Senior Hires Boost New Ipsos Integrated CEX Division

In Australia, Ipsos has launched a new division focused on customer and employee experience (CEX), integrating its existing CX and EX business units. The firm has also announced three senior appointments for the new division: Melissa Yow, Rollo Grayson and Bhavna Sawnani.

The buy follows the recent acquisition of CX and EX specialist Big Village Australia, which has brought large-scale federal government programs to Ipsos as well as major private sector clients. The new unit promises clients more impactful advice due to the connections between the two disciplines.

The appointments are effective immediately. Yow joins as Director of Customer Experience in Australia, with fifteen years consulting and research experience including customer journey mapping, persona creation and advisory services for clients in finance, FMCG, utilities, transport and leisure as well as the public sector and not-for-profit organisations. She worked most recently at Forethought, where she was General Manager of Customer Experience Advisory.

Grayson joins as Director in the Australian CX Advisory team, having worked in CX and marketing roles across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the US and Europe. With a focus on helping organisations leverage their CX programs to drive strategic business change and growth, he joins from Vodafone New Zealand, where he was the Head of Customer Strategy and Insights.

Sawnani is a new Account Director in the EX team, and transfers in from the same unit in Ipsos UK. She brings nearly a decade of EX experience in sectors including healthcare, transport, financial services and government, and has worked extensively in culture program development, employment engagement strategy design and activation.

Wendy McInnes, Director, Customer and Employee Experience says the launch 'follows the growing demand from our clients for a total understanding of the human experience with corporations and service providers'. She adds: We recognise that understanding people as both employees and customers is crucial for success, and this new team connects our individual CX and EX spaces to enable businesses to truly thrive in today's competitive market' McInnes says the three new arrivals bring 'a wealth of knowledge across the full gamut of CX and EX strategy and activation'.

Web site: www.ipsos.com .