Ian is an internationally renowned leader in customer experience. Speaker, blogger, consultant, adviser and featured columnist and now also non-executive editor of CXM.co.uk in his role as Chairman of the Awards Ian will assist us to ensure the CXA has a clearly articulated role in relation to promoting CX best practice. Ian will also be an advocate for the UK Customer Experience Awards. A highly influential freelance Customer Experience consultant, Ian advises leading companies on Customer Experience strategy, measurement, improvement and employee advocacy techniques and solutions. He has worked across multiple industries including retail, financial services, logistics, telecoms and pharmaceuticals and has deployed Customer Experience tools and methodologies all over the world.

Edwin Best is CRM & Customer Experience expert. He is owner of The Best CRM, guiding organisations for the transformation towards Customer-Centric business.

Edwin has (internationally) collaborated with a lot of customers with a wide range of CRM & Customer Experience issues; CRM / Cx strategy, CRM selection, CRM implementation and change management.

He is acting on the cutting edge of business and ICT. His mission is to make an active contribution to discipline of customer centric business.

Faran Niaz is Senior Vice President, Global Head of Customer Experience at ADIB. A change Management Expert & highly experienced Customer Service expert with over 25 years of Global experience in Banking/Financial Services including the successful establishment and running of Alternate Channels, Call Centers, Customer Service units and Quality setups for Citibank, Mashreqbank and ADIB. Faran has led ADIB in winning ‘Best Bank in Customer Experience in UAE’ for an unprecedented seven consecutive years. An unparalleled achievement in the Banking Industry. Faran is also a talented Award-winning Photographer with his work exhibited in Italy, Thailand & UAE. Faran is one of the Chair Judges at the International Business Excellence Awards.

Rima, a graduate of Harvard Business School, is a commercially driven business leader with more than 17 years’ experience in multinational blue-chip companies across Europe, the Caribbean and last 10 years in the Middle East. Having worked for organizations with different levels of financial prowess and cross-cultural operations, Rima can easily lead and integrate high performing teams. As Senior Leadership Team Member of ManpowerGroup Middle East, Rima helps set and drive its strategic executive framework. In addition, as Regional CFO, she drives the business and its financial strategies; as Regional Director of Shared Services she drives HR, Legal, Marketing & IT strategies; and as Regional Leader of Right Management, she drives ManpowerGroup's Career and Talent Management brand.

Aslan is a CEO & Founder of Renascence - a behavioural & customer experience consulting startup from Dubai. He is a choice architect & advocate of behavioural science, an author of a customer experience framework (COMPASS) and a coach. As an expert in behavioural economics and customer experience, Aslan & his team have been delivering solutions from intelligence to strategy and measurement for multiple clients in the region including Emaar, Chalhoub Group, Meraas, DP and many others across multiple industries including retail, financial services, pharmaceuticals, malls, entertainment and logistics.

Imad Hazeem is Marketing Manager at National Insurance Company in Palestine, Customer Service Manager & founder of NI Events Company and Judge at Gulf Customer Experience Award 2016 and at International Customer Experience Award 2018. Imad holds 15 years extensive professional experience in Customers Service, Services marketing and Service Excellence with different service providers (Banking, Consulting and Training, Events Management and Insurance companies) at the region. Imad established and drives the Marketing department at National Insurance Company, serves with NI Events Co. more than 25 clients from Palestinian private sector by organizing more than 140 events within last 10 years, helps in establishment Up2Date Consulting Firm to provide their services for local companies to help them delivering great customer service, and to promote their services in competitive ways with systematic methodologies and approaches plus training over 5000 persons. Imad holds BA degree in Marketing from Yarmouk University and Masters in Marketing from Arab Academy for Financial and Banking Sciences, Certified as Customer Experience Professional from Customer Service Institute Of America, Certified in Internet Marketing Practitioner from EC- Council, Google Digital Sales, Fellow Member and Customers Service Expert, Sales Expert and Professional Trainer from International Association of People and Performance Development, Certified in Customers Service professional from IBTA

Managing Partner, Axis Partners. MBA from IE business school, Mechanical Engineer and Masters Degree in Motorsports, with certifications in Lean Six Sigma, Artificial intelligence (MIT) and Operational efficiency (APICS). 15 years of experience across 4 countries in Customer Experience, Innovation, Digital, Operations efficiency and Business Strategy working with numerous Fortune 500 companies.

