The fourth annual CX50 list, compiled by Marketing Week in partnership with Zone and Cognizant Digital Experience, recognises the CX leaders successfully facing the future
If 2020 was about survival, crisis management and forced transformation, then for brands 2021 has been about looking to the future.
It goes without saying that consumers are doing much more online than before the pandemic, and that they will continue to do so from now on. Customer experiences (CX) must change accordingly. This is not a one-off shift, however, rather the next stage in an evolution – albeit one that has progressed faster and skipped several stages as consumers have been forced to find alternatives to physical retail and in-person services for long periods.
The upshot? Simply that brands need to do what they have always had to: attend to the basics of serving customer needs in the present while always being abreast of the trends that will shape them in the future. It is against this backdrop of nascent hope and rapid adaptation that Marketing Week announces this year’s CX50 list, in partnership with Zone and Cognizant Digital Experience.
In naming the UK’s top 50 customer experience professionals for 2021, we’re recognising the individuals and brands that have been doing these things well for a long time, as well as those that have shown greater initiative than their peers in their short-term response to the pandemic. The CX50 members stand as an example to fellow professionals and an inspiration for serving customers better.
“Anyone can have a sale. We wanted our customers to know that ours was the biggest and the best. The campaign made that happen.”
Jamie Hewett, B&Q
© MMXXI X—LABS
Remote working has led to greater reliance on technology platforms
The top 50 customer experience professionals in the UK revealed
METHODOLOGY
As in previous years, Marketing Week, Zone and its parent company Cognizant Digital Experience have picked the CX50 based on the three criteria of achieving impact (commercially, organisationally), innovation (in terms of technology and products) and influence (in their businesses, their markets and beyond). We began by synthesising a variety of data sources with insights from our combined specialist knowledge and networks, in order to identify a shortlist of leading companies and individual CX professionals. We then assessed these against the three criteria above to determine who should make it into the final 50. We judged all individuals based on the totality of their achievements across these three metrics.
As with last year’s list, responses to Covid-19 and plans to move beyond it have significantly influenced our considerations, but we also acknowledge individuals and brands with a long pedigree of excelling in CX, even if their businesses are being challenged today.
One big change to the methodology in 2021 is that we’ve taken a new approach to demonstrating what great CX looks like in practice by dividing the list into five types of CX leader: organisational leaders, brand guardians, disruptors, technologists and growth drivers. So while these categories tell you what a CX leader might be doing in an organisation, impact, innovation and influence remain the measures of their success. And we expect that to continue into 2022 and beyond.
CX50 — 2021
Brand guardians
David
Suresh
Luke
Chris
Charlotte
Richard
Thomas
Peter
Cheryl
Mark
Margaret
Peter
Jayne
Michelle
Rob
Gareth
Anna
Julia
Claire
Rupert
Thea
Adam
Mike
Darren
Wais
Edward
Cian
Helen
Noel
Rebecca
Richard
David
Sridhar
Clifford
Richard
Ursula
Jo
Fraser
Jodie
Jack
Kash
Susan
Alessandra
Laura
Carly
Danielle
Ed
Russell
Sarah
Tete
CEO
Chief operating officer
VP, direct to consumer and Disney+ EMEA general manager
CEO
UK country manager
Founder and chairman
CEO
CEO
CEO
Managing director of marketing and digital
CMO
CMO
Director of brand marketing and customer engagement
Group marketing director
Chief customer and transformation officer, UK and global
Global CMO
VP of brand
Chief product and marketing officer
Customer director
Marketing Director
Chief customer officer
CMO
Chief product officer
Chief customer officer
CEO
Chief customer officer
CMO
Chief banking officer
Chief brand officer
Global director of product and marketing
Technology director
Group CIO
Global digital director, ecommerce and tech innovation
CTO
CIO
CTO
CIO
Chief product officer
Head of technology, digital customer experience"
Chief digital officer
Group ecommerce and marketing director
CMO
Chief customer officer
Chief customer officer
CMO
VP, EMEA marketing
General manager of integrated marketing, EU
VP of marketing
CMO
Transformation director
Sustainability has to be an agenda item at
C-suite level and someone has to own it.”
