INSTITUTE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Vice President Care, OVO Energy
Alison is the Vice President Care for OVO Energy. She has over 20 years' experience in helping global companies improve their customer experience, reduce costs and be more agile.
Her roots are in Scotland. Outside of work, Alison loves to travel, and in her spare time has been known to get just a little creative in the kitchen.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President Global Circular Economy, Stellantis
Alison Jones was appointed Senior Vice President, Global Circular Economy Business Unit in June 2022. In this position, Jones gives new impetus to the Circular Economy business, which is one of the core pillars of Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan.
Prior to her current role, Jones was Senior Vice President and Stellantis Group UK Managing Director for Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Jeep® and Peugeot. She has also served as Group Managing Director UK and Senior Vice President Groupe PSA from February 2019.
Jones has held a variety of senior management positions within the automotive industry, moving between different disciplines over 30 years in strategic and operational roles, driving results through large teams, often in uncertain and chaotic environments.
Jones is a Vice President of the Institute of Customer Service, a role she has held since 2013 due to her strong customer ethos and is currently President of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, following a term as vice president.
She is a Fellow Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and Member of the Chartered Management Institute.
Job Titles:
- Learning and Development Consultant
Alistair is an experienced Learning and Development expert with over 15 years' experience in the design and delivery of bespoke training, projects, and programmes. He has a strong background in project management, adult learning, and the development of skills across public, voluntary, and private sectors.
Alistair has been in the Learning and Development industry since 2003, most recently working as head of learning and development for a specialist training provider, with vast experience as a learning and development professional including the development, delivery, and evaluation of blended learning interventions, as well as the assessment and quality assurance of professional qualifications.
Alistair has operated at all levels, in management and non-management roles, in a wide range of sectors including local government, the European Commission, aviation & logistics, hospitality, retail, food production, automotive, manufacturing, education & lifelong learning, and the voluntary sector. His drive, energy and commitment are some of the hallmarks of him as an engaging and impactful facilitator. Alistair has been a Learning and Development Consultant with the Institute's Academy since 2019, developing and delivering on the portfolio of courses and specialist workshops (both physical and virtual). As someone who is operational focussed and a sound commercial awareness, he is able to clearly demonstrate the significant value he adds in all he undertakes.
Job Titles:
- Non Executive Director at Mears Group
Angela was CEO at North Star Housing for 15 years until July 2024. North Star a thriving medium sized not for profit Housing Association based in Stockton on Tees, was a three times Sunday Times Best Company achieving three stars that described the organisation as extraordinary. It was the first Housing Association to achieve IiP Platinum and on reaccreditation in 2023, 100% of staff felt trusted, trusted the leadership and thought it was a great place to work on a 93% response rate. In the most recent Institute of Customer Services survey of customers, it was the highest rated Housing Association.
In 2021 North Star was recognised as UK Employer of the year by IiP in the platinum category. In the same year North Star won Chartered Institute of Housing Landlord of the year award. As it entered its fiftieth year in 2024 (Endeavour HA the original subsidiary), it has always had top Regulatory Judgements (the most recent confirmed through its 2023 In Depth Assessment) with only three CEOs in that time. For many years she worked to create a culture of shared leadership, that strengthens everyone's voice and influence, and works out of high levels of trust with a focus on relationships. The development of this culture delivered high levels of performance across all aspects and gained a national and international profile as a result of the leadership and culture created.
Angela is an experienced NED in the not for profit sector, education, membership organisation and PLC sectors and is currently a NED at Mears PLC where she also Chairs Remunerations Committee.
Angela holds an MBA from Newcastle Business School, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing and a qualified Coach & Mentor. She sat on the NE BITC Advisory Group, is one of several ICS Vice Presidents and was a Consortia member of a CPP Arts project. She was a previous Board member and Chair at Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust. She is a very experienced social housing professional with a strong interest in organisational culture and leadership.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary for HM Revenue & Customs
Angela was made Director General of Customer Services in August 2017 and her far-reaching role manages the delivery of personal and business taxation, the smooth running of customs at the border and the payment of Tax Credits and Child Benefit. Most recently, Angela has been leading HMRC Customer Services through the Coronavirus. Shifting 20,000 people to home working whilst also continuing to deliver tax services, support customers with paying tax debts plus delivering new Economic support such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme. These new schemes have been designed from scratch at great pace and have required not only a cross-HMRC effort, but a cross-departmental response and co-ordination.
