of The Contact Centre

Human or Digital – Getting the Blend Right for Every Customer

Panel Discussion

The Human-Digital Balance: Getting the Blend Right

Significant investment has gone into automation and self-service across the contact centre industry, yet customer satisfaction with digital interactions remains uneven. The organisations getting the blend right are not simply adding more digital options, they are making smarter decisions about where human interaction adds irreplaceable value and where technology genuinely serves customers better. But how many organisations are honestly there yet?

In this panel, senior leaders will benchmark where the industry stands on the human and digital balance and what it takes to get it right for every customer. From designing self-service journeys that customers actually want to use to ensuring that vulnerable customers always have access to the human support they need, panellists will explore how leading organisations are building contact models that work across every customer type and what the rest of the industry can learn from them.

What you'll gain:

An honest benchmark of where the industry stands on the human and digital balance in contact centre operations
Insight into how leading organisations are designing self-service journeys that genuinely empower customers
Practical approaches to ensuring vulnerable customers are never disadvantaged by digital-first strategies
A clearer picture of what a truly balanced contact model looks like and how far most organisations still need to travel

Speakers:

Ingrid van Ruiswijk

Thrivin

Head of Customer Support

I've spent more than 25 years working in customer service and customer experience, leading teams across industries including sports, e-commerce, logistics, and retail.
What I enjoy most is helping organizations create better experiences for their customers while building engaged and successful teams.
I work to improve customer journeys, drive operational excellence, and explore how innovation and technology can strengthen customer relationships.
I'm passionate about people, leadership, and creating experiences that customers genuinely remember.

Jessica Ham

National Grid

Head of Customer Experience

Jessica Ham is an experienced Contact Centre leader, with experience leading digital change within a Customer Service environment as well as managing large operational teams through transformation. In 2023, she was awarded Highly Commended by the CCMA and also received the Gold Award from UKCCF for Head of Contact Centre. She has been a judge for the CCMA for both the UK and European Awards for the past 2 years.

12:10 - 13:00

Future of The Contact Centre

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

The Human-Digital Balance: Getting the Blend Right

13:00 - 13:25

Future of The Contact Centre

NatWest Case Study: The Future of Contact Centres & AI

Case Study

Service Excellence: Innovation, Quality & the Duty of Care

How do you innovate at pace while never losing sight of quality and your duty of care to customers? In this case study, Tammy Martin, Head of Connected Customer Experience, Retail at NatWest, shares how the bank is harnessing AI and transformation to raise the standard of service.

Tammy will offer a candid look at what it takes to deliver innovation responsibly – balancing efficiency and quality with the trust, care and protection that customers rightly expect, and the practical lessons learned along the way.

Speaker:

Tammy Martin

Natwest

Head of Connected Customer Experience, Retail

13:50 - 14:20

Future of The Contact Centre

The Excellence Standard – Raising the Bar Across Quality, Innovation & Duty of Care

Panel Discussion

Service Excellence: Innovation, Quality & the Duty of Care

Rising customer expectations and increasing regulatory scrutiny are raising the bar for service quality across the contact centre industry. Yet standards remain inconsistent, and the gap between organisations genuinely embedding excellence into their operations and those still treating quality as a compliance exercise is significant. Understanding where your operation stands against the best is one of the most valuable things a contact centre leader can do.

In this panel, senior leaders will benchmark what genuine service excellence looks like when quality, innovation, and duty of care are treated as interconnected priorities. From quality management frameworks that drive real improvement to innovative approaches that raise standards for all customers including those who are most vulnerable, panellists will share what the best contact centre operations are doing and where the rest of the industry needs to close the gap.

What you'll gain:

A clear benchmark of what service excellence looks like when quality and innovation work together
Practical approaches to embedding duty of care into contact centre operating models in a way customers actually feel
Insight into how leading organisations are using innovation to raise service standards rather than simply maintain them
A clearer picture of where the industry is genuinely progressing on quality and where the gaps remain widest

Speaker:

Dan O'Sullivan

London Borough of Hackney

Head of Service

I create environments where people, communities, businesses and organisations can thrive through public value, equitable opportunity, system reform and sustainable economic growth.Over the last 25 years I have led organisational transformation across both the private and public sectors, helping organisations improve performance, strengthen communities and create lasting opportunities for people.

Today I lead a major commercial and regulatory portfolio within the London Borough of Hackney, providing strategic leadership across economic development, business regulation, entrepreneurship and organisational reform.Over the last eight years I have transformed a £1.2 million annual deficit into a financially sustainable service generating more than £4 million annual income, contributing over £25 million annually to the local economy and supporting 311 residents into business ownership. More importantly, I have worked with residents, businesses, elected Members and partners to improve places, expand opportunity and strengthen communities.

My leadership is built around working with and through others. I have supported more than 30 promotions, developed future leaders, built award-winning teams and created partnerships across local government, central government, City Hall, businesses and communities to deliver lasting change.Beyond Hackney, I support policy development, organisational improvement and system reform through engagement with HM Treasury, the Greater London Authority, national boards and more than 60 local authorities. I co-created OpenMarkets.London, bringing together all 33 London boroughs around a shared reform agenda to improve economic participation, business support and future approaches to licensing reform.

My leadership philosophy is built around three principles.Candour. Early truth beats late surprise. Honest conversations, clear expectations and timely challenge create stronger organisations.Connection. Stay close to people. Understand why we are here and never lose sight of the people and communities we serve.Collaboration. The most complex challenges are solved by bringing together people, organisations and systems around shared outcomes.

14:20 - 14:40

Future of The Contact Centre

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Service Excellence: Innovation, Quality & the Duty of Care

15:05 - 15:30

Future of The Contact Centre

How Agentic Self-Learning Is Transforming Customer Experiences. True Agentic AI Doesn’t Wait to Be Retrained — It Improves Itself.

Presentation

The Autonomous Contact Centre: How Self-Acting Technology is Reshaping Operations

Most enterprises have already invested in AI for their contact centre but their automation rates have plateaued. Not because the implementation was wrong, but because the architecture was.

When you have to rely on manual tuning or your vendor’s PS team to improve your CX platform, it’s not agentic.

Omilia has the solution. True agentic AI that doesn't wait to be retrained but improves itself. Our self-learning agentic CX agents monitor every interaction, identify what to improve, build better agents automatically, and deploy them with human approval — compounding performance.

We'll reveal what this looks like at enterprise scale, how to deploy LLMs where they genuinely add value, and why specialised voice AI, not general-purpose models, is the right engine for live customer calls. And you can see exactly what's happening inside the AI and why it made every decision. Nothing is hidden or unexplainable - critical for compliance teams and regulated industries.

The result is that a non-technical team can stand up an agent and watch it get measurably better within days, with ROI in just three months and call resolution that doesn't plateau but compounds.

Speaker:

Lloyd Buxton

Omilia

Regional Sales Director, Europe

Lloyd Buxton is Regional Sales Director, Europe at Omilia, where he partners with large enterprises to improve customer experience through Agentic CX. With more than two decades in CX, spanning data, customer engagement platforms and contact centre technology, Lloyd focuses on practical AI adoption that delivers real operational impact, better customer outcomes and clear ROI, not just innovation for innovation’s sake.

15:30 - 16:00

Future of The Contact Centre

The Contact Centre of the Future – Are You Ready for What's Coming?

Panel Discussion

The Autonomous Contact Centre: How Self-Acting Technology is Reshaping Operations

The contact centre is changing faster than at any point in its history. Conversational AI is already reshaping how customers interact with organisations, and agentic technology that can take autonomous action on behalf of customers and agents is moving rapidly from concept to deployment. Alongside shifting customer expectations and the evolving role of the frontline workforce, these forces are converging to create an operation that looks fundamentally different from what most organisations have today.

In this panel, senior leaders will benchmark where the industry is on the journey towards the contact centre of the future and what genuine readiness actually looks like. From conversational and agentic AI deployment to the workforce, culture, and governance considerations that will define success, panellists will help you understand where your operation stands against the best and what you need to prioritise now to avoid being left behind.

What you'll gain:

A clear benchmark of where the industry is on the journey towards the contact centre of the future
Insight into the technology, workforce, and governance priorities that will define success
Practical approaches to building readiness for conversational and agentic AI in a live contact centre environment
A clearer picture of what the contact centre of the future actually looks like and how far most organisations still need to travel

Speaker:

Emma Greenwood

Lloyds Banking Group

Head of Personal Banking Strategy & Conversational Banking

Energetic, creative and inspiring leader with a passion for driving improvements. Emma's extensive experience of shaping strategic propositions and delivering complex cross-functional change has been built via a diverse series of channel and commercial product management roles. With strengths in confidently setting big goals and motivating teams to deliver, Emma excels in roles where she can influence and drive business strategy.

16:00 - 16:05

Future of The Contact Centre

Chair's Close

Closing Remarks

The Autonomous Contact Centre: How Self-Acting Technology is Reshaping Operations

Speaker:

Marcus Hickman

Davies Hickman

Managing Director

08:55 - 09:00

Customer Contact

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

Introduction

Redefining Customer Contact: Speed, Personalisation & the New Service Standard

Welcome back to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 put the customer reality front and centre – the pressures in your contact centres, the gaps in journeys and data, and the honest stories of where organisations are succeeding and where they’re still under strain. Day 2 shifts gear to The Engagement Benchmark: Where Do You Stand?

In this opening address, Nick will connect yesterday’s themes with the question at the heart of today: how does your organisation compare against the best when it comes to customer engagement? From the strategies, technologies and operating models you’ve heard about, to the evidence on where real progress is being made, today’s agenda is designed to help you benchmark, prioritise and decide what needs to happen next.

A moment to reset, refocus and look ahead together – before you dive into a day built around understanding where you stand, what your peers are doing, and how to move your customer agenda forward with confidence.

Speaker:

Nick Brice

Soul Corporations

CEO

09:00 - 09:25

Customer Contact

Live Interview with a Surprise Guest from the World of Elite Performance

Headliner

Redefining Customer Contact: Speed, Personalisation & the New Service Standard

How to lead, decide and stay focused when the spotlight never truly switches off
What resilience, recovery and reinvention look like behind the scenes, not just in headlines
How great teams balance ambition, risk and consistency when expectations keep rising
Reflections leaders can translate into their own organisations, teams and customer strategies

Who do you think it could be? Watch this space for our speaker reveal....

09:50 - 10:20

Customer Contact

The New Service Standard – Are You Keeping Pace With What Customers Expect

Panel Discussion

Redefining Customer Contact: Speed, Personalisation & the New Service Standard

Customer expectations of speed, personalisation, and seamlessness in contact are rising faster than most organisations are able to respond. Conversational AI is enabling more immediate, relevant interactions, and the emergence of agentic AI is beginning to redefine what resolution looks like entirely, with technology capable of acting autonomously on behalf of the customer from first contact through to full resolution. The new service standard is being set by the best experiences customers have anywhere, and the gap between that standard and what most contact operations are delivering is a growing commercial risk.

In this panel, senior leaders will benchmark where the industry stands against the new service standard and what it takes to close the gap. From the operational changes needed to deploy conversational and agentic AI effectively to understanding where customer contact is meeting rising expectations and where it is still falling short, panellists will share what the organisations pulling ahead are doing differently and what the rest of the industry needs to learn from them.

What you'll gain:

An honest benchmark of where the industry stands against the new customer contact service standard
Insight into what genuine speed and personalisation at scale looks like when underpinned by conversational and agentic AI
A clearer picture of where customer contact is meeting rising expectations and where the gaps are widest
Real examples of how leading organisations are pulling ahead on service standard and what is driving their success

10:20 - 10:50

Customer Contact

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Redefining Customer Contact: Speed, Personalisation & the New Service Standard

10:50 - 11:15

Customer Contact

Holiday Extras Case Study: What If Your Next AI Team Is Already Sitting in Your Contact Centre?