Adil is a Founder and CEO of Qmeter. Qmeter is an enterprise solution for Customer Feedback Management and Customer Experience Management. Using different Channels in order to collect instant feedback in the SIMPLEST, DETAILED & FASTEST ways is the main ideology of Qmeter. Qmeter has a truly global footprint and distributes in many countries (Europe, Middle East and Asia) through own subsidiaries and partner network. Having a 10 years business partnership with Qmatic company Adil highly experienced in deploying Customer Journey Management solutions and creating new touchpoints to enhance Customer Experience. Adil is also the creator of the new methodology of Customer Experience Measurement, SLI - Satisfaction Level Indicator. SLI is a competitive measurement which shows your current satisfaction score compared to your best possible performance. The main principle of this technique is to show you what would you get in a perfect situation and how are you doing currently.

Dr. Anil Pillai is a veteran customer engagement strategy expert. His area of research and expertise lie in the areas of leveraging Behavior Design and Emotions towards building and executing customer engagement, customer experience and customer-centricity solutions for organizations. He works with Fortune 500 companies who are some of the largest brands in Asia and globally. He is a Director with Terragni Consulting Ltd, a People & Customer engagement strategy organization and Buyer Brain Ltd, a London Headquartered Neuroscience Insights and Research organization.

Hanane Benkhallouk is an award-winning business consultant, strategist and advisor, she counts 18 years of business experience in a multitude of industries from Retail, to Real estate, banking, government and NGOs. Outside of her private consulting work, Hanane Benkhallouk speaks often at regional conferences and writes as a columnist in Harvard Business Review Arabic, and SME advisor magazine. She also sits on the advisory boards of a number of various SMEs and NGOs and is well-known as a thought leader, an advocate for transformational leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship development, female advancement, and community engagement. Hanane has contributed to regional and global conferences and forums, such as the Women In Leadership Forum, E7 Summit in the UAE as well as the Lean in the regional lead conference in silicon valley in the US.

• In March 2019, Hanane Benkhallouk received the Game Changer excellence award by the Middle East Institute of excellence.

• She received the Saphira (good image ambassador) award by the Moroccan government in 2016. • She was also among the recognized contributors, to the Emirates Foundation for youth development, in the presence of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, minister of foreign affairs of the UAE

• In 2017 she was recognized by the Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Humaid of Ajman for being part of the Pan GCC Leadership program.

• In March 2018, Hanane received Woibex’s Excellence Award for Women Leaders in the Middle East, and on August 2018 she received the Woman in Leadership of the year at the Alleem business congress at Sharjah Chamber of commerce.

• Her profile was featured on the World Bank blog series Profiles of the Diaspora. The blog series is related to the World Bank’s Mobilizing the Middle East and North Africa Diaspora for Economic Integration and Entrepreneurship report. Hanane aspires to contribute to the MENA region’s move towards innovation and knowledge-based economy.

Praveen is a customer experience strategist for over 20 years. He has advised a number of organizations on customer-centricity strategies, measurement and advocacy. Praveen has worked extensively with large organizations across multiple industries and sectors such as banking, insurance, telecom, retail, manufacturing and automotive to name a few. He was honoured as the “50 Most Impactful Customer Experience Consultants” in India. A frequent speaker on customer experience, he is also a guest columnist on online publications and websites. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Hansa Research Group, a leading research organisation in India, engaged extensively in the area of customer experience measurement and strategy

Shruthi Boosey Arora represents the new Entrepreneurial woman with an Msc.Major in HRM. A result oriented leader and decision maker who is performance driven and self motivated. She comes with a 2.5 decade strong Airline GSA experience and held the office of CEO. She’s the founder of the Jana Group based in U.A.E – which comprises of Jana Consultants a B2B Consulting Company that has forayed into Renewable Energy, Photovoltaic Panels, EPC and Ultrasonics, JUS General Trading LLC works with another aspect of sustainability and recycling. Passionate about making a difference, she is on board of WalkAhead Sports Services, spearheading the Company to the visionary discipline of growth and success staying fit with Badminton and Cricket. Shruthi is the Chairperson of the Parent Council at Al Diyafah High School, Dubai and has volunteered to do Interviews at the EXPO2020. Giving back to society and making tiny inroads to helping People at large gives her immense happiness. A Mom with a 10 year old beautiful daughter, she’s learned to balance life and lives it to the fullest with the support of her loving family.

Mr. Alhashmi has a wealth of corporate experience with more than 20 years as a senior top-level leader in Human Resources in renowned organizations. He brings a rare ability to apply an entrepreneurial approach to organizational challenges, delivering transformational and sustainable change to large and small businesses alike. He is well known as a catalyst for transformational change, spearheading the use of innovative HR management techniques combined with digitalization to deliver lasting results, particularly with employee engagement and customer experience.