Angela is also a Tax Commissioner, meaning she is responsible for the collection and management of revenue, the enforcement of prohibitions and restrictions and other functions, such as the payment of tax credits. She exercises these functions in the name of the Crown.
Angela joined the Civil Service in 2009 following a career in Financial Services.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Service at Sky
Anna is the Managing Director of Service at Sky. She leads Customer Service for Sky's consumer business, looking after field engineers, service centres, digital services and support functions that help around 11 million Sky customers.
Job Titles:
- Ageas UK As Managing Director of Partnerships
- Chief Executive of Ageas UK
- Chief Executive Officer, Ageas UK
Ant Middle was appointed Chief Executive of Ageas UK in June 2020. He has responsibility for Ageas' multi-channel, multi-product Non-Life Insurance activities in the UK, which is underpinned by delivering award-winning service to customers directly or via intermediaries. In addition, Ant is a member of the Ageas Group Management Committee.
Ant is an accomplished and results oriented Executive with an exceptionally strong delivery track record, alongside broad industry experience of the general insurance, health and life sectors. A team oriented, inspiring, trusted and decisive senior leader who has proven success in developing and overseeing complex turnaround, integration and growth plans.
Ant joined Ageas UK as Managing Director of Partnerships in 2014. In his time with the business he has played a pivotal role in the development of Ageas's relationships in the broker and intermediated market, as well as overseeing the launch of Ageas as a direct brand.
Anthony is an accomplished Senior Operations Professional with over 16 years experience in Operations, Project Management, Acquisitions, Asset Management, IT and Facilities Management.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer at the Very Group
- Group Chief Financial Officer at the Very Group
Ben Fletcher is Group Chief Financial Officer at The Very Group. Previously he was the President of the European Region at Clarks, where he was responsible for leading a business of 10,000 people across 27 markets. Before joining Clarks, Ben spent 6 years at Boots where he was Finance Director of Boots, UK & Ireland before being appointed Managing Director, Boots Opticians in October 2013.
Prior to this, he was Finance Director for the global Salon Professional division at Procter and Gamble (P&G). During his 12 years at P&G, Ben worked in a variety of finance roles in the UK and Western Europe. Ben is a board member of the British Retail Consortium where he also chairs the Audit & Risk Committee. He is a trustee of the National Literacy Trust which works to improve the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in the UK's most disadvantaged communities. He is also a member of the Retail Advisory Group of the digital charity box, Pennies.
Ben is married with two children and lives in Bath.
Job Titles:
- Business Customer Service Director in Openreach
Carla Thomas is the Business Customer Service Director within Openreach.
With a background of 25 years in service, Carla has enjoyed a variety of roles including direct service in a service desk, service level management, service strategy and transformation.
Carla has a passion for customer service excellence that is demonstrated in everything she does, every single day. Since joining Openreach Carla has been instrumental in driving a culture change throughout the organisation that puts the customer at the heart of everything they do, resulting in a 200 point increase in NPS during her directorship.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications & Corporate Affairs
David leads The Institute's marketing, communications, product development and public policy. A strategic marketer, with multisector experience, he drives results by focusing on the purpose and values of The Institute, combined with a deep understanding of our members and their customers.
Having joined in 2018, David uses data and technology combined with good old-fashioned storytelling to communicate the work and ambitions of The Institute in a personal and emotive way.
David leads The Institute's marketing, communications, product development and public policy. He's a strategic marketer, with multisector experience.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Non - Executive Director
- Co - Founder of the Employee Engagement Task Force
David MacLeod OBE is co-founder of the Employee Engagement Task Force launched by the then Prime Minister at Number 10.
He is a visiting Professor of the Cass Business School, an Honorary Professor at Nottingham Business School, a fellow of the Institute of Marketing, the RSA and a companion member of the CMI.
He co-authored the book entitled ‘The Extra Mile', published by Pearson, on the topic of Employee Engagement. He is also co-author, with Nita Clarke, of the MacLeod Report, ‘Engage for Success' commissioned by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and described by the CMI as the definitive work on this subject.
This follows an early career in Marketing, followed by becoming CEO of a global business formed through the merger of an ICI and a Unilever business. He has worked at senior levels in manufacturing, (both business to business and business to consumer) and in the services sectors.
He has been an NED of three Government Departments and has worked for a year and a half in the Cabinet Office. David was also awarded an OBE for services to Employee Engagement and Business in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June 2013.
David is co-founder of the Employee Engagement Task Force launched by the Prime Minister in 2011.