Case Study

Designing a Frictionless Journey: Self-Service & Customer Experience

Every organisation wants to use AI to transform customer experience, but many assume innovation has to come from Product or Engineering teams.

At Holiday Extras, we took a different approach.

Following a company-wide commitment to AI adoption, we empowered frontline customer service colleagues - the people who understand our customers better than anyone - to become AI solution builders. Equipped with accessible AI tools and driven by real customer insight, they began identifying recurring customer problems and designing AI assistants to solve them.

The results have transformed the way we innovate. Our Operational AI team has developed assistants that reduce customer effort, improve operational performance, and deliver significant business value, while proving that technical backgrounds are no longer the only route to creating impactful AI solutions.

This session shares the story of our first nine months, exploring how democratising AI can unlock hidden talent, accelerate innovation, and reshape the future of customer service. You will leave with practical ideas for empowering your own frontline teams to become problem solvers, while maintaining the governance and quality needed to scale AI responsibly.

Speaker:

Amanda Bishop

Holiday Extras

Head of Customer Service Journeys/Operational AI

As Head of Customer Service Journeys and Operational AI at Holiday Extras, I lead teams focused on improving customer experiences, reducing friction and using AI to solve real customer problems in practical, human-centred ways. Through our Operational AI team, we’re empowering colleagues from customer-facing backgrounds to use AI tools to identify, design and build solutions that make life easier for customers and colleagues alike. For me, AI isn’t about replacing people. It’s about giving curious, customer-obsessed people the tools and confidence to solve problems in ways that weren’t possible before.My career path has been anything but conventional: professional dancer, magician’s assistant, retail manager, milliner, cake maker extraordinaire, and now nearly two decades in travel through British Airways and Holiday Extras. It wasn’t planned, but it has taught me to embrace opportunity, stay curious and believe that every experience has something to teach you.I’m passionate about developing people, building confident teams and helping others realise what they’re capable of. I’m also an advocate and facilitator for Google’s #IamRemarkable initiative, supporting women and underrepresented groups to challenge self-limiting beliefs and develop the skills for self-advocacy in the workplace and beyond.My career has taught me that there is rarely a perfect plan. The most interesting opportunities often appear where you least expect them. Whether developing people, improving customer experiences or exploring the possibilities of AI, I believe growth comes from saying yes, staying curious and having the courage to take the next step, even when the destination isn't entirely clear.

11:40 - 12:10

Customer Contact

Frictionless by Design – The Future of Self-Service & Customer Journeys

Panel Discussion

Designing a Frictionless Journey: Self-Service & Customer Experience

Self-service investment has accelerated across the industry, but friction has not disappeared. The gap between organisations that are genuinely designing effortless customer journeys and those that are simply adding digital options without addressing the underlying experience is becoming a significant differentiator. Customers increasingly judge organisations not by what channels they offer but by how little effort it takes to get what they need.

In this panel, senior leaders will benchmark where the industry stands on frictionless journey design and what it takes to genuinely close the effort gap. From self-service journeys that customers choose over assisted channels to ensuring that frictionless design works for all customers including those who are vulnerable, panellists will share what genuinely effortless customer contact looks like and how far most organisations still need to travel to get there.

What you'll gain:

An honest benchmark of where the industry stands on frictionless journey design and customer effort reduction
Practical approaches to designing self-service journeys that customers genuinely prefer over assisted channels
Insight into how leading organisations are ensuring frictionless design works for all customers including those who are vulnerable
A clearer picture of what genuinely effortless customer contact looks like and what it takes to build it

Speaker:

Shanti Kaur Gray

HSBC

Conversational Designer - Chat

12:10 - 13:00

Customer Contact

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Designing a Frictionless Journey: Self-Service & Customer Experience

13:00 - 13:25

Customer Contact

Movianto UK Case Study: The Journey to Future‑Ready Customer Care

Case Study

People, Innovation & Staying Ahead of Expectations

As organisations grow and customer expectations rise, service teams find themselves handling more complexity, more channels and more pressure to get things right first time. In this case study, Movianto UK’s Head of Customer Care, Prashant Parekh, shares how his organisation is evolving its customer contact and care function to stay ahead of those expectations, while continuing to innovate.

Rather than treating customer care as a reactive back‑office, Movianto is working to make it a proactive, value‑adding part of the customer experience – where people, processes and technology are aligned around what matters most to customers. The session will focus on how teams are being equipped, structured and supported to handle challenging conversations, data‑driven decisions and the demands of fast‑moving operations.

Attendees will hear:

How customer care roles and capabilities are being reshaped to match rising expectations
How innovation in operations and technology changes the nature of customer contact and support
What it takes to keep people, processes and tools aligned when customers expect speed, accuracy and accountability
Practical lessons for leaders looking to move their own service function from reactive problem‑solving to proactive partnership

Speaker:

Prashant Parekh

Movianto UK

Head of Customer Care

At Huntingdonshire District Council, strategic innovation and a focus on customer excellence define our team's approach. The recent shift in Trustpilot ratings from 3.6 to 4.9 during my tenure at CitySprint is a testament to our dedication to service quality and customer satisfaction. The use of SEO, PPC, and affiliate marketing strategies has been instrumental in driving lead generation and enhancing conversion rates, setting a new standard in the logistics industry.

I have also led Customer service and transformation in large organisations like TUI (a FTSE 100 company), UK’s largest automaker Nissan Motors, Brita UK, CitySprint (DPD Group), NHS and Transport for London.

13:50 - 14:20

Customer Contact

People, Innovation & the Future of Customer Contact

Panel Discussion

People, Innovation & Staying Ahead of Expectations

Innovation in customer contact is accelerating, but the organisations genuinely pulling ahead are those where technology investment and people investment are moving at the same pace. The future of customer contact will not be defined by AI & technology alone, it will be defined by the organisations that use technology to make their people more effective, their contact strategies more intelligent, and their customer relationships more resilient.

In this panel, senior leaders will benchmark where the industry stands on building contact strategies that are genuinely future-ready across both technology and people dimensions. From bridging the gap between technology investment and human capability to the employee experience decisions that are driving stronger customer outcomes, panellists will share what it takes to build a contact operation that stays ahead of rising expectations rather than constantly catching up with them.

What you'll gain:

An honest benchmark of where the industry stands on building future-ready customer contact strategies
Insight into how leading organisations are bridging the gap between technology investment and people capability
Practical approaches to building employee experience strategies that drive stronger customer contact outcomes
A clearer picture of what a genuinely future-ready contact strategy looks like across people, technology, and innovation

Speakers:

Leigh-Anne Gray

Vanquis

Senior Specialist Complaints Manager

I’ve spent over 10 years in regulated complaints handling/management, working for a variety of major firms such as Lloyds Banking Group, Phoenix Group and FSCS. I spent several of those years contracting for a Big 4 Consultancy handling various remediation projects.

In my current role for Vanquis Banking Group, I am responsible for making sure the Group handles, responds to, and learns from the Financial Ombudsman Service. My key focus is using the valuable lessons complaints give us and using them to educate the wider business on how we can better serve our customers.

Lucy Johnson

Bupa

Customer Contact Enabling Lead

Lucy Johnson is Customer Service Enablement Lead at Bupa, with over 18 years experience in customer operations and people leadership. Leading the academy and coaching team in Bupa’s UK Insurance operations team, She is passionate about creating world-class colleague experiences to in turn deliver exceptional service for customers.

14:20 - 14:40

Customer Contact

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

People, Innovation & Staying Ahead of Expectations

14:40 - 15:05

Customer Contact

Beyond Reactive: The Open University's Journey to Proactive Service

Case Study

Predictive Engagement: Reaching Customers Before They Reach You

Modernising a contact centre isn't just about new systems – it's about changing mindsets. In this case study, Katie Hales and Busola Akinsola of the Open University share the story of a two-year organisational design project to professionalise and transform higher education support.

They'll explore how they navigated cultural tension within the university, introduced formal contact centre practices, and upgraded core systems – from telephony and WFM to web chat – while beginning to explore AI for advisor support and predictive service. At the heart of it all: a shift from reactive, on-demand support to proactive engagement built around customer need.

Speaker:

Busola Akinsola

The Open University

Head Of Capacity, Resource and Operational Planning

Busola Akinsola is Head of Capacity, Resource and Operational Planning at The Open University in Milton Keynes, England. In this role, she leads capacity, resource and operational planning activities for the institution.

15:30 - 16:00

Customer Contact

Getting There First – The Case for Predictive Customer Engagement

Panel Discussion

Predictive Engagement: Reaching Customers Before They Reach You

The most effective customer contact is the contact that never needs to happen because the organisation has already anticipated what the customer needs and acted on it. Predictive and proactive engagement is one of the most powerful levers available to customer contact leaders, yet the gap between organisations genuinely doing it well and those still operating in a reactive mode remains significant across the industry.

In this panel, senior leaders will benchmark where the industry stands on predictive customer engagement and what it actually takes to make the shift from reactive to proactive. From the data and technology maturity required to anticipate customer needs at scale to the commercial case for getting ahead of contact rather than simply managing it, panellists will share what genuine predictive engagement looks like and how organisations are building the capability to get there.

What you'll gain:

An honest benchmark of where the industry stands on predictive and proactive customer engagement
Insight into the data and technology maturity required to anticipate customer needs at scale
Practical approaches to making the shift from reactive contact management to genuinely proactive engagement
A clearer picture of the commercial case for predictive engagement and how leading organisations are making it internally

16:00 - 16:05

Customer Contact

Chair's Close

Closing Remarks

Predictive Engagement: Reaching Customers Before They Reach You

Speaker:

Nick Brice

Soul Corporations

CEO

08:55 - 09:00

Customer Experience Management

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

Introduction

The Future of Service Delivery

Welcome back to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 put the customer reality front and centre – the pressures in your contact centres, the gaps in journeys and data, and the honest stories of where organisations are succeeding and where they’re still under strain. Day 2 shifts gear to The Engagement Benchmark: Where Do You Stand?

In this opening address, Brian will connect yesterday’s themes with the question at the heart of today: how does your organisation compare against the best when it comes to customer engagement? From the strategies, technologies and operating models you’ve heard about, to the evidence on where real progress is being made, today’s agenda is designed to help you benchmark, prioritise and decide what needs to happen next.

A moment to reset, refocus and look ahead together – before you dive into a day built around understanding where you stand, what your peers are doing, and how to move your customer agenda forward with confidence.

Speaker:

Brian Manusama

Actionary

Executive Partner

09:00 - 09:25

Customer Experience Management

Live Interview with a Surprise Guest from the World of Elite Performance

Headliner

The Future of Service Delivery

How to lead, decide and stay focused when the spotlight never truly switches off
What resilience, recovery and reinvention look like behind the scenes, not just in headlines
How great teams balance ambition, risk and consistency when expectations keep rising
Reflections leaders can translate into their own organisations, teams and customer strategies

Who do you think it could be? Watch this space for our speaker reveal....

09:50 - 10:20

Customer Experience Management

The Future of Service Delivery – How Ready Is Your Organisation Really?

Panel Discussion

The Future of Service Delivery

Autonomous and intelligent technology is reshaping what service delivery looks like, moving from reactive, agent-led interactions to proactive, AI-powered resolution that anticipates customer needs before they become contact. Agentic AI is taking this further still, enabling technology to act autonomously on behalf of customers across complex, multi-step service journeys without human intervention. The direction of travel is clear, but readiness levels across the industry are uneven, and the gap between organisations genuinely preparing for the future of service delivery and those still catching up on the present is growing.

