CXPA Celebrates Women's History Month

Honoring the Contribution of Women in CXPA

As we recognize International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, CXPA celebrates and spotlights the contributions of women who have helped establish and advance the CXPA community.

• Four of CXPA's seven Emeritus Directors are women - CXPA Co-founder Jeanne Bliss , Karyn Furstman, CCX, CCXP, XMP , Desirree Madison-Biggs, CCXP, CPC , and Diane Magers , CCXP.
• Six out of ten CCXPs are women.
• 170 women serve on CXPA Regional Councils, Networks, Publication Workgroups and Committees, accounting for 63% of these volunteers.
• 48 women have been recognized with CXPA's Impact Award;
• 21 have been given CXPA's Extra Mile Award for outstanding volunteer contributions;
• 15 women have been selected as Emerging Leader Award Winners; and
• 13 women are represented among Innovation Award Winners.
• All four CXPA Board of Directors Officers are women: 2024 Chair Amy Shioji, CCXP , Vice Chair Roxana (Roxie) Strohmenger, CCXP , Treasurer Jayalakshmi S. , and Immediate Past Chair Tabitha Dunn , CCXP.
• Six of CXPA's eight staff are women - Adrienne Bryant, CAE , Jennifer Baker , Joy Wedge, MPS , Nicole DuMont , Rachel Gates and Shelly Losinski . We would not have the vibrant, accomplished CXPA Community that we enjoy today without the contributions of these and many more women who have made CXPA what it is today.

Spotlighting Women's Impact in the CX Field

The Customer Experience profession would not be recognized as the vital business discipline that it is without the vision, leadership, and commitment of women who were—and remain—determined to ensure a common understanding of the role of CX in generating better outcomes for customers, employees, and organizations. Here are a few women who’ve driven the growth of CX:

• Jeanne Bliss: With the publication of her book Chief Customer Officer in 2006, Jeanne was among the first to identify the negative roles that organizational silos play in degrading the customer experience, and the nascent role of the Chief Customer Officer in aligning the organization to deliver better outcomes. Jeanne co-founded the CXPA in 2011, providing a community for those in these newly established, silo breaking CX roles.
• Nienke Bloem CCXP CSP: As a CXPA Recognized Training Provider and Dutch CXPA Network leader, Nienke has contributed to the Netherlands becoming the highest per capita concentration of Certified Customer Experience Professionals in the world. Nienke helps individuals, companies, and governments reach new levels of performance and recognition through her keynotes, training, and consulting.
• Kerry Bodine: As co-author of Outside In: The Power of Putting Customers at the Center of Your Business, Kerry helped to make the research case that CX makes a quantifiable difference in the profitability of organizations for which it is a business focus. Published in 2012, the book remains a popular handbook for CX leaders looking to transform their organizations.
• Barbie Fink, CCXP : Barbie is the ultimate CXPA volunteer and connector. She has helped to advance the CCXP program, establish CXPA's Diversity Advancement Committee, and redesign the CXPA Mentor program. She is also a past CXPA chair, and currently serves as chair of the CXPA Global Strategy Research Steering Committee.
• Annette Franz, CCXP: Author of Customer Understanding and Built to Win, Annette is a powerhouse CX advisor known for her relentless focus on putting customer at the heart of great business practices. Annette is a past Chair of the CXPA and continues to serve as a sought-after keynote speaker and valued consultant to leading organizations on CX strategies.
• Heather Gillbanks, CCXP: As Executive Editor of the CXPA CX Book of Knowledge, Heather inspired, mobilized, and coordinated a global team to develop the first community consensus publication designed to serve as an authoritative reference for the professional practice of customer experience.
• Clare Muscutt (WiCX) : Recognizing the power of a community formed by women in CX roles supporting the professional growth of other women, Muscutt founded Women in CX in 2020, with the goal of helping more women achieve CX leadership positions.
• Michelle Spaul: Michelle is a CX thought leader dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of collaboration within organizations to deliver better business results through quality CX practices. As executive editor of the CXPA Effective Collaboration Series: A Guide to Strengthening CX Together, Michelle has worked with multiple author teams to create a series of monographs designed to provide trusted practical advice on driving successful outcomes. She is one of the leading CX consultants in the United Kingdom.
• Stephanie Thum, PhD, CCXP : CX is a governmental priority in the United States and many other countries, notably in the Middle East. As one of the first agency-level CX leaders in the United States federal government, Stephanie Thum, CCXP, served as the Vice President of CX for the Export-Import Bank of the U.S., a federal agency that finances and insures exports toward the creation of U.S. jobs. She now advises governments around the world on improving citizen experiences.

Continued Work Toward Equality

Did you know that the first official celebration of Women's History Month was only 37 years ago? It indicates that awareness and support of equal treatment regardless of gender is still a young commitment. But the conversations have started, and research supports the value added by this increased awareness of gender equality – though there is still much work to be done. 

• CXPA's Building Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness into a Customer Experience Ecosystem monograph (available free here) highlights that Boards that incorporate gender diversity have a great likelihood of outperforming Boards that lack diversity - a trend that has increased over time (p. 31); however, the Women on Boards Progress Report shows that companies are still falling short of gender diversity thresholds.
• Research has shown that customers will reward companies for smaller gender pay gaps  - but CHIEF reports that the pay gap for executive women is the largest it has been since 2021. 
• In customer experience, studies are highlighting the potential of gender-aware design, and how to design for the specific needs and constraints of women, growing market opportunity by providing increased opportunity to women.

CXPA celebrates and spotlights the enormous contributions of women to a better world and customer experience community.  We are committed to continuing a culture of inclusivity and belonging, where everyone (regardless of gender) is welcomed and provided with equitable opportunity.