Meet the Global Board Driving the Customer Institute

Customer Board, Senior Leadership, and Executive Search across the CX space, I am an accomplished Headhunter specialising in Diversity and Customer Experience (CX/EX/DX). Guiding businesses through Transformation, Strategy, and Ops, I’ve led the charge in recruiting Chief Customer Officers, Directors, and ‘Head of’ roles across CX, Strategy, Contact, and more. I work with many award-winning teams, or businesses going through transformation. 58% diverse placement rate. Passionate about success, We help our clients hire more impactful leaders who stay for longer. Transparent, committed, open, honest and results-driven—when leadership excellence is paramount.

As a passionate advocate for Customer Experience (CX) and Customer Journey Management, Gabriela brings a wealth of expertise and a practical approach to enhancing customer engagement strategies. She holds a CCXP certification and is a co-founder of Customer Experience Romania and the Romanian CX Professional Community. Recognized as one of the top 3 CX influencers by Customer Experience Magazine for two consecutive years, her team assist companies throughout Romania and Southeast Europe in developing and executing their CX strategies.

Her work involves constructing detailed customer and employee journey maps and implementing comprehensive CX programs. Drawing from her robust experience as a CX Manager, Gabriela adopts a hands-on approach not only to advise and train CX teams but also to actively participate in the implementation process. She is driven by results, which are the core motivators for her professional activities. Her commitment to the field is reflected in her active involvement in shaping industry standards and enhancing customer satisfaction across various sectors.

Leveraging a decade of leadership and learning within The Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, and Disney, I now guide organizations to develop their own standards and systems for delivering five-star service. As a best-selling author, award-winning management consultant, and university professor, and especially as a Board Director of the Customer Institute, join me on my mission to raise the global standard for service excellence.

Qaalfa has 25+ years experience in the customer space. His expertise is in the area of CX led cultural transformation, leadership and innovation. He is the Dean of the Majid Al Futtaim CX Leadership Institute (Dubai) where he is responsible helping to transform the culture of the 45,000 person conglomerate to one based on CX. Previous to that he was VP of CX Consulting at Forrester (London). His previous experience includes Chief Consulting Officer at Beyond Philosophy (London) and Director- Consumer and Internet Strategies with Fulcrum Analytics (NYC). He was also for many years a lecturer in various NYC universities. He has an MBA from New York University and three other Masters degrees from the City University of New York in Statistics, Psychology and Public Health Administration.

Elly Domene has over 20 years of experience in the space industry and is a globally recognized leader in B2B customer experience management. She’s an expert at designing and implementing integrated feedback systems that fuel Sales, Marketing, HR, Product, Engineering and executive teams with macro and micro trends and insights needed to continually optimize the customer experience.

Currently she is heading up Customer Success globally for Mangata Networks – a start-up company in the space industry that is transforming the way the world interacts with information through a superior global proprietary network of satellites and terrestrial systems.

Elly is also a Board Director at the Customer Institute, a recurring Judge at the Customer Centricity Awards and at the International CX Awards, and she is a certified facilitator of #IamRemarkable workshops. This is a Google initiative aimed at empowering women and other underrepresented groups to celebrate their achievements in the workplace and beyond. Elly’s greatest passion is to make a meaningful difference to the people she works with, the companies she works for and the world around her – what she calls ‘humanizing business success”.

A seasoned executive with over 28 years in technology and Media & Entertainment, specialized in enhancing the customer value chain from digital selling to customer support. Skilled in building customer-centric organizations, establishing international remote teams, and implementing effective VoC programs. Proven success in business transformation, strategic planning, and scaling organizations. Adept at cultural agility and fostering industry growth through mentorship and speaking engagements. Holds an MBA, CCXP, Lean Six Sigma yellow belt, and multiple digital certifications.