In this panel, senior leaders will benchmark where the industry stands on readiness for the next generation of service delivery. From whether agentic and intelligent technology is actually delivering measurable improvements in service operations to the cultural and operational barriers still holding organisations back, panellists will help attendees understand where their organisation sits against the best and what it will take to close the gap.

What you'll gain:

An honest benchmark of where the industry stands on readiness for the future of service delivery including agentic and autonomous technology
Insight into where intelligent technology is delivering measurable improvements in service operations right now
A clearer picture of the cultural and operational barriers most commonly holding organisations back
Practical approaches to building genuine readiness for the next generation of service delivery

Speaker:

Steve Herbert

TLT LLP

Partner: Director of Customer

I specialise in building, scaling and transforming customer service, technical support, operations and CX functions. With a track record spanning multiple industries and both domestic and commercial markets, I have recently built award winning teams for social impact businesses including Nominet, a force for good in the UK digital economy and Ecotricity, Britain's greenest energy provider.

I have a reputation for developing high performing teams and driving successful operational, digital and organisational design changes. A committed customer brand ambassador with an in-depth knowledge of customer service excellence and a passion for automation, technology and continuous service improvement. Passions include Technology, Mentorship, Music, Social Impact, Sustainability, Sport & Wellbeing and spending time with family. I also invest in opportunities with that align with these interests.

Over the past few months, I’ve been actively involved in various short-term contract and community projects that allowed me to continue contributing to customer experience transformation while giving back to local organisations. These projects have reinforced my passion for leveraging technology and strategy to create seamless and personalized customer experiences. Now, I’m ready to bring these fresh insights and a renewed focus to a senior CX role where I can drive significant business outcomes.

10:20 - 10:50

Customer Experience Management

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

The Future of Service Delivery

10:50 - 11:15

Customer Experience Management

Forge Holiday Group: Unreasonable Hospitality by Design How Focus, People, AI, Technology and Ways of Working Create Exceptional Guest Experiences Across Hospitality and Contact Centres

Interview

Designing for Delight: Creating Journeys Customers Remember

Guest experience isn’t created at reception, in a contact centre or when something goes wrong. It’s designed long before a guest arrives or makes contact.

In this interview, Luke Squires shares why exceptional guest experiences are the outcome of leadership decisions, not luck. Drawing on his experience transforming operations across travel, hospitality and contact centres, Luke explores how clear focus, empowered people, AI, technology and simple ways of working create a culture where doing the right thing becomes the norm.

From removing friction through AI to creating an environment where colleagues, whether on the frontline or in a contact centre, have the confidence to deliver unreasonable hospitality, this session challenges the idea that guest experience belongs to one team. Instead, it explores how every operational, commercial and leadership decision shapes the moments guests remember.

Attendees will leave with practical ideas on building organisations where exceptional guest experience isn’t an initiative, it’s simply how the business operates.

Speaker:

Luke Squires

Forge Holiday Group

Group Director of Operations

Luke is a senior leader with extensive experience across Retail, Customer Experience, Operations and HR, known for building high-performing teams and delivering meaningful results. He combines strategic thinking with a relentless focus on execution, using technology and innovation to enhance customer experience and drive efficiency.

Passionate about people, Luke is a strong advocate for neurodiversity, seeing it as a catalyst for creativity, problem-solving and performance. As a parent to three neurodiverse children, he brings both personal insight and professional commitment to creating environments where different minds thrive.

11:40 - 12:10

Customer Experience Management

Designing for Delight – What Genuinely Great Customer Experience Looks Like

Panel Discussion

Designing for Delight: Creating Journeys Customers Remember

The organisations winning on customer experience are those going beyond meeting expectations to creating moments that customers genuinely remember, talk about, and come back for. As hyper-personalisation, real-time journey orchestration, and AI-driven experience design make it increasingly possible to engineer delight at scale, the gap between organisations deliberately designing for exceptional experiences and those hoping they happen is one of the clearest benchmarks of CX maturity.

In this panel, senior leaders will benchmark what genuinely delightful customer experience looks like across the industry and what it takes to build the organisational capability to deliver it consistently. From the role of hyper-personalisation and real-time data in creating moments that feel individual to the cultural and operational foundations needed to make delight repeatable rather than occasional, panellists will share where the industry is genuinely raising the bar and where most organisations still have significant ground to close.

What you'll gain:

A clear benchmark of what genuinely delightful customer experience looks like across the industry
Practical approaches to using hyper-personalisation and real-time journey orchestration to design moments customers remember
Insight into the cultural and operational foundations needed to make customer delight consistent rather than occasional
A clearer picture of where the industry is raising the bar on experience design and where the gaps remain widest

Speakers:

Melda Sofuoglu

Vodafone

Global Senior CX & Service Excellence Manager

Melda is a Global CX & Service Excellence leader at Vodafone, driving company-wide transformation and enabling markets to scale customer-centric operating models. She turns strategy into measurable impact, leading high-performing teams to enhance CX through data, insights, AI, and a continuous improvement mindset.

With cross-sector experience spanning Telco, BPO, and Services, Melda influences senior leaders and delivers sustainable operational and customer outcomes. She holds a doctorate, bringing an academically rigorous perspective to her work, and is recognised as a distinctive voice in the UK CX community.

Rosie Franca

NatWest Commercial and Institutional

Head of Customer Experience, Midlands & East of England

I am not a 'typical' banker... I obviously like numbers and have solid analytical skills... but what really excites me is people. I love helping and seeing others succeed! Before relocating to the UK in 2015, I lived in Australia for 10 years and worked for 2 of the largest organisations in the country - Westpac and Commonwealth Bank. I joined NatWest/RBS in Central London in 2015. Since then, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of areas, covering Business Banking, Entrepreneurship (with exposure to VC and Angel investments), Project management, Affluent Banking, and most recently Corporate & Commercial. Now, covering the Midlands & East of England as Head of CX. Business is constantly adapting & evolving... so am I. I am addicted to learning and helping shape the future.

Charles Studt

delight.ai

CMO

Charles Studt is the Chief Marketing Officer of Delight.ai, the AI-powered customer concierge platform that helps global enterprises deliver predictive, proactive and personalized customer experiences across every channel. With more than 20 years of experience scaling high-growth technology companies and building category-defining brands, he leads Delight.ai’s global marketing strategy at a pivotal moment in the evolution of agentic AI and customer engagement. As CMO, Studt is responsible for strengthening Delight.ai’s position as a leader in agentic AI-powered customer experience, bringing the company’s AI innovations to new markets and showcasing the measurable business impact of AI-driven customer engagement. Before joining Delight.ai, Studt held executive marketing roles at Qualtrics, where he led growth for their Customer Experience platform, cementing it as the leading CX solution for global brands. He has also held marketing leadership roles at IntelePeer, QuanticMind and Redbooth.

12:10 - 13:00

Customer Experience Management

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Designing for Delight: Creating Journeys Customers Remember

13:00 - 13:25

Customer Experience Management

HSBC Case Study: From Scores to Strategy - Turning Client Feedback into Future Experience

Case Study

Voice of the Customer: Turning Feedback into Future Experience

Collecting feedback is easy; using it to genuinely shape what comes next for demanding, time‑poor clients is much harder. In this case study, Stefan Witteman, Client Experience Lead at HSBC Private Bank, shares how his team is working to move beyond surveys and scores to a feedback ecosystem that actively informs future experience design and relationship health.

Focusing on high‑value clients across global markets, Stefan will explore how HSBC uses relationship NPS and other client signals to understand where experiences are working, where they are falling short, and how that insight feeds into concrete changes in journeys, services and digital channels. He will also touch on why some traditional satisfaction metrics are losing strategic relevance, and how newer analytics and AI capabilities can elevate feedback without replacing human judgement.

Attendees will hear:

How client feedback is structured so it drives decisions, not just dashboards
How signals from different touchpoints are translated into specific journey and service improvements
Why NPS still matters for strategic relationships – and where other metrics add or detract value
Practical ideas for building a feedback‑to‑action loop that keeps future experience aligned with what clients actually need

Speaker:

Stefan Witteman

HSBC

Client Experience Lead

I am a global customer experience leader with a strong record of delivering results in financial services, private banking, wealth management and online gaming. I currently work on a contract basis as CX Lead for HSBC Private Bank. In this role I am part of a small, agile team that delivers big impact by driving client experience improvements across journeys, digital channels and relationship-led services.

Over my career I managed CX and CRM teams across regions and worked with senior stakeholders to lift client satisfaction, increase retention and improve digital adoption. I achieve this by redesigning journeys, embedding voice of client programs and using data and insights to guide strategy. My work has also delivered cost efficiencies while keeping the client at the centre of decision-making.

I hold a Master’s in Marketing, a Six Sigma Green Belt and certifications as a CCXP and CXAD. My expertise covers CX strategy, journey mapping, digital transformation and CRM, with a strong focus on measurement, governance and experience design to embed sustainable customer improvements.

I am motivated by creating meaningful change for clients and organisations and remain focused on delivering tangible results in global banking and financial services.

13:50 - 14:20

Customer Experience Management

Closing the Loop – How Leading Organisations Turn Customer Insight into Action

Panel Discussion

Voice of the Customer: Turning Feedback into Future Experience

Most organisations are collecting more customer feedback than ever before, but the tools and techniques available for capturing and acting on that feedback are evolving rapidly. From sentiment analysis and real-time customer signal tracking to predictive VoC capabilities that can identify emerging issues before they become widespread, the gap between organisations using cutting edge listening capabilities and those still relying on periodic surveys is growing. Customers are increasingly aware of which side of that divide their providers sit on, and the commercial consequences of getting it wrong are significant.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what a genuinely action-oriented VoC programme looks like in practice today. From building enhanced feedback loops and real-time customer signal capabilities that drive tangible change, to closing the loop with customers in a way that rebuilds trust and strengthens loyalty, panellists will explore what it takes to turn listening into a real competitive advantage rather than a reporting function.

What you'll gain:

Practical approaches to building VoC programmes that use real-time signals, and predictive insight to drive genuine change
Insight into how leading organisations are using customer signal tracking to identify and act on emerging issues faster than ever before
A clearer picture of what a genuinely action-oriented VoC programme looks like in practice
Real examples of how turning customer feedback and signals into action is strengthening loyalty and driving commercial results

Speakers:

Gabriel Ross

Homeprotect Home Insurance

Head of Customer Strategy

Gabriel Ross is Head of Customer Strategy at Homeprotect Home Insurance, where he has been driving customer-focused initiatives since September 2020. With expertise in scaling deal flow and commercial strategy, he specialises in customer acquisition, PR, content creation, and brand development. His career spans multiple high-growth ventures, including roles as Growth Lead at Muse App and Co-Founder of Nettle. Prior to his current position, Gabriel held strategic marketing and commercial roles at Growth Street, where he developed scalable customer acquisition strategies and led commercial operations. He began his career with experience at J.P. Morgan and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of St Andrews.

Fleur van der Ende

Allianz UK

Head of Propositions & Customer Experience

Fleur van der Ende is Head of Propositions & Customer Experience at Allianz UK. She leads the development of customer propositions and the overall customer experience strategy, ensuring products and services are designed around customer needs. Previously, Fleur held senior roles in customer experience within Allianz UK, giving her a deep understanding of end‑to‑end journeys across the business. Her work focuses on creating customer‑centric initiatives that strengthen relationships and deliver measurable value for clients and the organisation.

