The Innovation Award
This is for women who have introduced groundbreaking ideas, methodologies, or technologies in CX. These innovators have pushed boundaries, solved complex challenges, and shaped the industry's future with their creative problem-solving.
Winner!
Shannon Knowlton
Voice of the Customer Manager, Selective Insurance
Shannon Knowlton is a visionary CX leader who’s not just navigating change; she’s driving it. As Voice of the Customer Manager at Selective Insurance, she’s reshaping how a traditionally risk-averse industry approaches feedback, technology, and insight.
With eight years of experience and a Master’s in Customer Experience Management, Shannon has made measurable, forward-thinking innovations that are elevating customer understanding and operational performance. One of her most impactful breakthroughs was introducing a GenAI-powered CoPilot Agent to streamline VOC analysis. This smart solution transformed a once time-consuming, manual process into a rapid insight engine—freeing up time, improving accuracy, and enabling more meaningful stakeholder engagement.
Shannon also led a major revamp of Selective’s VOC survey program, ensuring feedback is now directly tied to customer journey stages and key experience drivers. The insights have already helped pinpoint the top influences on NPS and enabled more targeted improvements across departments. Her journey mapping work further reflects this holistic approach, breaking down complex experiences into micro-moments that teams can act on to deliver value.
Judges were especially impressed by her courage and creativity. One shared:
“Bringing GenAI into insurance is bold and impactful. Shannon’s work shows real efficiency gains—and the potential to shape CX tech adoption industry-wide.”
Another praised her mindset:
“Her approach to innovation is practical, scalable, and built around creating time for deeper thinking. That’s what modern CX leadership is about.”
From benchmarking new standards to mentoring others in the CX community, Shannon is leading with passion, purpose, and precision. Her work proves that innovation isn’t just about technology; it’s about removing friction, uncovering meaning, and making the customer experience better for everyone.
Highly Commended!
Charlotte Kennett
Customer-Centric Marketing Leader
Charlotte Kennett is a bold, customer-obsessed marketing leader who has helped redefine what innovation looks like in the B2B space by centring the post-sale experience and proving its power to drive loyalty, advocacy, and long-term growth.
At SS&C Blue Prism, Charlotte built and led a pioneering department that brought customer marketing, intelligence, and community under one strategic roof. Her work bridged the gap between marketing and post-sale engagement, turning a traditionally acquisition-focused function into a cross-functional driver of customer success and business value.
She launched new programs that integrated onboarding with customer success, introduced scalable lifecycle campaigns, and modernised voice-of-customer efforts using AI and advanced analytics. Her team streamlined digital journeys and unified customer-facing platforms. It developed a thriving online community, creating deeper, more human connections with customers while surfacing insights that informed product and service decisions.
Judges were impressed by the strategic clarity and measurable results of her work. One commented:
“Charlotte’s leadership is the kind that changes how organisations think—she brought post-sale marketing to the CX table in a way that’s scalable and deeply effective.”
Another shared:
“Her innovation is grounded in empathy, creativity, and the courage to challenge the status quo. She’s a model for what modern CX-aligned marketing should look like.”
Charlotte’s contributions have not only reshaped the organisation’s approach to customer engagement but have also influenced wider industry practices, earning her team multiple awards and recognition for digital transformation and community excellence.
Presently, between roles, Charlotte remains an active contributor to the CX and marketing community, generously sharing her learnings and mentoring others. Her story is a powerful reminder that innovation doesn’t always mean new tech—it often means reimagining existing systems to serve people better, with humanity and purpose at the centre.