Muss Haq champions a Customer First Philosophy and has dedicated nearly three decades to Customer Experience (CX), Data Analytics, Behavioural Science, and Emotional Intelligence, with a career focused on transforming how businesses connect with their customers.
As the founder of RU-CX, a consultancy driven by a holistic, customer-centric approach, Muss combines practical expertise with innovative thinking to assist organisations in forging meaningful, lasting customer relationships.
With a solid foundation in data-driven insights and a passion for storytelling, Muss has guided companies across various industries in bridging the gap between operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

As founder and CEO of Futurelab, Stefan has been developing winning customer strategies, CEM, CX, customer journey management and customer centric innovation, for over 20 years now. He has learned the hard way how to bring you profit opportunities, practical ideas and concepts that allow you to create a great customer experience, differentiate your business in the market place and even transform your industry. In other words –  practices that make your customers more loyal, happier, and more likely to recommend you.
Stefan has had the opportunity towork with senior teams at companies like Volkswagen, Vodafone,  Lexus, Toyota, Vodafone Group, ING,  Heineken, Philips,  and many B2B stars.
Stefan is an accomplished speaker with a long trackrecord. He regularly publishes whitepapers and delivered many webinars, which can be found here: https://www.futurelab.net/inspiration
Stefan is Net Promoter® Certified Associate, and  a juror at the International CX Award, the Webbies Awards, and the LOVIE Awards.

Having worked across various industries in People and Customer Leadership and Transformation roles, Amjad is a multi-award winning leader and has recently been recognised amongst the Top Customer Experience Leaders globally and Top CX Stars 2021.

A passionate Customer Experience (CX) professional dedicated to driving customer-centric transformation.

My expertise encompasses the entire CX spectrum, including customer acquisition & growth, retention & loyalty, customer engagement & experience as well as marketing technologies and strategy. By leveraging omnichannel strategies, gamification, and organizational change, I’ve driven sustainable results: managing over 1.5 million subscribers and generating over $100 million in revenue.

As a published author, I’m dedicated to sharing best practices and fostering a customer-centric culture within organizations. I lead impactful change by prioritizing the customer in every decision. My impact extends internationally, as I speak on CX topics like customer centricity, omnichannel, and culture across the Middle East and Europe.

Desirree has over 20 years of experience in building and managing voice of customer programs, from Fortune 500 companies to startups such as Symantec and Airbnb. Prior to her roles in customer experience, she led B2B sales teams and spent a number of years in a variety of roles in HR providing her with a uniquely human-centered focus to her consulting practice. A passionate leader and a customer advocate, she is an Emeritus Chair and a founding member of the Customer Experience Professionals’ Association. She also is a certified leadership coach, a CX mentor, and frequent speaker.

With over 15 years of experience as a marketing professional, I possess a comprehensive understanding of Business Development, Marketing Strategy, and Customer Experience Management. My expertise lies in implementing customer-centric marketing strategies that effectively drive company growth, ensuring alignment with the business priorities and initiatives.

Dr. Omnia Negm is a distinguished consultant with over 25 years of experience designing transformative customer and patient experiences. Holding a Doctorate in Business Administration focused on customer lifetime value, she blends academic expertise with data-driven strategies. As a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and COPC Coordinator, she delivers measurable results in satisfaction and loyalty. Currently VP at XM Global and a board member at AACA, she is a recognized leader in advancing customer-centric practices across the MENA region.

Nilakantasrinivasan J, in short Neil, is the author of 3 books, The Client Centric Protagonist, The Master Book for Lean Six Sigma & A Little Book for Customer Experience.
Two mantras that Neil lives by are: ‘You succeed when your client succeeds’ and ‘Try to leave everything a little better than you found it.’
As a guide, he is helps bring renewed focus on client-centric business growth, customer centricity, strategy execution & performance enhancement.
His interests include B2B growth strategies, analytics, OKRs, Hoshin Kanri and organizational strategic alignment.

He has been conferred a Doctorate in Strategic Management.