14:20 - 14:40

Customer Experience Management

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Voice of the Customer: Turning Feedback into Future Experience

14:40 - 15:05

Customer Experience Management

HM Revenue & Customs Case Study: Turning Customer Experience Strategy into Better Customer Outcomes

Case Study

Measuring and Improving Customer Outcomes

Delivering better customer outcomes starts with more than a well-defined strategy – it requires organisation-wide commitment, the right capabilities and a culture that puts customers at the centre of decision-making. In this case study, Simone Woodrow shares how HMRC is embedding customer experience across the organisation, overcoming internal resistance, embracing new technologies and developing policies that better support customers who cannot use traditional service channels. Discover the practical lessons behind driving lasting cultural change while improving outcomes for every customer

Speaker:

Simone Woodrow

HM Revenue & Customs

Head of Equalities and Extra Support for Customers and Customer Experience Strategic Lead

Simone leads Equalities and Extra Support for Customers within HMRC, driving work that helps colleagues across HMRC embed fairness, accessibility and support into the customer experience. She plays a key role in helping HMRC meet its Public Sector Equality Duties, while shaping the strategic direction for customer experience across the enterprise. As Customer Experience Strategic Lead, Simone is helping to establish the Chief Customer Officer function and build the foundations for an enterprise-wide customer experience capability that supports HMRC’s Strategic Objectives, particularly to improve day-to-day performance and customer experience.

15:30 - 16:00

Customer Experience Management

Measuring What Customers Actually Experience – The Outcomes That Matter

Panel Discussion

Measuring and Improving Customer Outcomes

Most organisations are measuring customer experience, but measurement without improvement is just reporting. As real-time customer signal tracking and predictive outcome modelling make it possible to build a far more precise picture of what customers are actually experiencing, the organisations pulling ahead are those using that insight to drive continuous, meaningful outcomes rather than simply tracking performance against a dashboard. Critically, a genuinely improvement-focused measurement framework must reflect the experience of every customer, including those in vulnerable circumstances whose interactions are often the most revealing indicator of where service quality is genuinely holding up and where it needs to change.

In this panel, senior leaders will benchmark where the industry stands on using outcome-based measurement to drive real improvement. From building measurement frameworks that connect directly to action, to using VoC insight and real-time customer signals to identify where experience improvements will have the greatest commercial and customer impact, panellists will share what a genuinely improvement-focused approach to CX measurement looks like and how organisations are using better measurement to make better decisions, faster.

What you'll gain:

An honest benchmark of where the industry stands on using customer outcome measurement to drive continuous improvement rather than just track performance
Practical frameworks for building measurement approaches that connect directly to improvement action across the full customer base including vulnerable customers
Insight into how leading organisations are using VoC insight and customer signals to identify and prioritise the improvements that matter most
A clearer picture of what a genuinely improvement-focused measurement framework looks like and the commercial difference it is making in leading organisations

Speakers:

Isobel Parker

Close Brothers

Customer Experience Lead

Isobel Parker is a Customer Experience Lead at Close Brothers Savings with over six years’ experience in customer experience and compliance roles. She has held positions including Customer Experience Specialist, Savings Compliance Analyst and Compliance Graduate at Close Brothers in London. Isobel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Durham University (2016–2019). Her background combines hands-on customer experience leadership with a solid grounding in regulatory compliance across savings products.

Rosie Franca

NatWest Commercial and Institutional

Head of Customer Experience, Midlands & East of England

16:00 - 16:05

Customer Experience Management

Chair's Close

Closing Remarks

Measuring and Improving Customer Outcomes

Speaker:

Brian Manusama

Actionary

Executive Partner

08:55 - 09:00

Customer Relationship Management

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

Introduction

Uniting Sales, Marketing & Service for Seamless Customer Engagement

Welcome back to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 put the customer reality front and centre – the pressures in your contact centres, the gaps in journeys and data, and the honest stories of where organisations are succeeding and where they’re still under strain. Day 2 shifts gear to The Engagement Benchmark: Where Do You Stand?

In this opening address, Scott will connect yesterday’s themes with the question at the heart of today: how does your organisation compare against the best when it comes to customer engagement? From the strategies, technologies and operating models you’ve heard about, to the evidence on where real progress is being made, today’s agenda is designed to help you benchmark, prioritise and decide what needs to happen next.

A moment to reset, refocus and look ahead together – before you dive into a day built around understanding where you stand, what your peers are doing, and how to move your customer agenda forward with confidence.

Speaker:

Scott Logie

DMA

DMA Membership Advocate

09:00 - 09:25

Customer Relationship Management

Live Interview with a Surprise Guest from the World of Elite Performance

Headliner

Uniting Sales, Marketing & Service for Seamless Customer Engagement

How to lead, decide and stay focused when the spotlight never truly switches off
What resilience, recovery and reinvention look like behind the scenes, not just in headlines
How great teams balance ambition, risk and consistency when expectations keep rising
Reflections leaders can translate into their own organisations, teams and customer strategies

Who do you think it could be? Watch this space for our speaker reveal....

09:50 - 10:20

Customer Relationship Management

Breaking Down the Silos – Uniting Sales, Marketing & Service Around the Customer

Panel Discussion

Uniting Sales, Marketing & Service for Seamless Customer Engagement

The most seamless customer experiences are delivered by organisations where sales, marketing, and service are working as a single, connected unit rather than separate functions with competing priorities. Yet across the industry, the gap between organisations that have genuinely aligned these teams around a shared customer engagement agenda and those where siloed working is creating friction, inconsistency, and missed commercial opportunity remains significant.I

n this panel, senior leaders will benchmark where the industry stands on cross-functional alignment across sales, marketing, and service and what it genuinely takes to close the gap. From building the shared strategy and cultural foundations that allow teams to work towards the same customer outcomes, to the commercial returns that genuine alignment is generating for the organisations getting it right, panellists will share what seamless cross-functional customer engagement looks like and how far most organisations still need to travel to get there.

What you'll gain:

An honest benchmark of where the industry stands on aligning sales, marketing, and service around a shared customer engagement agenda
Practical approaches to building the strategic and cultural foundations needed for genuine cross-functional alignment
Insight into how leading organisations are ensuring marketing, sales, and service work towards the same customer outcomes rather than separate functional goals
A clearer picture of the commercial and customer experience impact of getting cross-functional alignment right

Speaker:

Atossa Vaziri

Director of Product Marketing

I transform product complexity into market-leading growth.

With 18+ years of experience across the US, London, and Paris, I specialize in building GTM operating systems for global companies at the intersection of AdTech, Enterprise AI, and FinTech. This cross-continental perspective allows me to bridge the gap between North American and European markets, localizing global visions for 40+ countries without losing commercial momentum.

Currently at Perk, I am leading the strategic shift to a unified Travel & Spend platform. My team orchestrated the largest migration in our company history, transitioning from TravelPerk to Perk.

My career has tracked three major waves of disruption:
1. Programmatic: Leading GTM for display and video at Invite Media and Google.
2. AI: Scaling sales enablement and product positioning from zero at Dataiku.
3. Unified FinTech: Consolidating travel and spend at Spendesk and Perk to eliminate ""Shadow Work.""

I am a builder at heart—not just of GTM engines, but of the high-performing teams that run them. As a leader of leaders, I am passionate about cultivating cultures rooted in radical ownership, where I can coach my teams to connect product innovation directly to revenue outcomes.

10:20 - 10:50

Customer Relationship Management

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Uniting Sales, Marketing & Service for Seamless Customer Engagement

10:50 - 11:15

Customer Relationship Management

Sky Case Study: Creating Relationships That Drive Long‑Term Growth

Case Study

The Future of CRM: Building Relationships That Drive Long-Term Growth

CRM is shifting from campaigns and channels to relationships and journeys – and the brands that win will be those that can turn data, AI and customer insight into long‑term value, not just short‑term uplift. In this case study, Abhineet Kesarwani, Head of Customer Marketing at Sky, will share how Sky is reimagining customer and base marketing to build deeper, more profitable relationships across the lifecycle.

Drawing on nearly two decades in CRM, MarTech and digital growth, Abhineet will explore how in‑life journeys, lifecycle management and personalisation come together to create experiences customers actually value. He will show how AI and automation are being woven into CRM in a way that keeps the customer at the centre, covering the strategies, operating models and measurement frameworks that make relationship‑led growth real.

Delegates will take away:

A clear view of what “future‑ready” CRM looks like when your goal is long‑term growth and loyalty.
Practical ways to move from campaign‑centric to journey‑centric customer and base marketing.
How to use AI, data and MarTech to scale relevance while protecting trust and customer choice.
Lessons from Sky on organising teams, technology and KPIs around lifetime value and relationship strength.

Speaker:

Abhineet Kesarwani

Customer Value & Experience, Digital

Regional Director

Abhineet Kesarwani is a CRM / CVM specialist with nearly two decades of experience leading customer engagement and personalisation strategies for some of the world’s most recognised telecom brands. In his current role, he oversees customer value and digital experience across global markets, driving revenue growth, loyalty, retention, and data-led personalisation.

With career experience spanning the US, UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia, Abhineet blends a global perspective with deep regional insight. He has held both in-house leadership roles and consulting positions with major operators like Vodafone, Airtel, du, Maxis, and StarHub, as well as with IT and SaaS solution providers delivering MarTech and CRM platforms at scale.

Abhineet is passionate about helping businesses unlock customer lifetime value through data-driven decisioning, behavioural segmentation and meaningful omnichannel journeys.

11:40 - 12:10

Customer Relationship Management

The Relationship Engine – Is Your CRM Actually Building Lasting Customer Relationships?

Panel Discussion

The Future of CRM: Building Relationships That Drive Long-Term Growth

CRM has long been promised as the engine of lasting customer relationships, yet for many organisations it remains a sophisticated contact database rather than a genuine driver of relationship depth and commercial growth. The gap between organisations using CRM to build meaningful, long-term customer relationships and those using it primarily to manage transactions and campaigns is one of the most significant divides in CRM maturity across the industry today.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore what genuine CRM-driven relationship growth looks like in practice. From the strategic and operational changes needed to shift from transactional to relational CRM, to the commercial returns that relationship-led strategies are generating for the organisations getting it right, panellists will share what it takes to turn CRM from a system of record into a genuine engine of long-term customer value.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what CRM-driven relationship growth looks like when it is working at its best
Practical approaches to shifting from transactional to relational CRM strategy
Insight into the commercial returns that relationship-led CRM strategies are generating for leading organisations
A clearer picture of what long-term customer relationship growth through CRM looks like in practice and what it takes to build it

12:10 - 13:00

Customer Relationship Management

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

The Future of CRM: Building Relationships That Drive Long-Term Growth

13:00 - 13:25

Customer Relationship Management

Skyscanner Case Study: Personalising Content for Millions of Travellers

Case Study

Content, Relevance & Personalisation: Delivering the Right Message Every Time

In this case study, Sam will explore how Skyscanner uses traveller behaviour insights, first‑party data and AI‑driven signals to understand what people need at different moments in the journey, from early inspiration to booking and beyond. She will show how this fuels personalised content across SEO, email, app, and paid channels, and how the team balances automation with human creativity to keep messages on‑brand, accurate and genuinely helpful.

Delegates will take away:

Principles Skyscanner uses to judge whether content is truly relevant for a traveller, not just targeted.
Practical approaches for turning data and intent signals into personalised messaging across multiple channels.
Guardrails for keeping personalisation trustworthy, respectful and useful in a fast‑moving, global environment.
Ideas to apply Skyscanner’s thinking to their own CRM, content and personalisation strategies, regardless of sector.

