Organizations don’t transform customer experience (CX) through technology alone. They do it because employees at every level — from the C-Suite to the contact center — share a common approach: They put people first, embrace innovation with purpose and inspire others to continually improve.
That’s exactly what stood out among the finalists in the 2026 Genesys Orchestrators Innovation Awards’ four Orchestrator of the Year subcategories: C-Suite, CX Leader, Agent and Developer.
The roles couldn’t be more different. Some finalists oversee global organizations with thousands of employees. Others manage contact centers, design AI-powered customer journeys, run the technology behind the scenes or serve customers directly every day.
Yet despite those differences, their nominations reveal remarkably consistent leadership qualities and striking similarities in how they create better outcomes for customers, colleagues and their organization. They view every interaction as part of a connected journey, every technology decision as an opportunity to remove friction, and every innovation as a chance to create more meaningful experiences.
Here’s what separates this year’s Orchestrator of the Year finalists — and what CX leaders can learn from them.
Visionary leaders make experience everyone’s responsibility
The C-Suite finalists demonstrate that experience transformation starts with purpose-driven leadership — but not simply by setting strategy. The strongest leaders embed customer experience into business strategy, unite teams behind a common vision and empower employees to innovate.
The 2026 C-Suite finalists are:
- Henry Zagastizabal Cahuin, Transformation Manager, Banco de Credito del Peru
- Bryan Cofrin, Chief Technology Officer, Yale New Haven Health System
- Robbie Freeman, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, Mount Sinai Health System
- Vijay Narsapur, SVP & Global Head, Customer Experience Independent Unit, Infosys BPM
- Trond Prestø, EVP Customer Service, Personal Market, DNB Bank
Whether modernizing healthcare delivery, transforming banking experiences or scaling AI-powered customer engagement, these executives consistently champion long-term thinking over quick wins. They invest in culture as much as technology, recognizing that sustainable transformation happens when employees understand not just what is changing, but why.
Perhaps most notably, they view AI as an accelerator — using it to remove friction, personalize experiences and enable employees to focus on higher-value interactions.
Another characteristic shared by this year’s C-Suite finalists is their willingness to lead transformation personally. Rather than delegating AI initiatives or customer experience modernization to individual departments, they’re visible champions of change — breaking down organizational silos, encouraging experimentation and creating cultures where innovation can flourish. They invest time in developing people and aligning teams, recognizing that lasting transformation depends on organizational commitment.
In many ways, these leaders exemplify successful executive sponsorship. They remove barriers, empower teams closest to customers to make decisions, and establish governance models that encourage innovation while maintaining accountability — creating the conditions for people, processes and technology to succeed together.
Experience leaders sit at the intersection of customer expectations, employee needs and operational performance. This year’s CX Leader finalists excel by successfully balancing all three.
Their organizations rely heavily on customer feedback, journey analytics and operational insights to identify opportunities for improvement. But information alone isn’t the key differentiator. The common thread is empathy.
These leaders listen deeply — to customers, frontline employees and business stakeholders — and use those insights to drive meaningful change. The result is measurable business impact alongside stronger customer loyalty and more engaged employees.
The CX Leader finalists are:
- Pamela Bou Zeid, Head of Shared Services and CX, Al Wathba Insurance
- Laxmi Gollapudi, Infosys BPM
- Lorena Lovric, Director of Customer Experience, Aterian
- Andre Muniz, Project Manager, Bradesco Seguros
- Jessica Peters, Coordinator, Operations – SX Service Centre, Charles Sturt University
- Camilo Rodriguez, Director of Automation and Data Science, emtelco
- Cynthia Seow, Director of Customer Experience and Digital, Astro
- Aki Savolainen, Head of Contact Center, Electrolux
- Ben White, Contact Center Manager, Nespresso
Most of the CX Leader finalists believe that employee experience and customer experience are inextricably linked. And they consistently demonstrate that empowered employees create better customer outcomes.
They create environments where employees have more time, confidence and context to deliver exceptional experiences — in part by simplifying workflows with journey insights, expanding coaching opportunities through speech and text analytics, and introducing AI assistants like chatbots and Genesys Cloud Copilot to reduce repetitive work and give employees time back to focus on high-impact interactions.
By reducing friction for the people delivering experiences, these CX Leader finalists make it easier to deliver empathy at scale.
While AI and automation featured prominently throughout this year’s nominations, the Agent finalists offered an important reminder: Technology is most powerful when it enables people to deliver more human experiences.
The Agent finalists are:
- Shakira Bannister, Customer Care Professional, Lighthouse Works
- Maribeth Lagman, Customer Experience Agent, Aterian
- Angela Ochoa-Alverez, Patient Care Coordinator, Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging
- Darius Redmond, Customer Care Professional, Lighthouse Works
These finalists consistently demonstrate exceptional empathy, resilience and problem-solving under even the most challenging circumstances. They advocate for customers, identify opportunities for process improvements and serve as trusted voices within their organizations.
Many also extended their influence beyond individual customer interactions by coaching peers, contributing ideas for continuous improvement and helping shape stronger customer experiences across the organization.
Perhaps the most striking takeaway from the frontline agent category is the power of AI to enable empathy. AI helps ensure customers reach the right person faster, surface relevant information for agents in real time and reduce administrative effort. As a result, agents can spend less time navigating processes and more time using their emotional intelligence, judgment and problem-solving skills to create exceptional experiences.
Whether reassuring anxious patients, helping families navigate difficult financial situations or mentoring teammates through complex processes, these finalists demonstrate that listening carefully, explaining clearly and making another person feel genuinely understood builds trust — one conversation at a time.
Behind every seamless experience is someone who made it possible.
The Developer finalists consistently demonstrate technical excellence paired with business insight. They don’t simply build integrations, automations or AI solutions; they solve complex experience and operational challenges, architect connected journeys and help build the foundation for ongoing innovation.
The 2026 Developer finalists are:
- Phaneendra Avatapalli, Technical Solutions Consultant, Monash University
- Mike Fox, Software Developer, Lighthouse Works
- Eystein Kylland, Tech Lead, Contact Center, DNB Bank
- Anna Luyza de Oliveira Ventura, Software Project Coordinator, Brisanet
- Chris Rodriguez, Sr. Contact Center System Administrator, Clearwave Fiber
- Luis Teran, Network and Communications Architect, Banco Pichincha
Another recurring trait is curiosity. Rather than waiting for requirements, these developers proactively identify opportunities to eliminate friction, automate repetitive work, connect previously siloed systems and anticipate future business needs. They often see opportunities where others see obstacles.
Many also act as translators between technical and business teams, helping stakeholders understand how emerging AI capabilities can help solve practical problems and improve outcomes for customers, agents and the business.
Equally important is their willingness to multiply their impact — mentoring colleagues, documenting best practices, building reusable frameworks and helping raise technical capabilities across their organizations.
Their nominations reinforced an often-overlooked truth about experience orchestration: Great developers create the foundation that allows AI, automation and human expertise to come together in experiences that are consistent, secure and scalable.
Winners will be announced on September 1 at Xperience 2026. Learn more about the awards.
