Top 8 Fractional CXOs to Hire for Scalable Growth in 2026
Fractional CXOs give you senior-level leadership without the full-time cost—but the right hire depends entirely on your growth stage and gaps. I've mapped out the top fractional CXOs worth considering, so you can bring in the expertise, transformation, and even the implementation of CX software your business actually needs right now.
Top 8 Fractional CXOs
Below are the profiles of the top fractional CXOs, covering who they are and the impact they've made in this space.
Joseph Loria
Joseph Loria is founder and CEO of RetentionCX, bringing more than 20 years of post-sale leadership across high-growth technology companies, global teams, and varied ownership models and stages.
RetentionCX helps startups and…
Joseph Loria is founder and CEO of RetentionCX, bringing more than 20 years of post-sale leadership across high-growth technology companies, global teams, and varied ownership models and stages.
RetentionCX helps startups and scaleups build post-sale systems around time to value, customer health, churn, and net revenue retention. Loria’s fractional model gives early-stage teams experienced CX leadership before a full-time executive hire makes sense.
Parul Bhandari
Parul Bhandari is CEO and principal customer success consultant at CustomerXSuccess, drawing on more than 20 years in customer-facing roles across startups, scaleups, and large enterprises.
Through CustomerXSuccess, Bhandari helps teams improve…
Parul Bhandari is CEO and principal customer success consultant at CustomerXSuccess, drawing on more than 20 years in customer-facing roles across startups, scaleups, and large enterprises.
Through CustomerXSuccess, Bhandari helps teams improve customer success, retention, engagement, and organic growth with scalable processes and practical operating discipline. Her consulting gives companies senior post-sale guidance without requiring a full-time customer executive.
Paige Hartsfield
Paige Hartsfield is chief of staff and fractional chief experience officer at BIG CHEESE. She is a CX architect and entrepreneur with three decades of experience in customer research, strategy, and growth.
…
Paige Hartsfield is chief of staff and fractional chief experience officer at BIG CHEESE. She is a CX architect and entrepreneur with three decades of experience in customer research, strategy, and growth.
Hartsfield helps leaders use customer research, strategy, education, financial measures, and competitive insight to build customer-centered growth. At BIG CHEESE, she combines chief-of-staff responsibilities with fractional CXO work for growth companies.
Martin Newman
Martin Newman is founder of The Customer First Group and a fractional chief customer officer. He has more than 40 years of experience in customer centricity, retail, and customer experience.
Newman advises…
Martin Newman is founder of The Customer First Group and a fractional chief customer officer. He has more than 40 years of experience in customer centricity, retail, and customer experience.
Newman advises organizations on customer-first strategy, culture, loyalty, and growth, and explicitly offers Chief Customer Officer leadership on a fractional basis. His model gives businesses flexible C-suite ownership of CX through advisory, project, interim, or time-based engagements.
Karyn Furstman
Karyn Furstman is a CX executive coach and advisor at CustomersFurst, drawing on more than 30 years in customer experience and senior roles across banking, insurance, technology, and consulting.
Furstman coaches CX…
Karyn Furstman is a CX executive coach and advisor at CustomersFurst, drawing on more than 30 years in customer experience and senior roles across banking, insurance, technology, and consulting.
Furstman coaches CX leaders to turn strategy into operating plans, gain executive buy-in, break down silos, and connect experience work to business outcomes. Her mix of executive coaching and advisory work gives leaders access to seasoned CX judgment without adding another permanent executive.
Shoaib Feroz
Shoaib Feroz is a fractional CX leader and transformation consultant whose work spans customer experience, AI, customer value management, digital strategy, and large-scale telecom programs.
Feroz ties CX measures such as NPS…
Shoaib Feroz is a fractional CX leader and transformation consultant whose work spans customer experience, AI, customer value management, digital strategy, and large-scale telecom programs.
Feroz ties CX measures such as NPS to churn, ARPU, cost-to-serve, and P&L outcomes, alongside journey, complaint, and care transformation. His fractional CX offering provides part-time senior ownership for organizations that need accountable leadership beyond a one-off consulting project.
Justin Thompson
Justin Thompson is a fractional CX leader with more than 15 years of senior experience across customer experience, marketing, and research, helping organizations strengthen retention and loyalty.
Thompson connects customer listening, service…
Justin Thompson is a fractional CX leader with more than 15 years of senior experience across customer experience, marketing, and research, helping organizations strengthen retention and loyalty.
Thompson connects customer listening, service design, brand promise, organizational priorities, and metrics while also working in community experience at Venture X. His fractional practice gives organizations senior CX direction without requiring a full-time executive.
Alana D’Angelica
Alana D’Angelica is a fractional CCO and customer operations strategist with 15+ years in post-sale leadership, including senior customer success roles at Indeed, Datto, Wix, and other tech firms.
D’Angelica helps startups,…
Alana D’Angelica is a fractional CCO and customer operations strategist with 15+ years in post-sale leadership, including senior customer success roles at Indeed, Datto, Wix, and other tech firms.
D’Angelica helps startups, SMBs, and nonprofits build customer-centric systems for adoption, retention, operations, and sustainable growth. Her fractional CCO work brings executive-level post-sale leadership to teams that need clearer journeys, processes, ownership, and revenue discipline.
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.
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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.
Further Reading
You can also broaden your perspective and grow your network with our curated roundups of the best CXO newsletters and top communities for customer experience leaders.
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