Speaker:

Sam George

Skyscanner

Head of Global Marketing

I am a Growth Marketing leader with 12+ years of experience leading high-performing marketing teams for high-growth Tech/Travel/E-commerce companies. I thrive in fast-paced organizations and relish the challenge of building processes and marketing strategy to scale.

Currently working on a 12-month contract with Motorway where I lead the D2C CRM team responsible for lifecycle comms to 5 million+ customers who have listed their cars on Motorway.

Previously I was also with the Expedia Group leading multi-channel demand generation and CRM life cycle automations for Expedia TAAP, a travel booking platform used by over 1 million travel agents worldwide.

13:50 - 14:20

Customer Relationship Management

Content, Relevance & Personalisation – Closing the Gap Between What's Possible and What's Delivered

Panel Discussion

Content, Relevance & Personalisation: Delivering the Right Message Every Time

The tools available for delivering personalised, relevant customer communications have never been more powerful, yet generic and mistimed messaging remains the reality for too many customers. The gap between what CRM data and content personalisation makes possible and what organisations are actually delivering is one of the most significant missed opportunities in customer engagement today, and customers are increasingly aware when brands are not using what they know about them.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore what genuinely closing the relevance gap looks like in practice. From using CRM data to drive personalised content strategies that feel individual rather than automated, to ensuring the right message reaches the right customer at the right moment across every channel, panellists will share what the organisations getting it right are doing differently and what the rest of the industry can learn from them.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what genuinely personalised, relevant customer communications look like when data is being used to its full potential
Practical approaches to closing the gap between personalisation capability and personalisation delivery
Insight into how leading organisations are ensuring every communication feels timely, relevant, and individually meaningful
A clearer picture of the commercial impact of getting content relevance and personalisation right at scale

Speaker:

Nagendra Pandey

Nationwide Building Society

Head of Customer Communications

Nagendra Pandey is Head of Customer Communications at Nationwide Building Society, with combined responsibility for customer comms, platform and product management, and DevOps. He brings extensive experience in leading technology-enabled communications functions within a large financial services organisation. In his current role, Nagendra oversees end-to-end customer communications capabilities and supports the NationWide's digital and platform-focused priorities.

14:20 - 14:40

Customer Relationship Management

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Content, Relevance & Personalisation: Delivering the Right Message Every Time

14:40 - 15:05

Customer Relationship Management

The CRM Performance Engine: Turning Consumer Signals into Revenue

Case Study

Next-Generation CRM: Building the Performance Engine of the Future

CRM is evolving from a system of record into a genuine performance engine. In this case study, Erdo Dwiputra Rakasiwi, Head of Global CRM Product Group at Philip Morris International, explores how AI and machine learning are transforming the way businesses turn consumer signals into revenue.

Erdo will unpack the practical building blocks of modern CRM – from hyper-personalisation to next-best-action – and share how data and the latest technology can drive smarter engagement and measurable commercial impact for the business.

Speaker:

Erdo Dwiputra Rakasiwi

Philip Morris International

Head of Global CRM Product Group

Most FMCG brands are still marketing to segments. I'm building the infrastructure to market to people 1:1. I'm currently the Head of CRM Product Group at Philip Morris International (PMI), leading a team of 40 across the globe AI decisioning, marketing automation, consumer data enrichment, and campaign enablement for PMI's global smoke-free portfolio. The work I'm most proud of recently is an AI-powered Next Best Action engine that autonomously identifies where each consumer sits in their lifecycle and acts on it no manual rules, no static segments. The result was a 2× improvement in consumer Conversion Rate across Convert, Bond, and Advocate lifecycle stages. The "group photo to selfie" shift from segment-level to individual-level is what I believe separates the next generation of FMCG CRM from everything that came before it. I've spent 10+ years at the intersection of CRM strategy, AI personalisation, and digital product, working with Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Treasure Data, and AWS to build systems that actually scale. I write here about AI-powered CX, CRM strategy, and what it really takes to deploy personalisation at scale inside a global FMCG company the wins, the organisational messiness, and the lessons. Based in London. Building toward something bigger.

15:05 - 15:30

Customer Relationship Management

Building Sales AI That Actually Works

Presentation

Next-Generation CRM: Building the Performance Engine of the Future

How agentic AI in the workflow helps businesses close more deals, faster.

Sales teams are under more pressure than ever. Longer buying cycles, more stakeholders, more scrutiny on spend. AI was supposed to help. For most teams, it has added activity without adding revenue.

The difference is not the tool. It is where you put it, what you build into it and whether it moves deals forward or just reports on them after the fact.

In this session Raoul Monks, CEO of Flume, shares how embedding agentic AI into the workflow, with the right sales methodology built in, builds buyer confidence at every stage of the deal. That is what shortens cycles, improves win rates and makes revenue predictable.

You will leave with:

What separates revenue-driving AI from AI that just creates noise
Why the workflow, not the tool, decides whether it works
Why the methodology inside the AI matters as much as where it sits
How buyer confidence converts AI activity into profitable, predictable growth
What this is delivering for event businesses right now

Who should attend: CEOs, CROs and senior commercial leaders in events and media who want faster closes, stronger win rates and a forecast they can trust.

Speaker:

Raoul Monks

Flume

Founder and CEO

Raoul’s career has been defined by one question: why do good salespeople lose deals they should win? The answer is rarely price, product or brand. It is buyer confidence. At Flume, he has built this insight into a continuous sales performance system that helps revenue teams sell like their best people on every deal, with AI coaching in the flow of the work. He is a self-confessed geek about three things: how buyers make decisions; how behaviour really changes; and how to embed agentic AI into the workflow so good habits scale, not bad ones.

15:30 - 16:00

Customer Relationship Management

Next-Generation CRM – Are You Building for Where Customer Engagement Is Heading?

Panel Discussion

Next-Generation CRM: Building the Performance Engine of the Future

CRM technology is evolving rapidly, with new capabilities around predictive analytics, intelligent automation, and real-time customer engagement reshaping what is possible for organisations willing to invest in the next generation of platforms and approaches. Yet adoption of these capabilities is uneven across the industry, and the gap between organisations building for the future of customer engagement and those still getting the most out of what they already have is growing.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore what genuinely next-generation CRM looks like in practice and what it takes to build a CRM strategy that is fit for where customer engagement is heading. From the capabilities that are delivering the strongest results for those who have already invested, to the strategic decisions organisations need to make now to future-proof their CRM without chasing technology for its own sake, panellists will share what good looks like and how to get there.

What you'll gain:

Insight into which next-generation CRM capabilities are delivering the strongest results for early adopters
Practical approaches to future-proofing a CRM strategy without chasing technology for its own sake
A clearer picture of what genuinely next-generation CRM looks like in practice
Real examples of the strategic decisions organisations are making now to ensure their CRM is built for where customer engagement is heading

16:00 - 16:05

Customer Relationship Management

Chair's Close

Closing Remarks

Next-Generation CRM: Building the Performance Engine of the Future

Speaker:

Scott Logie

DMA

DMA Membership Advocate

08:55 - 09:00

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

Introduction

Predicting, Personalising & Retaining: The Strategies Behind Modern Loyalty

Welcome back to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 put the customer reality front and centre – the pressures in your contact centres, the gaps in journeys and data, and the honest stories of where organisations are succeeding and where they’re still under strain. Day 2 shifts gear to The Engagement Benchmark: Where Do You Stand?

In this opening address, Andrew will connect yesterday’s themes with the question at the heart of today: how does your organisation compare against the best when it comes to customer engagement? From the strategies, technologies and operating models you’ve heard about, to the evidence on where real progress is being made, today’s agenda is designed to help you benchmark, prioritise and decide what needs to happen next.

A moment to reset, refocus and look ahead together – before you dive into a day built around understanding where you stand, what your peers are doing, and how to move your customer agenda forward with confidence.

Speaker:

Andrew Hough

Cranfield University

Associate Professor Sales Leadership & Performance

09:00 - 09:25

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Live Interview with a Surprise Guest from the World of Elite Performance

Headliner

Predicting, Personalising & Retaining: The Strategies Behind Modern Loyalty

How to lead, decide and stay focused when the spotlight never truly switches off
What resilience, recovery and reinvention look like behind the scenes, not just in headlines
How great teams balance ambition, risk and consistency when expectations keep rising
Reflections leaders can translate into their own organisations, teams and customer strategies

Who do you think it could be? Watch this space for our speaker reveal....

09:50 - 10:20

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

The Intelligence Behind Modern Loyalty – Predicting, Personalising & Retaining

Panel Discussion

Predicting, Personalising & Retaining: The Strategies Behind Modern Loyalty

The most effective loyalty strategies today are powered by data, insight, and the ability to anticipate what individual customers need before they ask for it. From predictive churn modelling and personalised loyalty experiences to intelligent engagement triggers that reach customers at the moments that matter most, the gap between organisations using data and intelligence to drive retention decisions and those still relying on broad programme mechanics is becoming a significant competitive divide.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore what intelligent, data-driven loyalty looks like in practice. From the data maturity and analytical capability required to make predictive loyalty work at scale, to the personalisation strategies that are strengthening relationships and driving measurable retention outcomes, panellists will share what the most effective organisations are doing and what the rest of the industry can learn from them.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what intelligent, data-driven loyalty looks like when it is working at its best
Practical approaches to building the data maturity and analytical capability needed for predictive loyalty strategies
Insight into how leading organisations are using personalisation and intelligent engagement to strengthen relationships and drive retention
Real examples of the loyalty strategies that are delivering the strongest results for organisations that have invested in data-driven approaches

Speaker:

Adrian Evans

B&Q

Head of Digital Product: Customer Commerce

Passionate about innovation and customer focused product/propositions with real experience leading teams across operations, marketing and end to end go to market activities.

10:20 - 10:50

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Predicting, Personalising & Retaining: The Strategies Behind Modern Loyalty

10:50 - 11:15

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Virgin Media O2 Case Study: Turning Loyalty on Its Head: Why Putting Customers First Wins in Commoditised Markets

Interview

The Future of Loyalty: Programmes, Emotion & the Evolving Value Exchange

In this session, Lisa will discuss:

How consistency and delivering for customers translate into sustainable growth.
Creating competitive advantage by putting customers first.
The role live entertainment, experiences and cultural moments can play in loyalty, drawing on examples of leveraging longstanding O2 sponsorship assets such as The O2 arena and England Rugby.
Predictions about how AI will accelerate the next era of loyalty, enabling contextualised, personalised engagement at scale.

Speaker:

Lisa Johnstone

Virgin Media O2

Director of Priority, Loyalty & Rewards

11:40 - 12:10

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

The Future of Loyalty – Beyond the Programme, Towards the Relationship

Panel Discussion

The Future of Loyalty: Programmes, Emotion & the Evolving Value Exchange

The organisations redefining loyalty for the next generation of customers are those moving away from transactional reward structures and towards genuine value exchanges, emotional connections, and relationship models that make customers feel understood, valued, and genuinely committed to a brand.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore what the future of loyalty looks like as the value exchange between brands and customers continues to evolve. From understanding what the next generation of customers actually want from a loyalty relationship to the programme and experience innovations that are already reshaping how organisations think about retention and advocacy, panellists will share where loyalty is heading and what organisations need to do now to stay ahead of where their customers are going.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of how the value exchange between brands and customers is evolving and what it means for loyalty strategy
Practical approaches to building loyalty models that go beyond transactional mechanics and create genuine emotional connection
Insight into the programme and experience innovations that are already reshaping how leading organisations think about loyalty
Real examples of what next-generation loyalty looks like in practice and the commercial results it is generating

Speaker:

Meera Nayyar

UK Civil Service

Head Of Passenger Experience

‘Well done is better than well said’

Dynamic and engaging senior leader with a solid record of delivering transformational change. Passionate about the arts and culture and using soft influence in transformation.