Antonia Oakes is a CX professional / practitioner & industry influencer, with over 16 years’ experience specifically within the financial services industry. Academic qualifications, an MBL through ABSA leadership program with UCT, degree in business management through Wits Business School and various insurance qualifications through the IISA. Antonia is a highly driven leader Heading up CX for Old Mutual Insure, operationalizing CX within this corporate to add business value. She has worked in various corporates including organizations such as ABSA Home Loans & Standard Insurance Limited. Born from her passion for connecting with people, creating loyal customers and business value by embedding customer-centricity in the DNA of companies is natural. Antonia is a well-known thought leader in her field who forms part of the CX SA Leadership Council and also performs the role of Deputy Chair for the Old Mutual Insure Woman's Forum. Her passion for women Leadership & Transformation is evident in her activism in ensuring that women stand up against Gender-Based violence/ discrimination & any form of abuse. Her role as Head of Customer Experience at Old Mutual Insure is varied and broad but requires her to lead Old Mutual Insure in all CX initiatives through: o Fostering a customer-centric culture within the business o Designing CX strategies & frameworks at an enterprise-level o Delivering through the influence of others o Overseeing service recovery through effective complaints management Some accolades achieved in her tenure at Old Mutual Insure: 2018 No.1 complaints handling insurer, as confirmed by SACSI (South African Customer Satisfaction Index) Sunday Times Top Brands Award in the Consumer category 3rd place in the 2019 CX Orange Index Award _ First-time recognition The improved effort, satisfaction and NPS by 17% YOY since her inception in 2015 Implementation of an internal arbitrator function which reduced complaints referrals to the ombudsman by 30%

20+ years of dynamic experience of International Project/Engineering Management with 8+ years’ experience of multiple Human Resources/Real Estate Investment facets. Proven leadership capabilities in critical environments by optimizing cost and processes, formulating strategies. Extensive international project management experience in Europe, Middle-East and Asia acquired through experience in Project Management and Engineering (Electrical) System Management. High expectation individual who attracts and motivates top performers. Key strengths in recruiting, training and career development. Excellent ability to lead, motivate and inspire large and cross-functional teams in achieving complex objectives

An Exceptional Senior Marketing and Corporate Communications & Customer Experience enabler with a sustained record in Internal and External Communications, Market Strategy, Innovation, Sustainability and Customer Experience with expertise in Financial services, SMEs, Manufacturing Sector, NGOs and Government organizations. Great experience in Research and Product Development. An expert in sustainability matters and CSR. An inspirational leader and outstanding team member, who through a participative approach creates fresh thinking and new possibilities for all stakeholders and has the ability to devise and execute internal organizational and industry-changing strategies to translate vision into achievement. A business builder with an eye for innovative new businesses both in large organizations and startups. Excellent communication, public speaking, interpersonal skills and networking abilities; used extensively to benefit the organization and the industry

Skilled in strategy formulation and execution, business planning, operations management, HR consulting, and analytical thinking. Human resources professional with deep insights into customer and employee experience and transforming organizations.

Dawn Ketteringham, CCXP is a certified customer experience specialist, helping companies to attract new business and nurture loyal, satisfied customers with the first-class service. Founder of Comhar Consulting, Dawn has over 20 years’ frontline experience and understands why customers chose the brands they do. Dawn has worked with a range of high-profile, multicultural clients around the world and customer experience is always key. She supports businesses to stay ahead of the competition with customer experience strategies to develop first-class service cultures.

Fawad has over 20 years of experience in Engineering, Management, Marketing, and Customer Experience in both strategic and tactical roles. He has worked for both the private and public sectors. He has worked in culturally diverse work environments including the USA, Pakistan, and Mauritius. Pakistan's first-ever Certified Customer Experience Professional with a keen sense of customer-centricity and its value as a business-discipline. He speaks English, Urdu, and some French as well and loves to explore the world.

Holly Richardson is a client relations-turned-digital marketer, passionate about bringing the customer (and employee) to the center of business to create meaningful, margin-enhancing experiences. As Regional Digital Transformation Leader at Unilever Food Solutions, she is responsible for building stronger, more profitable relationships with customers through integrated omnichannel experiences across 11 diverse countries. Holly has worked in five countries across many industries, from startups to large multinationals. She thrives when learning new skills, and when driving real value for real people.

Izzat A. Husrieh is an Advisory Manager at one of the Big Four professional services firms, focused on designing and delivering complex programs and initiatives across Strategy and Customer that deliver results aligned to Purpose. Throughout his experience, he has helped organizations across the private and public sectors build trusted relationships with their customers by supporting them in transforming their Customer Experience and upscaling their capabilities.