Job Titles:
- Business Leader
- Non Executive Chair, Norwegian Log Buildings
David Roberts is a seasoned business leader with extensive experience in driving growth, innovation, and operational excellence across a range of industries. Currently serving as the Non-Executive Chair of Norwegian Log Buildings, David provides strategic guidance to support the company's vision.
Prior to this role, David was the CEO of Nu-Heat, the UK's leading supplier of underfloor heating systems. During his tenure, he spearheaded transformative growth initiatives, enhanced customer experience, and positioned the company as a trusted innovator in energy-efficient heating solutions.
David has developed a strong track record in strategic leadership, customer-focused innovation, and fostering high-performing teams. His leadership philosophy emphasises sustainable business practices and empowering individuals to achieve excellence.
David's expertise extends to navigating complex business environments, mentoring aspiring leaders, and contributing to the broader industry through his advisory roles. As an advocate for environmentally conscious practices, he continues to champion solutions that positively impact both customers and the planet.
Job Titles:
- Independant Healthcare Consultant
Dr Peter Carter is the former Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the world's largest professional union of nurses. Before assuming the post in 2007 Dr Carter spent almost twelve years as the Chief Executive of the Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust, one of the largest mental health trusts in the UK with an operating budget of more than £180 million and an international reputation.
Dr Carter commenced his NHS career by training as a psychiatric nurse at Hill End Hospital St Albans. He is also a general nurse, having trained at St Albans City Hospital and the Institute of Urology in London. In addition he has held a number of clinical and managerial posts in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and London.
Dr Carter is a graduate, and a member, of the Chartered Institute of Personnel. He also has a Masters Degree in Business Administration and a PhD - both from the University of Birmingham. He was awarded the OBE for services to the NHS in the 2006 New Year's Honours.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Banker
- Managing Director, Personal Finance, UK Finance
In his role as Managing Director of personal finance, Eric is responsible for all personal finance matters, including cards, complaints handling, conduct regulation, consumer credit, payments, savings and supporting vulnerable customers across retail and private banking portfolios. Eric is accountable to retail, private and mid-tier bank CEOs for the development and delivery of sector specific strategies, maintaining active senior-level engagement with politicians, regulators, consumer advocates and policy makers on a range of issues to support the economy, serve customers better and earn trust in the sector.
Eric is a chartered banker and a Non-Executive Director at the Buckinghamshire Building Society (chair of risk), Registry Trust Limited and also holds Non-Executive roles on the government's Credit Union Expansion Project and Regional Growth Fund.
Job Titles:
- Accredited Assessor & Management Qualifications Tutor
Fiona started her career with American Express on their graduate travel training programme and over the next 10 years worked in front line, service delivery leadership and management training roles within corporate travel. Fiona then focused her career within learning and development, working within the financial services, vehicle leasing and primary healthcare sectors.
Fiona has worked for The Institute of Customer Service since 2012, predominately within the Professional Qualifications field where she is a Professional Development Facilitator, Coach and Assessor.
In 2019 Fiona became an Accredited Management Qualifications Tutor.
Job Titles:
- Director of Customer Service & Service Delivery at NewDay
- NewDay As Director of Customer Service & Service Delivery
In May 2014, Francesca joined NewDay as Director of Customer Service & Service Delivery where she is a member of the Senior Leadership team running the teams across E servicing, mobile App, Digital Messaging, Customer Service, Complaints, Underwriting and Optimisation to drive a transformation to move the business towards greater Digital adoption.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chairman of the Board
- Sales and Customer Services Director for Carnival UK
Since 2023, Giles has been Vice President and Managing Director of Celebrity Cruise. Prior to this, Giles was CEO of Cosmos Tours since 2016. After ten years in the travel industry, seven of which were spent at the "front line" working overseas, including roles as Sales Director for Specialist Holidays Group (Crystal Holidays and Jetsave) and Commercial Director for Highlife Breaks, Giles joined P&O Princess Cruises in 2002 as Head of Sales.
In 2008, Giles became Sales and Customer Services Director for Carnival UK, the umbrella brand for P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises & Cunard Line, and responsible for the sales team, documentation, the contact centre, customer services, direct sales and distribution support departments. Giles has also served as Managing Director for the UK and Ireland for MSC Cruises, the third largest cruise company in the world.
Giles has completed his Institute of Customer Service Innovations award. He is keen on active challenges to raise money for charity, an avid skier, keen road cyclist and mountain biker and father of two boys and one girl.