A CCXP and inaugural President of the Customer Experience Association of Uganda, Joan Ntabadde Kyeyune drives customer experience strategy and governance across sectors. She has led transformation in major banks including Standard Chartered, Stanbic, and dfcu, achieving stronger engagement, service delivery, loyalty, and revenue growth, including through mergers. As President, she advances practitioner skills, partnerships, and CX integration in national transformation efforts. She consults with Steadfast Solutions, develops AI-driven tools under Mulamind Digital Solutions, and serves on the CXPA Diversity Advancement Committee, contributing to diversity and representation across emerging markets.

Susanne is a professor of Marketing with a focus on -Customer Centricity. Before starting her academic career she held the position of Global Head of Customer Experience at Kantar, a global insights and consultancy firm. Her primary research areas are Customer Experience Management, Social Media and Digital Marketing, Sustainability.

For 35+ years I’ve been lucky enough to work in leading-edge innovation teams for the world’s largest organisations. During that time, the science of “experience” brought together many disciplines that developed.

Today, my analysis and design work is built on best practices, tools, and insights that didn’t exist even 5 years ago.

I also run training and workshops in 20 countries for thousands of delegates because I am here to learn – every day is a school day :)

Having spent 15+ years as CX Director for retail and financial services organisations across Europe (ASDA, Kingfisher, Direct Line Group, RBS/Natwest, Barclays), I founded CXellence to be able to work with more organisations to increase customer-centricity and ROI from CX initiatives. I help them set the customer strategy and co-design intentional and impactful customer experiences and journeys to become their customers’ brand of choice and, ultimately, build a more profitable business. My results have been recognised by winning 20+ prestigious awards, including Top 20 Global CX Leaders 2022.

I am a consultant, trainer, and mentor specializing in Customer Experience (CX) Management. With over 10 years of experience in CX management across various industries, including IT, Banking, Transport, Real Estate, HR, and Public Services, I bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the CX field. To raise awareness of the Customer Experience discipline in Lithuania, I established the CX association “Towards Customer”, where I have served as president since 2022.

Rekha Weerasooriya is the Group Chief People Officer at Dialog Axiata PLC, following her return from a secondment at Axiata Group Berhad, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she served as the Head of People Capability, driving the group-wide Talent & Succession and Workforce Capability project for the Corporate Centre and the M&A People Governance Circle. Before her secondment, Rekha was the Vice President – HR Transformation at Dialog Axiata PLC, leading HR and Organisation Transformation. 

Rekha is a Certified Happiness Coach from the Berkeley Institute of Well-Being, California; a Certified Trainer from City & Guilds, UK; and a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt professional. She holds an MBA from Buckinghamshire New University, UK.

With over 25 years of experience, she has handled multiple roles across the organisation in HR and Customer Experience (B2C & B2B). Rekha serves on several boards, including the APAC Board of Advisors of the HRO Today Association, the Customer Institute Board, and the CX Network Advisory Board. 

Women in Management (WIM), in collaboration with Women at Work a partnership between the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Government of Australia, awarded her the “Leadership in the Field of HR & Diversity Sector” at the Top50 Professional & Career Women Global Awards. She was also awarded the “Young HR Talent of the Year” at the Digital HR Transformation Summit & Awards held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and was recognised as a “HR Excellence Practitioner” at the HR Excellence Annual Awards by HRO Today Association USA. 

Betül is a customer experience professional and founder of Elephant.
She works with organizations to create value to their customers, employees and partners, to provide a competitive advantage and set sustainable and measurable values.
Prior to that, she was Head of Marketing and Customer Experience at TEB BNP Paribas and taken various positions in multiple countries leading the customer experience, marketing and sales teams. She had the opportunity to work on an international start-up bank as Head of Sales and Marketing.
She is expert in customer journey mapping, design and implementation of voice of customer programs and design thinking methodology.
She is a regular judge at the customer experience awards, a member of Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) and also a global best-selling author with a CX book. She is a professional executive coach and a lean change agent.