Behind every great customer experience employee is a great leader — someone who possesses authenticity, empathy, adaptability and resilience. They can guide their teams through change while balancing people and progress. They foster transparent, human-centered experiences to empower both customers and employees. And they do this while delivering strong business outcomes.   

In today’s fast-paced experience economy, these leaders must be agile and ready to implement next-level tools like artificial intelligence (AI). We recently met several standout leaders who embody all of these qualities during two “Women in Leadership” panel discussions at Xperience 2025. 

“Women in Leadership – Voices of Impact: Women leading the future of CX” and “Women in Leadership: Global women leaders redefining CX” featured senior executives from various industries and geographies who came together to share candid stories about CX leadership in the age of AI.  

They discussed everything from their leadership journeys to embracing emerging technologies. These sessions offered both inspiration and practical advice.

The speakers included:

Women in Leadership: Voices of Impact: Women leading the future of CX 

  • Kelly Garcia, VP, Customer Service Center, Presbyterian Healthcare Services 
  • Mackenzi Eisman, Senior Manager, Communications Platform Services, Global Payments 
  • Lori Neisel, Director, Digital and Technology Product, American Family Insurance 
  • Lashawn Boyd, Technology Manager, Carmax 
  • Holli Bingham, SVP of Customer Success and Renewal Management, Genesys (moderator) 

Women in Leadership: Global women leaders redefining CX 

  • Louise Phillips, Vice President, Customer Centres, Virgin Atlantic Airways 
  • Cristiane Vargas, Technology Executive, Banco Bradesco 
  • Carolin Raezer, Director, Strategy & Innovation, IONOS 
  • Emma Noble-Beasley, Programme Director, Customer Experience Innovation, New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Employment and Innovation 
  • Amanda Andreone, Country Manager, Brazil, Genesys (moderator) 

Here are the key themes that emerged.

1. Make Authenticity Your Leadership Superpower

One of the strongest threads across both sessions was the emphasis on authenticity. Leaders advised attendees to avoid pressuring themself to conform to what they believe are others’ expectations. They stressed the importance of staying true to who you are.  

In the current environment, where influencers can have an outsized impact and the pressure to stand out as a top performer is greater than ever, it can be difficult to do so. 

“Understanding who you are as a human, as a woman, who you want to be as a leader — and then leaning into what you’re really good at — is absolutely critical to being a successful leader,” said Lori Neisel, Director of Digital and Technology Product at American Family Insurance.  

Neisel added that learning from the qualities you’d like to emulate can be beneficial, as long as you stay true to your authentic self. 

Mackenzi Eisman knows this firsthand. Eisman, Senior Manager of Communications Platform Services at Global Payments, shared that earlier in her career she muted her bright style and outspoken personality to “fit in” with other leaders before realizing she was stronger when she showed up as herself. “If I want to sit at the table, I’m going to sit as exactly who I am, rather than trying to be a puzzle piece I think they need,” she said. 

Similarly, being your authentic self can provide the confidence you need to share a difference of opinion — especially about a weighty topic. “You’ve got to have authenticity to be able to say, ‘I don’t agree,’” added Louise Phillips, VP of Customer Centres at Virgin Atlantic.  

2. Grow by Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone 

Several of the panelists recommended that leaders who want to keep growing and progressing need to own their expertise and trust their instincts. But they should also be willing to step out of their comfort zone. That means, when a challenge or growth opportunity presents itself, take it. 

“Never waste a good opportunity. It builds your resilience and helps others see that you’re adaptable and reliable when it counts,” said Emma Noble-Beasley, Programme Director at the Ministry of Business, Education and Innovation. 

Kelly Garcia, Vice President at Presbyterian Healthcare Services, concurred: “If it pushes you out of your comfort zone, then you need to do it, because that’s when you’re growing.”  

And don’t let imposter syndrome get in your way, panelists advised. “Saying yes before I was ready helped me let go of imposter syndrome,” said Phillips of Virgin Atlantic. “My capability is defined by results and showing up.” 

Everyone has a first time that they have to manage a complex, highly visible project. Gaining confidence means taking on that challenge — even if you feel hesitant.  