Giles is the Vice President and Managing Director of Celebrity Cruise
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Non - Executive Director
- Non - Executive Director / Chief Executive at Wales & West Utilities ( WWU )
Graham Edwards OBE has been Chief Executive since start up in 2005, following the acquisition of the Wales & South West gas distribution networks from National Grid. The company owns and operates a network of 35,000 kilometres of pipework, covering almost 20% of the UK and serving a population of 7.5 million people. It has revenues of over £400 million per annum and an asset value of more than £2 billion.
Graham spent his early career in the manufacturing sector working with a number of international companies - notably in the highly competitive automotive and white goods sectors. During his varied career he has held senior positions across a range of business disciplines - including Engineering, Production and Human Resources - prior to his latter roles as a business leader. Graham moved into the Utility sector soon after privatisation, and has run water and electricity operating businesses prior to setting up Wales & West Utilities in 2005.
As well as being a VP of the Institute, Graham is a board member of Dwr Cymru Welsh Water and the University of South Wales. He is a previous Chair of CBI Wales and Business in the Community Wales.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer, AXA Health
Heather has over 25 years' experience in Financial Services across a range of leadership roles covering direct distribution, operational leadership, customer experience, brand, marketing and digital.
She joined AXA in January 2023 as the CEO of AXA Health. She has joined AXA Health from Allianz, where she was the MD for Retail and responsible for providing personal lines insurance for 3.7 million customers across all major distribution channels. Heather has a diverse and extensive CV with significant experience of the insurance and health markets.
Previously, Heather spent 10 years at Aviva General Insurance and Life in roles that moved from marketing and sales into profit & loss ownership of the Direct Insurance business line. Prior to this, she spent 13 years at Aviva Health in a number of roles that included responsibility for affinity partnerships, marketing (brand and product) and sales.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- CEO at the Rail Delivery Group
Jacqueline Starr currently works as CEO at the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), and assumed this role on 1 st December 2020. RDG is a leadership organisation providing key services to the industry and facilitating transformation and strategic activity. Jacqueline is a customer champion advocating change in support of evolving customer needs, and has worked to introduce a near real time pan industry experience measurement system in support of this.
Jacqueline has previously held roles as Chief Operating Officer at RDG, and MD of Customer. She has worked as an internal consultant as Director of Experience in Barclays Design Office, Head of Experience at O2 UK and Head of Customer Experience and Loyalty at Orange France. She also has a NED role on the Board at LiveWest (Housing Association). Jacqueline lives at her home in North Somerset with her husband and 3 children.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Customer Experience - Repairs & Maintenance, ForHousing
Jamie is the Executive Director of Customer Experience: Repairs & Maintenance at ForHousing.
In previous executive Customer leadership positions with Alcumus, Engie, Mitie and Carillion, Ventura (now part of Capita) and Mitie, he was responsible for ensuring that his Clients and his Clients' Customers got an experience that was effortless, allowed them to work efficiently and effectively and achieve their own goals, and resulted in them being promoters of the organisation.
His particular mission in his role as a Vice President of the Institute (since 2013) is to help customer-focused activity in service organisations reach the levels of excellence achieved by consumer organisations, and in-turn to help develop the whole sector in the UK. He's been responsible for strategic design and leadership, and tactical direction and management, of every element of Customer journeys across a wide range of B2B and B2C sectors and industries including very large contact centre Customer service, back-office and support functions, and domestic & commercial field operational delivery. He's got a particular passion for the essential Customer care activities of customer satisfaction measurement, complaint management, and social media customer engagement.
He was incredibly proud that his team won the ‘Best Employee Engagement Strategy' in the National Customer Satisfaction Awards in March 2017, and that he was named as ‘Customer Service Strategic Leader of the Year' in the same awards in March 2015. In addition he was winner in 2012 of both ‘Customer Service Director' of the year, and his team ‘Contact Centre of the Year', in the Call North West Awards. He's also led two organisations to achieve ServiceMark, one with a Distinction.
Job Titles:
- Executive Chair, Claims Consortium Group
- Executive Chair, Former CEO and Founder of Claims Consortium Group
Jeremy Hyams is the Executive Chair, former CEO and Founder of Claims Consortium Group, a provider of claims handling services and insurtech to insurers, brokers and other property service organisations across the UK. He became a VP of the Institute of Customer Service in 2017.
Jeremy has been an advocate for exceptional customer service since establishing Claims Consortium in 1996. He believes that businesses must be agile and innovative to satisfy the needs of the modern customer and that new technologies must keep the customer at heart.
