Customer Service Department & Customer Service Success Awards Judging Committee

As CEO of TouchPoint One, Greg leads the transformation of contact center performance management by optimizing the intersection of human potential and artificial intelligence. Driven by a lifelong commitment to helping others succeed, he focuses on empowering traditionally undervalued frontline CX workers and supporting fellow entrepreneurs. His career began as an outbound telesales representative at CUC/Cendant after graduating from The Ohio State University. This experience provided insights into customer engagement challenges that would later influence his work and fuel his passion for creating systems that empower and inspire excellence among frontline workers. His performance led to recruitment into financial services, where he earned NASD Series 7 and 24 licenses, deepening his understanding of economics, business operations, and investment principles, knowledge that became the springboard for his entrepreneurial ventures.

As Chairman and CEO of PWI (1997-2015), Greg built a global software development company with engineering centers in the U.S. and Eastern Europe, delivering custom solutions for clients from startups to global enterprises. Throughout this journey, he has created opportunities that increase the probability of success for individuals demonstrating hard work, honesty, creativity, and compassion. He served as Board Director and COO at Internet Transaction Solutions (1997-2007), pioneering electronic payment solutions before acquisition by Online Resources Corp. He also founded and led Privacyware (1999-2023), developing web application firewall, endpoint defense, and security analytics software with early AI and machine learning applications.

Today, he serves on the Forbes Technology Council, advises companies including Calamu Technologies and ai1 Technologies, and participates in Landmark Ventures Executive Advisory & Dealmaking (LEAD) Program. Through TouchPoint One's Acuity platform and gamification solutions, we help organizations make data-driven decisions that maximize operational effectiveness while creating merit-based pathways to success.

Greg remains an active investor and mentor to entrepreneurs and contributes as a Customer Service and CX Judge and Chair for the Stevie® Awards, coming full circle to the industry where his career began. His greatest fulfillment comes from initiatives that create a ripple effect of success, empowering individuals who, in turn, elevate others around them.

Francesca Alabede is the Operations and Customer Experience Manager at Lingawa, where she drives service excellence, team development, and operational growth. She is passionate about people-centred leadership and is deeply committed to advancing innovation and excellence in customer service globally. Francesca brings this expertise and perspective to the Stevie Awards judging panel.

Through keynotes and training, Mike Aoki equips teams to excel in high-stakes customer conversations that drive revenue and protect reputation. As an ICMI Hall of Fame inductee, he helps teams in regulated environments handle complex interactions where errors carry real consequences. His approach reduces escalations and improves retention by bridging the gap between digital efficiency and empathy.

Vicki Brackett is the Chief Knowledge Officer at Knowledgely™ and a seasoned contact center executive. A frequent speaker, podcast guest, and author of The Leadership Toolbox – Manage Less, Achieve More, she helps organizations strengthen knowledge strategies, elevate leadership impact, and improve both employee and customer experiences.

Kate Brouse is a recognized thought leader and speaker in the CX space as well as a Disability Advocate dedicated to transforming Customer Experience (CX) to drive better human-to-human interactions and outcomes that make people happier. Her work emphasizes a practical, value-driven strategy for technology adoption, such as the "Crawl, Walk, Run" method.

Transforming how organizations operate by aligning people, process, and technology to drive measurable growth. Working with companies from startups to Fortune 500 giants including Verizon, Apple, and Xerox. With a partner network of more than 150 companies, Cynthia brings scalable solutions across industries, including contact centers, sales organizations, and enterprise operations.

A Marketer, ICF accredited certified coach, Ankoor is people-virtuoso and advocate of social impact, driven by kaizen, Ankoor believes in the power of Energy and Energize while bringing a pedigree of 24 years across the spectrum of media - print, digital, mobile, event productions & thought leadership, spearheaded cross functional roles. Ankoor is POSH Certified. Trained from Dale Carnegie.

With over 20 years as a trusted CX & service delivery leader, enabling scale & expansion, Sandy creates trusted, valued relationships that foster growth. She is a global commercial executive with the talent for discovering underlying business needs, strategically designing innovative solutions, elevating CX/EX, while developing & inspiring others through mentoring, professional writing & speaking.