“Early in my career, I felt like I needed to have all the answers,” said Lashawn Boyd, Technology Manager at CarMax. “But it’s okay to learn as you go. We just need to have confidence in ourselves.” 

Neisel of American Family Insurance described overcoming the tendency to ask for permission before kicking off a new project, a habit she noted that many women fall into early in their careers. “You’re here because of what you’ve done, your experience, what you’ve delivered,” she said. “You don’t need to ask for permission to get something done.” 

3. Know the Power of Mentorship and Advocacy

Many of the panelists emphasized the importance of having both mentors and advocates as you work to advance in your career. Mentors guide, advise and challenge you; advocates champion you when you’re not in the room. Both are essential.  

Garcia of Presbyterian Healthcare Services emphasized the value of a mentor who is as candid as they are supportive. “Having someone at work who will be really honest with you — even when the feedback’s not what you want to hear — is critical. It’s a gift,” Garcia said. 

Boyd shared that her most effective mentor wasn’t who she initially expected, reminding attendees not to limit themselves when seeking support. “Early on, I was focused on finding a female mentor, thinking she would have experiences I could relate to,” Boyd explained. “What I discovered instead was that my best mentor came from a different background. He was honest, transparent, and helped me recognize both my strengths and the areas where I needed to grow.”  

Advocates are also people who extend your influence. “You need an advocate who will advocate for you no matter where you are, whether you’re in the room or not,” said Neisel. 

And while having an advocate and a mentor are important, it’s just as crucial to serve in those supporting roles for others.  

“We have a responsibility to be mentors and leaders and guide others,” said Noble-Beasley. “They can’t get all of their insights, their mentorship and guidance from AI or from the web. We have a responsibility as humans to actually be humans and keep the connections up.” 

4. Embrace AI with Responsibility and Curiosity 

That mentorship extends to AI. Several panelists emphasized the importance not only of adopting AI, but also of guiding others on using it in their roles. While excitement was high, so too was the call for responsibility, inclusion and a human-centered approach. 

“AI is not about technology revolution — it’s about cultural revolution,” said Cristiane Vargas, Technology Executive at Banco Bradesco. “We need women leading this discussion to make sure that we have an AI culture where everybody belongs.” 

Phillips advised taking a balanced approach. “AI won’t solve everything, and it’s okay to say that,” she said. “There are areas where only a human will do. It’s about delivering AI authentically and responsibly.” 

One way to do that is by building buy-in through open communication and transparency.  

“We explained how we’re using AI as augmentation — how it can make you better, more efficient and drive better experiences while remaining customer focused,” said Neisel. “That’s when people started to embrace it.” 

Neisel said American Family Insurance also used gamification to build AI adoption. For example, managers encouraged employees to use an internal AI tool to build a story, and the most creative entry would win. “We had a lot of laughs just learning about and listening to the stories that employees created with the tool,” she said. 

Boyd’s approach is to lead by example. She starts researching, learning and testing AI tools herself first. And when she feels the tool and timing are right, she shares her findings and enthusiasm with her team. 

“I consider, ‘How could this help us? How can we use it?’ and then I bring it to my team so we can talk it through and try it out,” she said. 

Phillips also models the behaviors she’d like to see around AI. “I role model curiosity. It’s about encouraging people to have a curiosity about AI, understand what’s right for our business, what outcomes we’re looking to drive,” she said. “We can’t allow ourselves to be frightened of AI, because it’s going to happen whether we like it or not.” 

Noble-Beasley echoes the advice of focusing on the right use cases rather than chasing every shiny tool. “Be selective about the right opportunities to use AI,” she said. “Just because someone else has done something, it doesn’t mean that it’s a one size fits all for everyone. You need to understand your customer base and the experiences you want to create.” 

CX Leadership in the Future

These panels didn’t sugarcoat the challenges of leadership, but they showed that authenticity, courage, mentorship and responsible innovation can pave the way forward.  

For those managing customer experience teams today, the lessons are clear: Lead with humanity, model the behaviors you want to see and never underestimate the power of showing up as your true self.