Jeremy's unwavering commitment to these values and to changing attitudes towards service in the insurance sector is embedded across Claims Consortium, unpinning everything they do and the shared values of the staff.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Board
- New CEO
- Our CEO
Our CEO Jo Causon recently penned an opinion piece for Utility Week, discussing the challenges and opportunities with emerging technology,…
Jo became the Institute's CEO back in 2009. She has driven membership growth by 150 percent and established the UK Customer Satisfaction Index as the national barometer of customer satisfaction and a key indicator of the return on service strategy investment.
Jo brings a wealth of experience from the commercial sector, enabling her to put customer service at the heart of the Boardroom agenda. She has extensive experience in the financial services sector, having previously held positions at Aviva plc for over 11 years and acted as non-executive director at Aegon UK's independent governance committee. She also held director roles in brand and business consulting, policy development and research for City and Guilds and the Chartered Management Institute.
Jo focuses on demonstrating a clear link between employee engagement, customer service strategies and organisational performance. Working across the public, private and voluntary sectors she provides strategic advice to Boardrooms to raise the standards of service provided by UK organisations and provide evidence of the connection between customer satisfaction and operational efficiency and profitability.
She has worked with politicians across all sides of the House, focusing on the impact that service has on the UK economy and productivity. As a result she is a regular commentator on national media and has been called to give evidence at the Public Administration Select Committee inquiry into complaints handling.
Away from work, Jo is a keen walker and traveller. She has travelled extensively around Europe and wider continents, using her experiences to draw parallels on service strategy which she believes UK organisations should adopt and adapt to enhance customer satisfaction in an increasingly global marketplace.
Jo Causon was appointed as the Institute's new CEO and the UK Customer Satisfaction Awards were launched.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director at YPO
Jo Marshall joined YPO in September 2010 as Business Development Manager and took up the post of Commercial Director in October 2011. In her current role as Executive Director Jo looks after Customer Experience, Internal Sales, External Sales, Marketing, Catalogue Production, CPD and the Trading Team. Jo's departments focus on providing the end to end customer experience and are responsible for pricing, products and the market strategy.
Prior to joining YPO Jo worked for Samsung electronics as Head of Public Sector and has worked for most of her career in sales and marketing environments within the IT sector. Jo also sponsors some key projects including Customer Focus, CRM and ebusiness which are all vital to the growth strategy.
Jo has been working in the public sector for over 20 years, and is the Board strategic lead for customer service.
During her 30 years' experience with Marks & Spencer, Jo has progressed through a varied range of roles including store management, franchise partnerships and overseas operations, change management programmes, customer service across all channels for the M&S UK operation, and more latterly, Head of Transformation for the Store and Property Group.
In her former position as Head of Customer Service, she played a fundamental role in leading the recovery of the brand's service ethos through establishing a clear customer proposition supported by the appropriate structure, recruitment, training, performance management and reward mechanisms. Jo was able to achieve this transformation through strong stakeholder engagement and communication and a relentless approach to doing the right thing for customers. Jo attributes the success of this work in part to developing a clear plan and evolving this over time rather than trying too many different initiatives which had been the previous approach. She has taken this skill set with her into her current role, leading the development of the plans to transform the Store and Property business as part of the wider Transformation Plan.
Jo was the Chair of Governors for a local primary school, where she took an active role in bringing her business skills to use in a different field. She was appointed in 2014 as a Non-Executive Director for a Housing Association based in Kent, where she brings her customer experience knowledge to bear in a different sector. In 2003 Jo graduated with Distinction from a part time MBA course at Aston Business School and is regularly asked to speak about customer service at external events.
Job Titles:
- Director of Strategy and Development at Built by Levy UK
Jo Upward is Director of Strategy and Development at Built by Levy UK, focusing on delivering exceptional guest experiences across Levy's venues. Prior to joining Levy, Jo was Managing Director at Platform Group an experiential design company, delivering strategic and customer experience consultancy, interior and digital design to companies such as Vodafone, Juniper Networks and The O2.
Jo joined Platform in August 2012 from BT bringing with her a wealth of expertise, knowledge and a desire to drive excellence for the customer. Her experience ranges from multinational corporates such as BT and Orange to working with public bodies including Ofcom and the European Union. Jo is passionate about customer service. Her achievements include driving the customer experience improvement campaign for the whole of the BT Group, resulting in significant change globally for both businesses and consumers.
