The right CX mentors can reshape how you think about customer experience—and how you deliver it. I've pulled together the voices worth following: practitioners who've built real programs, solved real problems, and share what actually works. Whether you're refining your strategy or building from scratch, these mentors will challenge your thinking and sharpen your results.
Top 17 CX Mentors
Below are the profiles of the top CX mentors, covering who they are and the impact they've made in this space.
Ian Golding
Customer Experience Consultant & CEO and Founder of Customer Experience Consultancy Ltd
Chester, United Kingdom
Focus area:
#CX strategy#CX mentoring#Journey management#Customer-centric culture
Ian Golding is founder and CEO of Customer Experience Consultancy Ltd, a CX consultant, mentor, speaker, and author of Customer What?, his practical guide to sustainable customer experience.
His work centers…
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Jeanne Bliss
Customer-Centric Leadership Expert & Founder and CEO of Customer Bliss
Seattle, United States
Focus area:
#Customer-centric leadership#Chief Customer Officer#CX transformation#Customer culture
Jeanne Bliss is president of CustomerBliss, a customer-centric leadership advisor and author who held senior customer leadership roles at Lands’ End, Microsoft, Allstate, and Coldwell Banker.
Bliss helped pioneer the Chief Customer…
Connect with Jeanne:
Clare Muscutt
Founder & CEO at Women in CX
London, United Kingdom
Focus area:
#Human-centered CX#CX design#CX leadership#Professional community
Clare Muscutt is founder and CEO of Women in CX, a global community for women in customer experience. She is a former Head of Customer Experience with 15 years in corporate leadership…
Connect with Clare:
Jeannie Walters
Founder & CEO at Experience Investigators
Oak Park, United States
Focus area:
#CX strategy#Journey mapping#Customer trust#CX education
Jeannie Walters is founder and CEO of Experience Investigators, a customer experience consultant, speaker, educator, and Certified Customer Experience Professional focused on proactive CX.
Walters helps leaders investigate journeys, understand customer and…
Annette Franz
Founder & CEO at CX Journey Inc.
Mission Viejo, United States
Focus area:
#CX strategy#Employee experience#Customer understanding#Journey mapping
Annette Franz is founder and CEO of CX Journey Inc., a customer and employee experience consultant, speaker, and author. Her career spans CX technology firms and corporate leadership roles.
Franz connects customer…
Karyn Furstman
Customer Experience Executive Coach & Advisor
Kirkland, United States
Focus area:
#CX leadership#Executive coaching#CX strategy#Organizational alignment
Karyn Furstman is a customer experience executive coach and advisor at CustomersFurst, drawing on more than 30 years of CX leadership and service as a founding board member of the CXPA.
Furstman…
Connect with Karyn:
Colin Shaw
Founder & CEO at Beyond Philosophy
Sarasota, United States
Focus area:
#CX strategy#Customer psychology#Customer loyalty#CX measurement
Colin Shaw is founder and CEO of Beyond Philosophy, a customer experience consultancy he launched in 2002. He is also an author, keynote speaker, and co-host of The Intuitive Customer podcast.
Shaw’s…
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Brad Cleveland
Customer Experience Author & Advisor
Sun Valley, United States
Focus area:
#CX strategy#Contact centers#Customer journeys#CX leadership
Brad Cleveland is a customer experience author, speaker, and consultant. His work spans CX strategy and contact center management, including his book Leading the Customer Experience.
Cleveland teaches leaders to connect…
Myra Golden
Founder, De-escalation Expert, and AI Workforce Architect at Myra Golden Seminars
Tulsa, United States
Focus area:
#De-escalation#Customer conversations#Frontline service#Customer service training
Myra Golden is a customer service trainer and conversation strategist. He spent 25 years teaching frontline teams and created the 3R Conversation Control Method for difficult interactions.
Golden turns difficult service conversations…
Bill Staikos
Founder at Be Customer Led
New York City, United States
Focus area:
#CX strategy#CX operating models#AI in CX#Experience measurement
Bill Staikos is founder of Be Customer Led, an advisory practice, and a customer experience and transformation executive with more than two decades of leadership across global organizations.
Staikos advises executive teams…
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Ilenia Vidili
Customer-Centricity Advisor & Trainer
Focus area:
#Customer centricity#Customer trust#Customer culture#CX transformation
Ilenia Vidili is a customer-centricity advisor, keynote speaker, author, and LinkedIn Learning instructor. Her corporate background includes marketing roles at NEC, Bayer, and Arm globally.
Vidili helps organizations move customer centricity from…
Julia Martin Ahlfeldt
Customer Experience Strategist and Business Advisor
Cape Town, South Africa
Focus area:
#CX strategy#Journey mapping#CX ROI#AI enablement
Julia Ahlfeldt is a customer experience strategist, keynote speaker, and business advisor. She leads Julia Ahlfeldt CX Consulting and hosts the Decoding the Customer podcast on CX globally.
Ahlfeldt helps leaders connect…
Connect with Julia:
Nate Brown
Co-founder & Executive Director at CX Accelerator
Nashville, United States
Focus area:
#CX leadership#Customer service#CX community#Professional development
Nate Brown is co-founder and executive director of CX Accelerator, a nonprofit community for customer experience professionals. His background spans customer service and CX leadership.
Brown has made professional development a central…
Connect with Nate:
Chip Bell
Customer Loyalty & Service Expert
Greensboro, United States
Focus area:
#Customer loyalty#Service innovation#Customer-centric culture#CX leadership
Chip R. Bell is a customer loyalty and service innovation consultant, keynote speaker, and business author. His work helps organizations create more inventive, customer-centered service.
Bell explores how distinctive service, generosity, partnership,…
Connect with Chip:
Joseph A. Michelli
Customer Experience Author, Advisor & Keynote Speaker
Pinellas Park, United States
Focus area:
#CX strategy#Service culture#Customer loyalty#Leadership
Joseph A. Michelli is a customer experience consultant, keynote speaker, and author. His decades of research and advisory work include brands such as Starbucks, Ritz-Carlton, and Mercedes-Benz.
Michelli studies how prominent service…
Jeff Toister
Customer Service Author & Trainer
San Diego, United States
Focus area:
#Service culture#Customer service#Employee training#Customer-focused teams
Jeff Toister is founder of Toister Performance Solutions, a customer service author, trainer, and keynote speaker. He helps leaders build stronger service cultures and customer-focused teams.
Toister’s books, courses, and speaking focus…
Lynn Hunsaker
Chief Customer Officer at ClearAction Continuum
Phoenix, United States
Focus area:
#CX strategy#Voice of Customer#CX maturity#Organizational alignment
Lynn Hunsaker is founder of ClearAction Continuum, a customer experience strategist and educator. Her career includes enterprise CX, quality, marketing, and Voice of Customer leadership.
Hunsaker’s work emphasizes enterprise-wide CX management rather…
Connect with Lynn:
Selection Methodology
I selected the leaders on this list based on their relevance, demonstrated expertise and impact, professional credibility, and ongoing contributions to the field.
I look for evidence such as leading meaningful initiatives or delivering notable results within their organizations, developing influential ideas or practices, publishing research or educational resources, speaking or teaching, and other contributions that demonstrate impact within their work or the broader field.
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