Inspiring Women in CX Awards
Meet the 2023 Winners
The Collaboration Award
In recognition of the women who value collaboration over competition and bring people together to achieve great things. These women know it’s not about taking the spotlight but winning as a team. They create opportunities for others and light up those around them to work together toward a common cause.
WINNER!
Merete Medle
Customer Journey Lead, Peab i Norge
Collaboration is not merely a part of Merete's work; it's ingrained within her. Merete is the driving force behind The Norwegian Customer Experience Network, a non-profit organisation that provides CX professionals with an arena to share.
Excelling in her professional career, Merete skilfully unites teams within her country and beyond its borders. Her talent lies in collaborating with individuals with a genuine passion for making a positive impact. Her unique approach sets her apart – leading with her heart and prioritising people above all.
She has a deep-seated passion for diversity, a profound appreciation for people, and a keen focus on driving commercial growth with a digital mindset. She firmly believes that by prioritising people, both customers and employees, exceptional results naturally follow.
The Inclusion Award
In recognition of the women who champion intersectional diversity, equity, and inclusion. These women have thought beyond the boundaries of their own identity and advocated for the rights of the marginalised. They inspire others through activism, going beyond lip service to take action and create a better world.
WINNER!
Susanna Baque
Senior Director, Global CX, SCIEX
Susanna is a true champion of inclusion. Her dedication to championing intersectional diversity is unwavering. Susanna goes beyond the boundaries of her own identity to advocate for the rights of marginalised communities, particularly the LGBTQ+ community. Her support and allyship in this regard are not just words; they are actions that have created a safer and more inclusive space for all.
Her actions speak volumes about her genuine desire to make a positive impact and drive change. Perhaps one of Susanna's most commendable qualities is her fearlessness in speaking up against injustices. She is not one to stay silent when confronted with inequity or discrimination. Her advocacy serves as a powerful reminder that progress requires not just passive acceptance but active, vocal support for those who are marginalised or oppressed.
Susanna is a true inspiration, a woman whose actions align with her beliefs.
The Courageousness Award
In recognition of the women who have climbed the highest mountains or overcome the most difficulty to be where they are today. These women inspire others having navigated challenges with a focus on resilience, positivity, and personal growth. They are warriors, and they deserve to be celebrated.
WINNER!
DeAnna Avis
Coach for Ambitious Misfits, The Neurodivergent Entrepreneur
DeAnna embodies the very essence of courageousness. Her journey has taken her to the highest peaks and through the deepest valleys, and she has emerged as a true inspiration.
DeAnna fearlessly shares her personal stories and challenges with ADHD, neurodiversity, and being an ambitious misfit. By opening up about these deeply personal aspects of her life, she not only demonstrates remarkable vulnerability but also offers a lifeline to others who may be navigating similar challenges.
In addition to her personal journey, DeAnna's professional accomplishments are equally impressive. She took the bold step of starting her own business, specialising in Customer Experience consulting and through this venture, discovered her passion for coaching individuals, guiding them towards their own paths of personal and professional growth.
DeAnna is undeniably a warrior, facing life's challenges with unwavering resilience, an indomitable spirit, and a focus on personal growth.
The Authenticity Award
In recognition of the women who dare to be themselves, and in doing so, open doors for others to show up as themselves too. These women inspire through their honesty, vulnerability, openness, acceptance, and encouragement of others. They are role models for leadership.
WINNER!
Ewa Davenport
CX Senior Transformation Director, Kantar
Authenticity is defined as ‘someone who stands up for their beliefs and values in the face of opposition’, this statement personifies Ewa Davenport, both inside and outside of work.
Responsible for several key programmes at Kantar UK, Ewa leads with authenticity, integrity, and honesty. She shows up as her true self and allows her personal values to shine through, this gives her a unique ability to design creative solutions, encourage team growth and help her colleagues flourish.
Supporting junior colleagues, attending protests against the abortion ban in Poland, and speaking up for voiceless victims denied access to healthcare, Ewa advocates for women’s rights and stands up for her beliefs as a champion of equality in the face of opposition.
The Rising Star Award
In recognition of the women in the pipeline of up-and-coming industry talent who are set for a bright future ahead. These women inspire others by role modelling the Women in CX values of courage, collaboration, inclusivity, and authenticity and are taking bold steps to shape their careers, in their own way, on their own terms.
WINNER!
Jennie Lewis
Sr Manager, Customer Insights, Airship
Jennie is a shining star. She embodies the values of courage, collaboration, inclusivity, and authenticity in every stride she takes towards her bright future.
Within months of joining the Women in CX community, Jennie became an unwavering pillar of support, sharing knowledge, expertise, and time, spotlighting and engaging with content, and elevating the voices and contributions of her peers. Her dedication to uplifting others exemplifies the collaborative spirit that defines our community.
Beyond her active participation in the community, Jennie’s presence on LinkedIn is nothing short of fabulous. Her content showcases her work brilliantly while championing the power of CX.
Jennie’s content comes from driving collaboration within her company. Working within a SaaS environment – one traditionally dominated by silos – when Jennie took on the Customer Insights function in 2022, it became clear very quickly that the only way to be successful would be to leverage the expert skills from across departments and she united individuals, teams, and departments to do so.
The Leader of the Year Award
This award recognises women at the forefront of leading Customer Experience and Technology. These women inspire by role modelling the Women in CX values of courage, collaboration, inclusivity, and authenticity and are highly influential on their organisation, the people they work with and the wider community. These women have demonstrated a tangible impact on business performance through the CX initiatives they have led and are undoubtedly paving the way for others to succeed through their commitment to the development of others.
WINNER!
Elaine Barnes
Chief Customer Officer, Cromwell
Throughout Elaine’s career, she has dedicated herself to connecting everything that we do in business to the customer.
Her leadership has created visibility and belief and by partnering with each and every area of the business, ensuring that the voice of the customer is heard, her efforts, and that of her team, have culminated in a ‘customer first culture’ – with every department able to articulate how their work is connected to and impacts the customer.
In her current role as the Chief Customer Officer at Cromwell Group, Elaine has not only strengthened business performance but instilled the belief that each of us can make a difference, connected the dots; customer satisfaction will drive business revenue, and enabled everyone within her organisation to connect their role to the external customer.
The results of Elaine’s leadership have been nothing short of herculean; facilitating a culture shift, embedding a culture of customer language, and improving CES, NPS, and CSAT demonstrably. Committing her entire working life to championing the customer, Elaine is an inspiration to all and worthy of this recognition.