John has gained 32 years' experience in the energy sector going through transformational change from national to private ownership, the opening of the competitive energy market, and the emergence of Smart technologies that are set to further transform a service essential to every-day life and business.
In this time John has held senior leadership positions within energy retail and power networks spanning customer experience, 24/7 operations, commercial trading, regulation, IT and media communications. John's current role at npower includes leading national remobilisation of Smart Meter rollout as the second stage of COVID-19 response enables work in customer homes and businesses to restart.
John also leads the field operations handover to E.ON following the acquisition of npower by E.ON in 2019. More broadly John is recognised as a highly energetic and innovative leader; passionate about creating great customer experiences working hand-in-hand with operational efficiency; creating a sense of urgency whilst retaining vital attention to detail. John places great emphasis on effective stakeholder collaboration and clear communication as key enablers to getting the best outcomes - especially in the most challenging and transformational situations that organisations face right now.
John is proud to have been a Vice-President of the Institute since 2012.
Job Titles:
- Customer Experience Director at TransPennine Express
- TPE As Head of Franchise Development
Kathryn O'Brien is responsible for providing great customer service every day, whilst driving a programme of improvement, making sure that customer excellence is at the heart of everything we do. Kathryn has made herself an ambassador for every single customer who boards our trains, accepting nothing less than excellence, and she has devoted her career to ensuring that this excellence makes a difference.
As Customer Experience Director, Kathryn is responsible for managing, developing and inspiring TransPennine Express' (TPE) entire customer experience team. The team of more than 600 people take pride in inviting on-board 30 million customers annually on 350 services every day, connecting the major cities and destinations across the North of England and Scotland.
Kathryn has a fantastic track record spanning a very successful 28 years in the customer transport/rail sector within the North West. Her record of improving service, empathising with and involving customers and stakeholders in decision making, and driving business improvement stands her out from her peers. Her engaging personal style and steely determination mean she is a role model for a modern leader within the sector.
Kathryn joined TPE as Head of Franchise Development in 2012, and was promoted to Customer Experience Director in 2014. In this time Kathryn has delivered a series of step changes to the business. More than 1,000 TPE colleagues, almost the entire workforce, have now been trained in the WorldHost Principles of Customer Service (PoCS). This training, used to train the amazing volunteers at the London Olympics, has ensured that TPE colleagues have the customer's best intentions at heart, whether they are in a customer-facing role or office based. Kathryn has also developed and implemented a hugely successful customer service initiative called ‘Back on Track', which is completely unique to the railway. The initiative allows for all TPE colleagues, no matter their role, to use their professional judgement and offer immediate compensation to customers.
Kathryn is also a strong advocate of Women in Rail and role model to many through her extensive mentoring successes. Kathryn has been recognised for her hard work and achievements, being nominated as one of the most influential women within the rail industry, and impressively winning the ‘Strategic Leadership Award' at the UK Customer Satisfaction Awards 2017.
TPE is now in a period of transformation, which sees the company upgrade existing trains as well as introducing 44 new state-of-the-art trains, meaning more seats, free Wi-Fi, and more frequent, reliable services. At the heart of all of this is the customer, and Kathryn ensures that the customer is put at the forefront of this transformation, right from the initial ideas through to implementation. This approach, and Kathryn's relentless pursuit of excellence every day, is paying off with consistent rises in TPE's National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS) customer satisfaction scores.
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- Customer Experience Director at DWP
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- CEO Designate at United Utilities
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- Customer Service Director, First Direct
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- Operations Director at Laithwaites
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- Director of Customer Service, Cirencester Friendly Society
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- Customer Services and Technology Director at United Utilities
As Commercial Director, Monica is passionate about shaping strategies that help organisations excel in customer service, ensuring they stay ahead in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
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- Executive Director Customer Experience at Curo Group
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- Chief Operating Officer at Scottish Water
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- Chief Marketing Officer at Boots
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- Managing Director Debt Services at TDX Group
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- UK Chief Customer Officer at Zurich
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- Member of the Board
- Non - Executive Director
Shirley is the Operations Director at Cirencester Friendly Society
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- President of the Institute and CEO of Sainsbury's
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- Director of Marketing and Customer Experience
Stefan oversees the strategy for membership development through our products and services, including: accreditation, benchmarking, training solutions, qualifications, and professional standards at the Institute.
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- Executive Director of Customer Services at the Guinness Partnership
Winnie is a commercially focused and people-centred CFO/COO with over 15 years experience in leading the finance and business functions of SMEs.