What has been your business/work highlight of 2024 so far?

Socialising Customer Experience metrics across the business functions, and bringing the voice of the customer closer to functional leaders and teams, by extracting actionable insights from customer feedback that will allow improving processes and systems to better meet customers’ needs.

Who is your business hero and why?

One of my business heroes has been Steve Jobs. His legacy extends beyond the remarkable achievements of Apple Inc., resonating particularly due to his unwavering commitment to prioritizing the customer experience. A notable axiom of his, “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. You can’t start with the technology then try to figure out where to sell it,” encapsulates this ethos succinctly.
Inspired by Jobs’ philosophy, I made a pivotal decision to redirect my career trajectory towards the domain of Customer Experience. Though this transformation transpired years ago, its enduring relevance continues to underscore the significance of cultivating customer-centricity within enterprises. Regrettably, not all organisations recognise the paramount importance of embracing this elevated standard of customer focus.

What’s the biggest business mistake you’ve made and what did you learn from it?

Creating an internal process that affected multiple functional teams, and developing and deploying a solution based on some data and multiple assumptions that were not fully validated. I clearly learned that any change, in order to be successful, requires the involvement from the start of key stakeholders and impacted parties, to define together the end solution, and also requires intentional change management at the people level.

What’s the most inspirational book you’ve ever read and why?

Playing Big, by Tara Mohr. It’s inspirational because it encouraged me to step into my full potential and embrace my aspirations without being held back by self-doubt or societal limitations. It also challenges traditional notions of success and encouraged me to define success on my own terms, rather than conforming to external expectations. Overall is a motivating and empowering guide for anyone seeking to overcome self-doubt, cultivate their inner wisdom, and play a bigger game in life.

What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role in 2024?

The biggest challenge I’m facing nowadays is the limited resources compared to the immense potential work my team could do in the multiple areas of Customer Experience, using existing and also new approaches and technologies. It’s still challenging to build strong enough business cases to get those additional resources focused on long-term business gains, difficult to prove an ROI immediately.

What technology will have the greatest impact on your business this year and why?

Artificial intelligence (AI) represents a transformative force poised to reshape both business operations and our comprehension of customer behaviours and market demands. While its immediate impact on short-term business growth may be indirect, it will play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of our offerings to meet evolving customer needs. The convergence of AI with life sciences holds immense promise in revolutionising critical areas where our customers work, such as drug discovery, healthcare delivery, and biomedical research, ushering in substantial advancements in human health and well-being. As a company, it is imperative that we align ourselves with these customers’ advancements and provide support to facilitate their success, leveraging AI and Machine Learning (ML) judiciously where applicable.