Resume
• Leadership – experienced leader of high-performance teams within government and industry.
• Evidence driven – proven track record of delivering new concepts at pace to create real change.
• Strategically adept – progressive strategic thinker in novel and complex environments.
• Communication – engaging influencer at the highest levels, from CEOs to Government Ministers.
• Programme delivery – delivery of transformational change programmes to drive real world results.
• Stakeholder management – strong partnership skills and excellent relationship manager.

12:10 - 13:00

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

The Future of Loyalty: Programmes, Emotion & the Evolving Value Exchange

13:00 - 13:25

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Beyond the Sign-Up: Building Loyalty in an Age of Easy Switching

Case Study

Retention in a Switching Economy: Strategies That Will Keep Customers Tomorrow

In a world where switching has never been easier, retention is the new growth engine. In this case study, Andrew Gale, Head of Subscription Management & Retention at the Financial Times, shares how a leading subscription business keeps customers engaged and loyal for the long term.

Andrew will explore the strategies that make the difference in a competitive, switching-driven market – from understanding why customers leave to designing experiences that keep them coming back – offering timely, practical lessons for anyone focused on loyalty, retention and sustainable growth.

Speaker:

Andrew Gale

Financial Times

Head of Subscription Management & Retention

Head of Subscription Management & Retention at the Financial Times, focused on maximising customer lifetime value for FT subscribers (Digital & Print).
I lead subscription strategy across re-contracting, cancellations and save journeys, subscription self-serve, service communications and ARPU-driving initiatives.

13:50 - 14:20

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Winning the Retention Battle – Strategies Built for a Switching Economy

Panel Discussion

Retention in a Switching Economy: Strategies That Will Keep Customers Tomorrow

The economics of customer retention have changed. In a market where switching is effortless and alternatives are always visible, the retention strategies that worked in a world of higher switching friction are no longer sufficient. The organisations winning the retention battle are those that have fundamentally rethought their approach, moving from defensive tactics designed to slow defection to proactive strategies built to make staying the obvious and compelling choice.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore what genuinely future-fit retention looks like in a switching economy. From the data and insight capabilities needed to identify and act on churn risk earlier, to the experience and relationship investments that are making the most meaningful difference to retention outcomes, panellists will share what is working, what is not, and what organisations need to prioritise now to build retention strategies that are genuinely built for the market they are operating in.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what genuinely future-fit retention looks like in a market where switching has never been easier
Practical approaches to moving from defensive retention tactics to proactive strategies that make staying the obvious choice
Insight into the experience and relationship investments that are making the biggest difference to retention outcomes right now
Real examples of how leading organisations are building retention strategies that are genuinely designed for a switching economy

14:20 - 14:40

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Retention in a Switching Economy: Strategies That Will Keep Customers Tomorrow

14:40 - 15:05

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Bupa: From Strategy to Stickiness: How Global Marketing Turns Customers into Lifelong Relationships

Interview

Growing Customer Lifetime Value Through Personalised Engagement

Long‑term growth depends on more than great campaigns – it requires a clear strategy for how you keep customers, deepen relationships and turn everyday interactions into enduring loyalty. In this interview, Nicola Shield, Global Head of Marketing Strategy, Planning and Communications at Bupa Global, will share how she connects marketing strategy to real, measurable customer stickiness to create award-winning outcomes.

Attendees will hear:

How a global marketing strategy can be shaped explicitly around loyalty, retention and sustainable growth.
Practical ways to align planning, communications and measurement to long‑term customer value rather than short‑term hits.
Lessons from leading cross‑functional teams to keep complex propositions simple and compelling for customers over time.

Speaker:

Nicola Shield

Bupa Global

Head of Marketing Strategy, Planning and Communications

Nicki leads the Marketing Strategy, Planning and Communications Team at Bupa Global – the premium international health insurance arm of Bupa. She’s responsible for the strategic direction of Bupa Global’s marketing including brand, content, messaging, across all customer segments. With over 20 years marketing experience she has real expertise in creating customer-first strategies and campaigns that are bold, impactful, and data-driven.

Working at the intersection of creativity and strategy in a global and highly regulated industry, Nicki brings a unique perspective on how brands can cut through complexity to deliver meaningful, relevant communications.

15:30 - 16:00

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Growing Customer Lifetime Value – The Personalisation and Engagement Strategies That Are Delivering

Panel Discussion

Growing Customer Lifetime Value Through Personalised Engagement

Growing customer lifetime value through personalised engagement is one of the most commercially compelling opportunities available to customer engagement leaders. The most effective organisations are those that have connected personalisation, data insight, and engagement strategy into a coherent approach that systematically deepens relationships and grows the commercial value of every customer over time.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore what genuinely CLV-growing personalised engagement looks like in practice. From the data and engagement foundations needed to make personalisation work at the individual level, to the strategies that are delivering the strongest results in terms of retention, revenue, and relationship depth, panellists will share what it takes to close the gap between CLV ambition and CLV reality.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what genuinely CLV-growing personalised engagement looks like when it is working at its best
Practical approaches to connecting data insight, personalisation, and engagement strategy into a coherent CLV growth model
Insight into the personalisation and engagement strategies that are delivering the strongest CLV results for leading organisations
Real examples of how closing the gap between personalisation ambition and execution is translating into measurable growth in customer lifetime value

16:00 - 16:05

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Chair's Close

Closing Remarks

Growing Customer Lifetime Value Through Personalised Engagement

Speaker:

Andrew Hough

Cranfield University

Associate Professor Sales Leadership & Performance

08:55 - 09:00

Data, Insights and Analytics

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

Introduction

First-Party Data & the Privacy-First Future

Welcome back to the Engage Customer Summit 2026.

Day 1 put the customer reality front and centre – the pressures in your contact centres, the gaps in journeys and data, and the honest stories of where organisations are succeeding and where they’re still under strain. Day 2 shifts gear to The Engagement Benchmark: Where Do You Stand?

In this opening address, Gerry will connect yesterday’s themes with the question at the heart of today: how does your organisation compare against the best when it comes to customer engagement? From the strategies, technologies and operating models you’ve heard about, to the evidence on where real progress is being made, today’s agenda is designed to help you benchmark, prioritise and decide what needs to happen next.

A moment to reset, refocus and look ahead together – before you dive into a day built around understanding where you stand, what your peers are doing, and how to move your customer agenda forward with confidence.

Speaker:

Gerry Brown

Customer Lifeguard

Chief Customer Officer

09:00 - 09:25

Data, Insights and Analytics

Live Interview with a Surprise Guest from the World of Elite Performance

Headliner

First-Party Data & the Privacy-First Future

How to lead, decide and stay focused when the spotlight never truly switches off
What resilience, recovery and reinvention look like behind the scenes, not just in headlines
How great teams balance ambition, risk and consistency when expectations keep rising
Reflections leaders can translate into their own organisations, teams and customer strategies

Who do you think it could be? Watch this space for our speaker reveal....

09:50 - 10:20

Data, Insights and Analytics

First-Party Data – Building the Foundation Your Future Strategy Depends On

Panel Discussion

First-Party Data & the Privacy-First Future

First-party data is becoming the most important foundation for the personalised, relevant, and proactive customer engagement strategies that customers increasingly expect. Yet building a sustainable, trust-based first-party data foundation that customers are genuinely willing to contribute to requires more than compliance, it requires a genuine commitment to the value exchange that makes customers feel their data is being used to serve them rather than simply to target them.

In this panel, senior leaders will share what building a robust, sustainable first-party data strategy looks like in practice. From the consent and value exchange models that are genuinely working to the gap between regulatory compliance and the genuine customer trust that makes first-party data a long-term foundation for meaningful customer engagement, panellists will explore what it takes to build a data strategy that serves customers well and stands up to the scrutiny of an increasingly privacy-conscious world.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what a robust, sustainable first-party data strategy looks like and what it enables in terms of customer engagement quality
Practical approaches to building consent and value exchange models that customers genuinely engage with and that feel fair and transparent
Insight into the gap between regulatory compliance and the genuine customer trust that makes first-party data a lasting foundation for meaningful engagement
Real examples of how leading organisations are building first-party data strategies that serve their customers well and position them strongly for the future of customer engagement

Speaker:

Teddy Tepavicharova

The Telegraph

Head of Programmatic Sales

Teddy is an award-winning strategist and commercial leader in marketing and advertising, currently overseeing Condé Nast's Programmatic activations in the UK and supporting Western Europe with their programmatic go-to-market strategy, planning, and implementation. She manages the activity across leading titles including Vogue, Tatler, GQ, CN Traveller, Wired, House & Garden, Glamour, Vanity Fair, AD and The World of Interiors, while managing a growing global client portfolio. Her work has earned widespread recognition, including accolades such as Forbes 30 Under 30, Outstanding Transformation of the Year, BIMA100 and The Future 100 Club.

10:20 - 10:50

Data, Insights and Analytics

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

First-Party Data & the Privacy-First Future

10:50 - 11:15

Data, Insights and Analytics

Depop: Support as a Retention Moment, Not a Journey Failure

Interview

The Future of Journey Orchestration

Depop managed to close the customer retention gap through support. This session explores how, and why it means support has been measured against the wrong metrics all along. SLAs, handle times and deflection tell you how quickly a ticket was closed, not whether the customer came back. Drawing on real work within a two-sided marketplace, we will show what retention depends on and how to translate that insight into the product and operations roadmap across self-solve, AI-solve and human-solve.

Speaker:

Anna Gradil

Depop

Senior Director, Sellers & CX

Senior technology leader with 14 years of experience scaling marketplace and media businesses globally. Proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams across multiple functions including Sales, Customer Success, Operations and Product

Key achievements include:
- Leading Depop's global seller acquisition and management programmes
- Scaled multi-channel network from startup to industry leader as COO, growing revenue X% in 3 years while building a global team of 70+ across 3 countries
- Launching and scaling YouTube's partner program across multiple international markets
- Building and leading cross-functional teams across YouTube EMEA

Passionate about marketplace dynamics, creator economy, and sustainable fashion.

11:15 - 11:40

Data, Insights and Analytics

Virgin Media Case Study: Driving Data Adoption Through Champions and Communities

Case Study

The Future of Journey Orchestration

Beautiful journey maps don’t change much unless people across the business actually use data to run and refine those journeys every day. In this case study, Danny will share how he is building champion programmes and communities to turn journey orchestration from a concept into a lived practice.

Danny will explore how Virgin Media O2 is evolving its approach to journey orchestration in a complex, omnichannel environment, and why data enablement is just as important as data engineering. He will unpack the structures, rituals and tools that help non‑data specialists adopt analytics, experiment with journeys and feed insight back into design – from champion networks and learning programmes to gamification and storytelling.

Attendees will hear:

What “next‑generation” journey orchestration looks like inside a large telco where AI, data platforms and omnichannel CX are all in play.
Practical ways to use champions, communities and engagement tactics to drive data adoption across marketing, service and operations.
How to measure and demonstrate the impact of better data use on journey performance, customer experience and commercial outcomes.

A grounded, people‑focused look at the future of journey orchestration – not just the technology, but the behaviours and communities that make it work at scale.