Krystle Gibson is a Senior Customer Experience Leader with 15+ years of expertise. She applies AI and data-driven strategies to elevate customer satisfaction and business growth. Known for empathetic leadership and cross-functional influence, she is an award-winning advocate for innovation and inclusive culture.

With over 10 years of experience in computer networking and security, Vishal worked with global enterprise customers to design and support secure, high-performing networks. From his early days at Juniper Networks to his current role at Versa Networks as a Senior Network Architect, Vishal focused on building scalable Network security solutions that drive customer success.

Technologist, product leader, and market analyst at Deloitte, where he partners with clients to launch new products, build technology-enabled businesses, execute go-to-market strategies, develop a portfolio, pricing, and packaging strategies, and to adopt enterprise AI and cloud technologies.

Over 7 years of project experience in Management consulting, Public Service Performance development, Models Implementation & Channels Assessment & Improvement. Worked with many UAE Government organizations to achieve both locally & globally identified accreditation including The Global Star Rating Program "7 Star", Management Standards ”ISO”, Strategic planning and future foresight.

Swapnil is an experienced supply chain professional with over 18 years of experience in the Customer Experience & Service, Strategy & Transformation, New Product Development, Warehousing & Transportation, Sales & Operation Planning, and Category Operations. Swapnil holds a master's in business administration with engineering in Computer Science & Technology.

Nik Kale is a Principal Engineer at Cisco, where he architects enterprise-scale AI platforms serving over 200,000 users globally. He evaluates hundreds of technology submissions annually as an awards judge, serves as an academic peer reviewer for ACM and IEEE, contributes to international AI and security standards bodies, and is a multi-patent holder recognized for original industry contributions.

Srinivasu is mission-oriented expert in Cloud Computing and CRM technologies.

Software developer and technology leader with 15 years of full-cycle experience, currently working as a Salesforce Technical Lead. At the University of California, Mallesh designs and builds AI-enabled, resilient systems that support business continuity, ITDR, and emergency management across multiple campuses and health systems, with a focus on automation and practical, human-centered digital solutions.

Mr. Elias Naduvath Varghese is a seasoned IT professional with nearly 20 years of experience specializing in Software Design, Software Development, and Cloud Architecture. Throughout his career, he has contributed to critical technological initiatives and collaborated with globally recognized enterprises, including Walmart Inc., Apple, eBay, Autodesk, and Kaiser Permanente.

Kate Nelson is the Head of Sales and Managing Director of Client Solutions at CX Consulting Partners, where she advises organizations on contact center strategy, customer experience transformation, and CX technology adoption. Through CXCP’s agnostic consulting practice, she works with brands to objectively assess vendors, modernize operations, and design CX programs that align business goals, operational realities, and customer expectations.

Maureen Nnamdi, PMP is a Data and Operations Analyst and emerging technology innovator with experience across energy, financial, and health-tech sectors. At Con Edison, she leads cost optimization and performance analysis for major projects. She previously transformed operational performance at United Bank for Africa, supervising 23 staff & elevating customer service and branch efficiency.

Wendy, a seasoned Transformational Change Executive, is passionate about driving impactful customer and employee experiences. As Senior Director of Technical Program Management at DIRECTV and former Vice President of Operational Effectiveness at Finastra, she leads transformations in corporate systems, customer success, and acquisitions.

Nitin Singh, serving as the Managing Principal and Practice Leader at SAP America, is a seasoned digital transformation leader. His proven track record spans the enterprise application Industry, where he has spearheaded digital transformation initiatives for numerous Fortune 500 companies. Recognized as a thought leader in his field, Singh boasts multiple publications and well-established credentials.

Siddharth Vashist is a senior business and operations leader known for shaping enterprise-scale supply chain strategy across complex, high-growth ecosystems. He drives transformational initiatives spanning forecasting, inventory control, supplier partnerships, and operating-model design, pairing rigorous analytics with executive-level judgment to deliver durable customer and financial outcomes.

With over 16 years of experience in commercial, branding, marketing, and visual design in the real estate industry, Gary, the founder of Brand Head, is a pioneer of shopping center marketing and is dedicated to providing solutions for branding, digitalization, diversification and introducing international marketing concepts and resources to China.