The CX50 2021 list in full
Boynton
Viswanathan
Bradley-Jones
Pitt
Duerden
Tang
Heier
Duffy
Calverley
Evans
Jobling
Wright
Bristow
Roberts
Edmundson
Jones
Greene
Goldin
Pointon
Ellwood
Rogers
Rostom
Hudack
Bentley
Shaifta
Twiddy
Weeresinghe
Bierton
Mack
Dibb-Simkin
Atkinson
Germain
B
Cohen
Corbridge
Dolton
Graham
Stirling
Locking
Constantine
Mahmood
O'Brien
Bellini
Harricks
O'Brien
Davies
Smith
Davies
Barron
Soto
The Body Shop
TSB
Disney
First Direct
American Express
Zen Internet
Wagamama
MoneySuperMarket
Eve Sleep
Direct Line Group
NatWest Group
Specsavers
QVC
BMW UK
Bupa
Farfetch
Gousto
Lego
John Lewis & Partners
Laithwaites
Deliveroo
Babylon Health
Monzo
Cazoo
Push Doctor
Atom Bank
Wise
Starling Bank
Gymshark
Octopus Energy
Nando's UK&I
RSA
Diageo
Asos
Boots UK
British Heart Foundation
Boohoo Group
Sky
Morrisons
Lush
Next
Just Eat
Tesco
Ocado Retail
Very Group
Netflix
Amazon
Bulb Energy
Domino's
O2
Organisational leaders
DisruptorS
Growth drivers
Technologists
David Boynton / CEO / The Body Shop
Suresh Viswanathan / Chief operating officer / TSB
Luke Bradley-Jones / VP, direct to consumer and Disney+ EMEA general manager / Disney
Chris Pitt / CEO / First Direct
Charlotte Duerden / UK country manager / American Express
Richard Tang / Founder and chairman / Zen Internet
Thomas Heier / CEO / Wagamama
Peter Duffy / CEO / MoneySuperMarket
Cheryl Calverley / CEO / Eve Sleep
Mark Evans / Managing director of marketing and digital / Direct Line Group
Margaret Jobling / CMO / NatWest Group
Peter Wright / CMO / Specsavers
Jayne Bristow / Director of brand marketing and customer engagement / QVC
Michelle Roberts / Group marketing director / BMW UK
Rob Edmundson / Chief customer and transformation officer, UK and global / Bupa
Gareth Jones / Global CMO / Farfetch
Anna Greene / VP of brand / Gousto
Julia Goldin / Chief product and marketing officer / Lego
Claire Pointon / Customer director / John Lewis & Partners
Rupert Ellwood / Marketing director / Laithwaites
Thea Rogers / Chief customer officer / Deliveroo
Adam Rostom / CMO / Babylon Health
Mike Hudack / Chief product officer / Monzo
Darren Bentley / Chief customer officer / Cazoo
Wais Shaifta / CEO / Push Doctor
Edward Twiddy / Chief customer officer / Atom Bank
Cian Weeresinghe / CMO / Wise
Helen Bierton / Chief banking officer / Starling Bank
Noel Mack / Chief brand officer / Gymshark
Rebecca Dibb-Simkin / Global director of product and marketing / Octopus Energy
Richard Atkinson / Technology director / Nando's UK&I
David Germain / Group CIO / RSA
Sridhar B / Global digital director, ecommerce and tech innovation / Diageo
Clifford Cohen / CTO / Asos
Richard Corbridge / CIO / Boots UK
Ursula Dolton / CTO / British Heart Foundation
Jo Graham / CIO / Boohoo Group
Fraser Stirling / Chief product officer / Sky
Jodie Locking / Head of technology, digital customer experience / Morrisons
Jack Constantine / Chief digital officer / Lush
Kash Mahmood / Group ecommerce and marketing director / Next
Susan O'Brien / CMO / Just Eat
Alessandra Bellini / Chief customer officer / Tesco
Laura Harricks / Chief customer officer / Ocado Retail
Carly O'Brien / CMO / Very Group
Danielle Davies / VP, EMEA marketing / Netflix
Ed Smith / General manager of integrated marketing, EU / Amazon
Russell Davies / VP of marketing / Bulb Energy
Sarah Barron / CMO / Domino's
Tete Soto / Transformation director / O2