Speaker:

Danny Bradley

Virgin Media O2

Senior Data Engagement & Execution Lead

11:40 - 12:10

Data, Insights and Analytics

From Promise to Practice in Customer Journey Orchestration

Panel Discussion

The Future of Journey Orchestration

Customer journey orchestration promises seamless, personalised customer engagement at scale, dynamically adapting to individual customer behaviour across every channel and touchpoint in real time. The potential is significant, but so is the gap between what orchestration promises and what most organisations are actually achieving with it. The complexity of implementation, the data and integration requirements, and the organisational changes needed to make orchestration genuinely work mean that many programmes are still far from delivering the connected, consistent customer experiences they set out to create.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore what journey orchestration looks like when it is genuinely working in practice. From the implementation lessons that only come from live deployment experience to the data, integration, and organisational foundations that separate orchestration programmes that deliver from those that stall, panellists will share what it takes to move from journey orchestration as a concept to journey orchestration as a genuine driver of better, more connected customer experiences at scale.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what journey orchestration looks like when it is genuinely delivering personalised, connected customer experiences at scale
Practical approaches to building the data and integration foundations needed for effective orchestration
Insight into the implementation lessons that are most valuable for organisations at different stages of their orchestration journey
Real examples of how effective journey orchestration is improving customer experience consistency and the quality of engagement across every touchpoint

Speaker:

David Trevithick

LCP Delta

Head of Customer Insight

David leads Customer Insight across LCP Delta’s residential research portfolio (clean energy technology and smart energy topics). His role involves developing research programmes that inform must-have residential customer propositions. As the energy transition progresses from strategy to implementation, understanding the evolving role, needs and perceptions of energy customers is crucial. This insight is vital for shaping client strategy, proposition development, marketing, and customer experience. With over 30 years of consumer insight experience, including more than a decade in the energy sector, he is committed to providing valuable strategic and customer engagement insight for his clients.

12:10 - 13:00

Data, Insights and Analytics

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

The Future of Journey Orchestration

13:00 - 13:25

Data, Insights and Analytics

Anglian Water Services Case Study: Using AMI Data to Engage Customers and Drive Demand Reduction

Case Study

Predictive Insight & Shaping Customer Behaviour

The UK AMI rollout is driven by the need to reduce demand-side consumption and leakage. For the majority of UK water companies, customer supply pipe leaks are repaired by the customers themselves, as well as any internal leaks. Any behavioural reductions in water use in homes and businesses are also delivered by the customers.

If we are to help maximise these savings, we have to use AMI metering to engage customers to complete repairs and adapt behaviours. Doing so relies on a holistic approach to both the physical hardware rollout, the reliability and accessibility of data, and value-adding services:

How we set up our rollout strategies to create momentum and interest among our customers
How we provide access to consumption data for customers to actively use it
How we design value-added services from the AMI frameworks
How we measure success and use it to update our strategies
How we drive changes in legislation to enhance the benefits
How we protect our customers’ privacy and respond to any other concerns

Speaker:

Doug Spencer

Anglian Water Services

Smart Metering Lead

Doug is Smart Metering Lead for Anglian Water where he has worked for over 35 years, primarily on water distribution; quality, leakage and water use monitoring and analysis. Over the last 9 years he has led the programme to take Anglian from proof of concept to company-wide rollout of AMI. He is co-programme lead on UKWIR BQ02 zero leakage and chairs the Croydon group and OFWAT’s ‘use the data group’, he is also a former member and chair of the CIWEM Scientific Group Committee.

13:50 - 14:20

Data, Insights and Analytics

Predictive Insight – Getting Ahead of What Customers Will Do Next

Panel Discussion

Predictive Insight & Shaping Customer Behaviour

The most effective customer engagement strategies are those that anticipate what customers will do next rather than simply responding to what they have already done. Predictive insight is moving from competitive advantage to strategic necessity, yet the gap between organisations genuinely using predictive analytics to shape their engagement strategies and those still working primarily from historical data remains significant. The organisations pulling ahead are those that have built the capability to understand not just who their customers are today but where they are heading and what they will need next.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore what genuinely predictive customer insight looks like in practice. From the data maturity and analytical foundations needed to make prediction work reliably at scale, to the customer engagement strategies that predictive insight is enabling across retention, personalisation, and proactive service, panellists will share what it takes to move from descriptive to genuinely predictive customer understanding and what that shift means for the quality of every customer engagement.

What you'll gain:

A clear picture of what genuinely predictive customer insight looks like and what it takes to build it
Practical approaches to building the data maturity and analytical foundations needed for reliable prediction at scale
Insight into how leading organisations are using predictive analytics to shape more effective retention, personalisation, and proactive customer engagement strategies
Real examples of how predictive insight is changing the quality and relevance of customer engagement across the industry

Speaker:

David Trevithick

LCP Delta

Head of Customer Insight

14:20 - 14:40

Data, Insights and Analytics

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

Break

Predictive Insight & Shaping Customer Behaviour

14:40 - 15:05

Data, Insights and Analytics

London Borough of Hackney Case Study: Using Insight to Support Vulnerable Residents and Transform Community Engagement

Case Study

Hyper-Personalisation: Using Data to Deliver Experiences That Feel Individual

This case study from Dan O’Sullivan, Head of Service at the London Borough of Hackney, shows how a council has used data, insight and community‑led design to deliver experiences that feel truly individual, especially for vulnerable residents.

Building on work that won two Engage Awards for Innovation in Customer Engagement and Sales Transformation last year, Dan will walk through how Hackney has re‑imagined “customer” relationships in a public‑sector context. He will cover how the team identifies and supports vulnerable groups, uses insight to tailor outreach and services, and applies personalisation principles to community projects and revenue‑generating activity without losing sight of fairness and accessibility.

Attendees will hear:

How hyper‑personalisation can work in a council environment, not just in commercial brands.
Practical examples of data‑driven, personalised support for vulnerable residents and community initiatives.
How Hackney connected customer insight, service design and “sales” transformation to win national recognition.
Lessons for any organisation looking to balance individualised experiences with scale, equity and trust.

Speaker:

Dan O'Sullivan

London Borough of Hackney

Head of Service

15:30 - 16:00

Data, Insights and Analytics

Hyper-Personalisation at Scale – Where Is the Industry Really?

Panel Discussion

Hyper-Personalisation: Using Data to Deliver Experiences That Feel Individual

True hyper-personalisation remains out of reach for most organisations, yet it represents one of the most significant opportunities to improve the quality and relevance of customer engagement today. The promise of delivering experiences that feel genuinely individual to every customer at scale is compelling, and the customers who experience it notice the difference. Yet the gap between organisations making genuine progress and those still working at broad segment level is one of the clearest indicators of customer engagement and data maturity across the industry.

In this panel, senior leaders will explore where the industry genuinely is on the hyper-personalisation journey and what it takes to make meaningful progress. From the most common barriers standing between personalisation ambition and personalisation delivery, to the strategies and investments that are making the biggest difference for the organisations pulling ahead, panellists will share what real progress looks like and what the rest of the industry can do to accelerate its own journey towards customer engagement that feels genuinely individual.

What you'll gain:

An honest picture of where the industry genuinely is on the hyper-personalisation journey and what is driving the gap between leaders and the rest
Practical approaches to closing the gap between personalisation ambition and what customers are actually experiencing in their engagement with a brand
Insight into the strategies and investments that are making the biggest difference for organisations making genuine hyper-personalisation progress
Real examples of what individual-level personalisation at scale looks like when it is working and the difference it makes to customer engagement quality

Speaker:

Zack Wragg

Merlin Entertainments

Senior Global Digital Commerce Product Owner

I've spent over twenty years working at the point where digital strategy, commercial performance and customer experience meet - mostly in hospitality, travel and leisure, and mostly in businesses where the digital foundations needed building rather than just maintaining.That's what I find genuinely interesting: taking organisations with real heritage and helping them use digital in a way that actually transforms how guests experience the brand. Not just optimising what's already there, but rethinking how marketing, technology and data work together to deliver something meaningfully better.

My background is broader than most: a computer science postgraduate, a chartered marketer, and over fifteen years of hands-on experience spanning paid media, SEO, ecommerce platforms, CRM, digital product and data strategy. That breadth has been the consistent differentiator, particularly in complex, multi-site environments where the commercial, technical and marketing agendas need to be connected rather than siloed.I've done this at Hilton across APAC and EMEA, at Merlin across 140+ attractions and resort hotels globally, and in leaner businesses like Elite Havens and Crabtree & Evelyn where I've had to build capability largely from scratch.

Outside of work I'm a PADI Divemaster, a Mountain Leader, an ultrarunner and a former professional freeskier, which probably says something about an appetite for environments that are technically demanding and occasionally unpredictable.

16:00 - 16:05

Data, Insights and Analytics

Chair's Close

Closing Remarks

Hyper-Personalisation: Using Data to Deliver Experiences That Feel Individual

Speaker:

Gerry Brown

Customer Lifeguard

Chief Customer Officer

No results for current selection

Wednesday 07 October 2026

Main Stage

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

08:55 - 09:00

Live Launch: The UK CX Report 2026

09:00 - 09:25

The Growth Conversation Every Organisation Should Be Having

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 11:00

DHL Express Case Study: What Transformation Setbacks Taught Me About Scaling AI, Change and Customer Operations

11:00 - 11:25

Ahead of the Curve – What It Really Takes to Be Industry-Leading

11:50 - 12:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:45 - 14:00

From Optimisation to Reinvention: How END. Is Harnessing AI to Transform

14:00 - 14:25

The Culture Problem Nobody Talks About

14:50 - 15:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

15:45 - 16:05

Inside Bel: Building the Capability Behind Babybel, The Laughing Cow and Beyond

16:05 - 16:30

The State of Customer Engagement – What the Data Is Really Telling Us

16:30 - 17:00

Closing Remarks

17:25 - 17:30

Summit After-Party

17:30

Future of The Contact Centre

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

08:55 - 09:00

Opening Keynote: The Future of the Contact Centre – What the Data Is Really Telling Us

09:00 - 09:25

Scaling Service – How Are You Really Holding the Line?

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 11:00

Cambridge University Press & Assessment Case Study: The Realities of AI in the Contact Centre

11:00 - 11:25

Digital Transformation in the Contact Centre – Closing the Gap Between Ambition and Reality

11:50 - 12:20

AI in UK Contact Centres - What's Really Happening?

12:20 - 12:40

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:40 - 14:00

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Case Study: Future‑Ready Leaders in an AI‑Enabled Contact Centre

14:00 - 14:25

The Efficiency Equation – Finding the Balance That Actually Work

14:50 - 15:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

15:45 - 16:05

Adanola: The Agent Experience Behind High Growth Customer Operations

16:05 - 16:30

The Human Edge: Why Leadership Excellence is the True Driver of Customer Experience

16:30 - 16:55

The Agent Experience – Engaging Your Most Valuable CX Asset

16:55 - 17:25

Chair's Close

17:25 - 17:30

Summit After-Party

17:30

Customer Contact

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

08:55 - 09:00

Opening Keynote: CCMA Research Reveal

09:00 - 09:25

The Omnichannel Reality – Are You Truly Connected or Just Multi-Channel?

