In any field, there are the talkers and there are the doers. The customer experience world is no different. The spotlight has always favored the loudest voices, the conference keynotes, the self-proclaimed gurus.

But if you look closely, you’ll find that the real progress, the actual work of moving our discipline forward, often happens away from the main stage. It happens in the trenches, in the data, in the quiet, persistent work of individuals who are more interested in getting it right than in being right.

This is a celebration of those people.

In compiling this list, we looked for the people who are asking the hard questions, challenging the ingrained myths, and bringing a new level of rigor to our work. They are the ones who are connecting the dots between brand, marketing, product, and service. They are the ones who are proving, with data and with results, that a better customer experience is not just a nice-to-have, but a fundamental driver of business growth.

We look at the biggest contributors of CX in the world. if you believe someone is missing on this list, you can contact our Course Director to ask about this.

Want to evolve your CX so you can become skilled as well? Discover our courses!

We welcome inspiration for future issues of The CX 50. If you know someone who is advancing customer experience through rigorous thinking, evidence-based practice, and genuine impact, please reach out to us.