Co-founder of Like Digital, Karl has over 15 years of experience in digital design and direction with expertise in e-commerce, mobile, gesture-based design, Omni-channel, and cross-platform art direction. He has proven expertise in user experience, campaign and e-commerce design for brands such as Vodafone, McLaren Automotive, Unilever, Mulberry and Renault. The sites he has designed showcase how high quality Digital Creative Direction can enhance a brand and deliver ROI

Accomplished and dedicated CX professional with over 16 years of experience in the telecom field, innovative & result-oriented leader with a strong background in operations management. He held various management positions in the area of customer relations/experience. While working for MTN-Sudan, he has contributed significantly in building and establishing a modernized customer service that considered as one of the most successful management practice in the region by Arab administrative development organization (ARADO). Magdi has a deep knowledge of leadership and team management. As part of his inspirational proven leadership, he is keen to develop personnel and build distinctive teams. “Going the extra mile” is always the spirit of his team. Magdi graduated from the University of Khartoum and holds an MBA degree. He adores travelling around the world, discovers new cultures and meets people from different backgrounds.

CX professional with 14 years of experience in various industries (Telecommunications, Logistics, Real Estate, Retail, Oil & Gas) analyzing customers’ behaviours, with an emphasis on improving customers’ experiences. With Certifications in Six Sigma, Certified Business Coach, Master Innovator. Setting the grounds for a CX function in diversified verticals for BIG Kuwait starting from strategy to measurements and ROI. For Vodafone, played a major role in uplifting NPS from -17% to +35%, facilitating the enhancement of the customers’ journeys and internal processes.

Mohammed AZIZ is a visionary executive with a growth mindset and extensive leadership experience for over 15 years contributing to organizational growth, transformation, and change with a focus on providing engaging employee and customer experiences that result in company success.

AZIZ is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP); Senior Certified Professional International (SPHRi), Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) with a master degree in business administration (MBA) and first-class BSc in information technology distinguished by commended performance and proven results.

Nicholas is Managing Director | MEAI & APAC at Principle Global. He has been a resident in the Middle East for over 15 years and is well known amongst the business community in the region and across the globe for his work in helping organisations transform their customer experiences. To date, Nicholas has helped over 1,000 organisations of all sizes reconfigure their businesses to successfully adapt to a changing world. Alongside his work at Principle Global, Nicholas is the author of leading customer experience blog, Passionbrand.net which has an audience of approximately 15,000 customer experience professionals.

Rami is a Principal focused on large scale Customer and Employee Experience transformations. He currently heads the Experience Management practice at New Metrics. Previously, he led end-to-end transformations for some of the leading organizations in the Middle East, North Africa, and China. Rami is also a Qualtrics Experience Management expert and works to enable organizations to adopt comprehensive Voice of Customer programs and unlock the highest value from the world’s leading Experience Management technology. He holds a civil engineering degree and an M.B.A from ESADE Business School in Barcelona.

Ryanne is an experienced CXO who has a clear track record in implementing Customer Experience in various industries (KLM, Rakez). Since she has run large operational divisions, and headed commercial teams as well she has a wide experience of the business and knows what it takes to transform and what the key success factors are to make an organization truly customer focused.

Sai is a high-energy, influential leader with 25 years of Retail Banking experience with key achievements in the areas of business transformation, growth, leadership development and innovation. He is responsible for designing HSBC’s strategy, setting protocols, standards & driving performance across the MENAT region for acquiring new clients, deepening existing client relationships across affluent, mass market and employee banking. Sai is also responsible for developing and executing the strategy for HSBC’s futuristic customer experience framework while managing over 3000 employees and 2.5 million customers across seven markets.

QUALIFICATIONS:

MBA - Yale University

BA from the American University of Beirut (AUB)

Master Franchise for 360 Solutions - (GCC Region)

Certified Executive Coach from the International Coach

Federation (ICF) and Center for Executive Coaching.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Managing Partner and CEO of ICON Investment Group

ICON Management Consulting & Advisory

360 Solutions GCC Executive Training & Leadership Development

INDEX Manufacturing and Trading

Partner & COO, Rasmala Investments

VP, CITIGROUP

AWARDS:

Executive Woman Award, UAE (2016)

Emirates Woman Award (2017)

GCC Women Leadership Award (2017)

Middle East Company of the Year (2019)

Middle East Business Leader of the Year, (2019)

ACTIVE POSITIONS

DBWA, Mentorship Steering Committee

Advisory Board, Business School, AUE

YALE SOM Chapter, Board Member

I am an enthusiastic person with an outgoing personality backing 13 years of experience in customer service in a diversity of fields and industries from Retail, logistics to Automotive managing B2C and B2B clientele services. Currently managing a regional role representing the Middle East customer care operation for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and all of its network of general distributors in the GCC and Levant bringing leading global programs and standards to enhance customer’s experiences and enriching their overall cost of ownership.

As a Multi Award-winning leader in Contact Centres across the world, for me, it's all about the people and developing talent. I've managed multilingual Omnichannel teams numbering 1200 agents, and smaller bespoke Social Media startups with just a handful of team members. My focus is on Coaching and Mentoring the leaders of tomorrow to set up and manage the CX centres of the future. I am very proud to be part of this years Gulf Customer Experience Awards.