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 11:00

Xero Case Study: The Future of CX: The Human and AI Partnership

11:00 - 11:25

Self-Service That Actually Works – Empowering Customers Without Losing Them

11:50 - 12:20

Audience Q&A: Your Customer Contact Reality

12:20 - 12:40

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:40 - 14:00

Smarter Contact – How Intelligent Technology Is Changing the Game

14:50 - 15:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

15:45 - 16:05

Barclays Case Study: Customer Expectations and Technology Approaches

16:05 - 16:30

Channel Strategy – Putting Customer Outcomes at the Centre

16:55 - 17:25

Closing Remarks

17:25 - 17:30

Summit After-Party

17:30

Customer Experience Management

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

08:55 - 09:00

The State of CX Management – What the Latest Evidence Is Telling Us

09:00 - 09:25

Customer-Centricity – Closing the Gap Between Claim and Reality

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 11:00

Voice of the Customer – From Feedback to Action

11:50 - 12:20

Audience Q&A: Inside Your CX Management Practice

12:20 - 12:40

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:40 - 14:00

The Royal College of Surgeons of England Case Study: The CX Paradox: How AI Is Helping Us Deliver More Human Experiences

14:00 - 14:25

CX Transformation – Leading Change That Actually Sticks

14:50 - 15:20

Trusted AI in CX: What Transformation Actually Requires

15:20 - 15:45

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

15:45 - 16:05

Experian Case Study: From Feel-Good to Bottom Line: The Business Impact of CX

16:05 - 16:30

Making the Business Case – The Metrics That Actually Move Boards

16:55 - 17:25

Closing Remarks

17:25 - 17:30

Summit After-Party

17:30

Customer Relationship Management

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

08:55 - 09:00

The Customer Data, CRM and Marketing Benchmark

09:00 - 09:25

The Single Customer View in Creating Competitve Advantage

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 11:00

Landmark Information Group Case Study: Landmark’s One Team Approach Means Success for Customers

11:00 - 11:25

Breaking Down the Walls – How Cross-Functional Teams Are Transforming CX

11:50 - 12:20

Audience Q&A: Inside Your CRM and Marketing Strategy

12:20 - 12:40

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:40 - 14:00

CRM as the Engine of the Connected Customer Journey

14:50 - 15:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

15:45 - 16:05

Closing Remarks

17:00 - 17:05

Summit After-Party

17:05

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

08:55 - 09:00

From Contacts to Confidence: How Customer‑Led Growth Really Happens

09:00 - 09:25

Beyond the Points Card – What Loyalty Really Means Today

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 11:00

Serco Case Study: Retention Under Pressure: Why People Leave Emotionally Before They Leave Commercially

11:00 - 11:25

Retention Under Pressure – Keeping Customers When Switching Has Never Been Easier

11:50 - 12:20

Audience Q&A: Beyond Points and Perks: Real Talk on Loyalty and Retention

12:20 - 12:40

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:40 - 14:00

The Future of Subscriber Retention: AI, Personalisation and the Next Best Action: In Conversation With Charlotte Vlahavas from The Economist

14:00 - 14:25

Personalisation as a Growth Driver – Turning Customer Understanding into Commercial Results

14:50 - 15:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

15:45 - 16:05

Turning Customer Insight Into Business Impact: In Conversation With Linzi Hindle at DHL Supply Chain

16:05 - 16:30

The CLV Growth Opportunity – Are You Measuring the Right Things to Drive Long-Term Growth?

16:30 - 17:00

Closing Remarks

17:25 - 17:30

Summit After-Party

17:05

Data, Insights and Analytics

Welcome to the 2026 Engage Customer Summit

08:55 - 09:00

The Customer Truth: Turning Data into Decisions Across the Journey

09:00 - 09:25

From Data Rich to Insight Led – Making Customer Data Work Harder

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 11:00

HSBC Case Study: From Understanding to Action, How the Right Customer Mapping Impacts the Business

11:00 - 11:25

Customer Journey Mapping That Drives Impact

11:50 - 12:20

Audience Q&A: Beyond Dashboards: Real-Talk on Data, Insight and Customer Journeys

12:20 - 12:40

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:40 - 14:00

E.ON Next Case Study: Identifying the Silent Customer With AI Driven Insights

14:00 - 14:25

Reading the Signals – How Leading Organisations Are Acting on Customer Behaviour

14:50 - 15:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

15:45 - 16:05

Olympia Events Case Study: Building CX From the Ground Up: Launching London’s New ICC at Olympia

16:05 - 16:30

Every Customer, Every Time – The Reality of Hyper-Personalisation at Scale

16:55 - 17:25

Closing Remarks

17:25 - 17:30

Summit After-Party

17:30

Thursday 08 October 2026

Main Stage

Investing in People - The Competitive Advantage Driving Next-Generation Engagement

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 10:50

Rail Europe: From Intent to Confidence: Building Intelligent Customer Experiences

10:50 - 11:15

Clarity Environmental Case Study: Customer Adversity into Customer Advocacy

11:15 - 11:40

From First Click to Loyal Customer: Leading the End-to-End Experience

11:40 - 12:10

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:10 - 13:00

Cumberland Case Study: How a Customer-Owned Model Is Shaping Strategy

13:25 - 13:50

Why Are Customers Really Leaving?

13:50 - 14:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

14:20 - 14:40

The Quiet Tech Giant: How Auto Trader Turned Data and AI into Competitive Advantage

14:40 - 15:05

A Strategic Lens on the Customer of Tomorrow

15:30 - 16:00

Closing Remarks

16:00 - 16:05

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

08:55 - 09:00

Future of The Contact Centre

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

08:55 - 09:00

Live Interview with a Surprise Guest from the World of Elite Performance

09:00 - 09:25

Raising the Bar – What High-Performance Contact Centres Do Differently

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 10:50

The Telegraph: The Best of Both: Blending Human Insight and AI in Customer Service

10:50 - 11:15

Human or Digital – Getting the Blend Right for Every Customer

11:40 - 12:10

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:10 - 13:00

NatWest Case Study: The Future of Contact Centres & AI

13:00 - 13:25

The Excellence Standard – Raising the Bar Across Quality, Innovation & Duty of Care

13:50 - 14:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

14:20 - 14:40

How Agentic Self-Learning Is Transforming Customer Experiences. True Agentic AI Doesn’t Wait to Be Retrained — It Improves Itself.

15:05 - 15:30

The Contact Centre of the Future – Are You Ready for What's Coming?

15:30 - 16:00

Chair's Close

16:00 - 16:05

Customer Contact

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

08:55 - 09:00

Live Interview with a Surprise Guest from the World of Elite Performance

09:00 - 09:25

The New Service Standard – Are You Keeping Pace With What Customers Expect

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 10:50

Holiday Extras Case Study: What If Your Next AI Team Is Already Sitting in Your Contact Centre?

10:50 - 11:15

Frictionless by Design – The Future of Self-Service & Customer Journeys

11:40 - 12:10

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:10 - 13:00

Movianto UK Case Study: The Journey to Future‑Ready Customer Care

13:00 - 13:25

People, Innovation & the Future of Customer Contact

13:50 - 14:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

14:20 - 14:40

Beyond Reactive: The Open University's Journey to Proactive Service

14:40 - 15:05

Getting There First – The Case for Predictive Customer Engagement

15:30 - 16:00

Chair's Close

16:00 - 16:05

Customer Experience Management

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

08:55 - 09:00

Live Interview with a Surprise Guest from the World of Elite Performance

09:00 - 09:25

The Future of Service Delivery – How Ready Is Your Organisation Really?

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 10:50

Forge Holiday Group: Unreasonable Hospitality by Design How Focus, People, AI, Technology and Ways of Working Create Exceptional Guest Experiences Across Hospitality and Contact Centres

10:50 - 11:15

Designing for Delight – What Genuinely Great Customer Experience Looks Like

11:40 - 12:10

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:10 - 13:00

HSBC Case Study: From Scores to Strategy - Turning Client Feedback into Future Experience

13:00 - 13:25

Closing the Loop – How Leading Organisations Turn Customer Insight into Action

13:50 - 14:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

14:20 - 14:40

HM Revenue & Customs Case Study: Turning Customer Experience Strategy into Better Customer Outcomes

14:40 - 15:05

Measuring What Customers Actually Experience – The Outcomes That Matter

15:30 - 16:00

Chair's Close

16:00 - 16:05

Customer Relationship Management

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

08:55 - 09:00

Live Interview with a Surprise Guest from the World of Elite Performance

09:00 - 09:25

Breaking Down the Silos – Uniting Sales, Marketing & Service Around the Customer

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 10:50

Sky Case Study: Creating Relationships That Drive Long‑Term Growth

10:50 - 11:15

The Relationship Engine – Is Your CRM Actually Building Lasting Customer Relationships?

11:40 - 12:10

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:10 - 13:00

Skyscanner Case Study: Personalising Content for Millions of Travellers

13:00 - 13:25

Content, Relevance & Personalisation – Closing the Gap Between What's Possible and What's Delivered

13:50 - 14:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

14:20 - 14:40

The CRM Performance Engine: Turning Consumer Signals into Revenue

14:40 - 15:05

Building Sales AI That Actually Works

15:05 - 15:30

Next-Generation CRM – Are You Building for Where Customer Engagement Is Heading?

15:30 - 16:00

Chair's Close

16:00 - 16:05

Loyalty, Retention & Growth

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

08:55 - 09:00

Live Interview with a Surprise Guest from the World of Elite Performance

09:00 - 09:25

The Intelligence Behind Modern Loyalty – Predicting, Personalising & Retaining

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 10:50

Virgin Media O2 Case Study: Turning Loyalty on Its Head: Why Putting Customers First Wins in Commoditised Markets

10:50 - 11:15

The Future of Loyalty – Beyond the Programme, Towards the Relationship

11:40 - 12:10

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:10 - 13:00

Beyond the Sign-Up: Building Loyalty in an Age of Easy Switching

13:00 - 13:25

Winning the Retention Battle – Strategies Built for a Switching Economy

13:50 - 14:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

14:20 - 14:40

Bupa: From Strategy to Stickiness: How Global Marketing Turns Customers into Lifelong Relationships

14:40 - 15:05

Growing Customer Lifetime Value – The Personalisation and Engagement Strategies That Are Delivering

15:30 - 16:00

Chair's Close

16:00 - 16:05

Data, Insights and Analytics

Welcome to Day 2 of the Engage Customer Summit!

08:55 - 09:00

Live Interview with a Surprise Guest from the World of Elite Performance

09:00 - 09:25

First-Party Data – Building the Foundation Your Future Strategy Depends On

09:50 - 10:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

10:20 - 10:50

Depop: Support as a Retention Moment, Not a Journey Failure

10:50 - 11:15

Virgin Media Case Study: Driving Data Adoption Through Champions and Communities

11:15 - 11:40

From Promise to Practice in Customer Journey Orchestration

11:40 - 12:10

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

12:10 - 13:00

Anglian Water Services Case Study: Using AMI Data to Engage Customers and Drive Demand Reduction

13:00 - 13:25

Predictive Insight – Getting Ahead of What Customers Will Do Next

13:50 - 14:20

Networking Break: Dedicated Time for 1:1 Discussions

14:20 - 14:40

London Borough of Hackney Case Study: Using Insight to Support Vulnerable Residents and Transform Community Engagement

14:40 - 15:05

Hyper-Personalisation at Scale – Where Is the Industry Really?

15:30 - 16:00

Chair's Close

16:00 - 16:05

EBM - Customer Engagement Summit - 09-10-2025-0070

Main stage

The Main Stage proudly showcases industry trailblazers presenting their insights on the future of customer engagement. These forward thinking experts delve into anticipated industry trends and technological advancements that demand our attention.

A must attend for those wanting to gain valuable foresight into evolving customer dynamics, innovative strategies, and cutting edge tools that will shape the landscape of customer interactions in the coming years.

FUTURE OF THE CONTACT CENTRE

Contact centres are rapidly changing and becoming more digital to meet evolving customer expectations for quick, efficient service. Advances in technology, such as AI, chatbots, and cloud solutions, enable personalised, seamless interactions and 24/7 support, improving operational efficiency and enhancing the overall customer experience.