Past CCOs of the Year
The Chief Customer Officer (CCO) Council is dedicated to elevating the role of the CCO in business strategy, helping its members grow professionally, and most importantly, helping drive solid, customer-focused results in member organizations.
Each year, the Council recognizes the CCO that has made the greatest strides on improving customer relationships, driving profitable customer behavior, and in creating customer-centric cultures. As well, the Council recognizes the CCO that has had the greatest impact on his or her peers in helping others achieve similar results.
The Chief Customer Officer (CCO) Council is dedicated to elevating the role of the CCO in business strategy, helping its members grow professionally, and most importantly, helping drive solid, customer-focused results in member organizations.
Each year, the Council recognizes the CCO that has made the greatest strides on improving customer relationships, driving profitable customer behavior, and in creating customer-centric cultures. As well, the Council recognizes the CCO that has had the greatest impact on his or her peers in helping others achieve similar results.
LITTLETON, MA, Oct. 9, 2013 -- The Chief Customer Officer (CCO) Council, the only member-led peer-advisory network offering insight and assistance into the critical issues facing CCOs, named Claire M. Burns, Senior Vice President, MetLife, Inc., its 2014 Chief Customer Officer of the Year.
The CCO of the Year award recognizes the CCO who has made the greatest strides in improving customer relationships, driving profitable customer behavior, creating a customer-centric culture, and helping other customer executives to achieve similar results. The award is presented each year at the Annual CCO Summit; this year’s took place on Oct. 8, 2013 at MetLife’s world headquarters in New York City.
MetLife, Inc. is a leading global provider of insurance and employee benefit programs that serves 90 million customers worldwide. As SVP, Customer Centricity, Claire is leading the company’s efforts to enhance their focus on the customer.
“I’m delighted to recognize Claire Burns and MetLife this year,” said Curtis N. Bingham, Founder and Executive Director of the CCO Council. “Claire has done a fantastic job of engaging customers in the creation of an enterprise-wide customer strategy. She has clearly established ROI of customer centricity, created organizational accountability for improvement, and is sharing best practices around the world.”
“Recognition like this reinforces what we see here in MetLife every day – great progress and leadership toward making MetLife a more customer-centric company,” commented Beth Hirschhorn, MetLife’s Executive Vice President of Global Brand & Marketing.
“Successful senior-most customer executives engage the entire company in their mission to become customer centric as they seek to understand and meet customer needs,” Bingham said. “In the case of Claire and MetLife, that endeavor touches millions of customers, agents, and partners across markets as diverse as those of the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Claire has set a powerful example for her company and her peers.”
LITTLETON, MA, Oct. 17, 2012 -- The Chief Customer Officer (CCO) Council, the only member-led peer-advisory network offering insight and assistance into the critical issues facing CCOs, named Pete Winemiller, Senior Vice President, Guest Relations for the Oklahoma City Thunder as the 2013 CCO of the Year. The CCO of the Year Award recognizes the CCO who has made the greatest strides in improving customer relationships, driving profitable customer behavior, creating a customer-centric culture and helping other customer executives to achieve similar results. The award is presented each year at the CCO Summit, which took place on Oct. 16-17, 2012 at Teradata Corporation’s Customer Briefing Center outside of Atlanta, Georgia.
“I'm extremely pleased to recognize the outstanding contribution of Pete Winemiller this year,” said Curtis N. Bingham, Founder and Executive Director of the CCO Council. “Pete is continually learning from other companies and disciplines and creating powerfully loyal customers. A generous and tireless educator, Pete is willing and eager to share anything he has found that works for him with other people, regardless of their industry or their needs.”
Founded in 2008, the Oklahoma City Thunder has developed into an NBA franchise with strong fan, corporate and community support throughout the state. Driven by a philosophy of teamwork and humility, the team stands at the pinnacle of a regional cultural renaissance and strives to focus on community outreach and involvement.
Winemiller manages the Oklahoma City Thunder's Guest Relations department. In addition to pursuing the goal of creating a fan-centric game environment, he has established a training protocol focused on educating Thunder frontline staff on the concept he developed entitled "CLICK!™ with your Guests."
Said Winemiller, “I am honored that the CCO Council would recognize the work of our organization with this award. Both on the court and off the court, everything the Thunder organization does is truly a team effort, and I am confident we would not be receiving this recognition without the dedication of our entire franchise, our outstanding frontline staff and our loyal fans.”
“Successful CCOs – regardless of their title – engage the entire company in their mission to become customer centric as they understand and meet customer needs,” Bingham said. “Customers reward companies they trust. The CCO is uniquely capable of helping align the company to earn this trust and reap top and bottom line results. The Thunder’s amazing journey from the new team in town to ESPN Magazine’s #1 Ultimate Franchise ranking in just four short seasons, is testament to how successfully it has won its customers’ trust.”
On October 19, 2011, the Chief Customer Officer (CCO) Council named Jasmine Green, Vice President and Chief Customer Advocate for Nationwide Insurance, the third CCO of the Year.
“Jasmine was an easy choice for this year’s CCO of the Year Award,” said Curtis N. Bingham, Founder and Executive Director of the CCO Council. “She has been a tireless campaigner for Nationwide’s customers for 25 years. In her current role as Chief Customer Advocate, she serves as a champion for customers across the entire range of Nationwide’s business lines. Her role is unique within the company and there are few customer service advocates like Jasmine within the insurance industry.”
Green is responsible for helping to carry out Nationwide’s focus on personalized and localized customer experiences through the Office of Customer Advocacy. Her office serves as a single point of contact and assistance for all customers, including Nationwide associates. The Office of the Chief Customer Advocate was created to help the company consistently deliver on Nationwide's commitment of personal advocacy for associates, employees, agents, producers, and Nationwide’s end customers, both B2B and B2C.
Said Green, “I am thrilled and honored to receive the Chief Customer Officer Council’s CCO of the Year Award. I’d like to accept this award on behalf of our entire organization, which understands that customer centricity is not just one person’s job, but everyone’s job. I am honored and proud to work for an organization that truly understands the importance of delivering a great customer experience with each interaction.”
Bingham also noted that the Nationwide’s ongoing focus on its culture played a role in the selection of Nationwide, whose associates are passionate about learning how to better deliver great customer experiences.
“The CCO of the Year Award recognizes not only the individual but also the team effort of peer executive leadership all the way down to the front-line employees for their valuable contributions to improving the customer experience,” Bingham said.
“Successful CCOs engage the entire company in understanding customers and meeting customer needs. In this day and age, customers reward companies they trust. The CCO is uniquely capable of helping align the entire company to earn this trust, and the bottom line often benefits as a result.”
In October, 2010 at the inaugural CCO Summit, and in recognition of significant achievement in all these areas, the CCO Council recognized Tammy McLeod, Vice President and CCO of Arizona Public Serice Company as the 2010 Chief Customer Officer of the Year.
“Tammy personifies the CCO of the Year Award,” said Curtis N. Bingham, founder and executive director of the CCO Council. “Gradually yet firmly, she has guided her company’s transformation to a customer-centric culture so that employees recognize that their paychecks are signed by their customers, even though the CFO's name may actually be spelled out. Her success is measured not only by the awards her company has earned during her tenure, but also by the loyalty shown by employees, community leaders and customers she has influenced. She has generously and graciously shared her successes, challenges and resultant best practices with numerous other CCOs.”
“I am proud to accept this award on behalf of the dedicated employees, who go the extra mile every day to make sure our residential and business customers consistently receive the very best service and support possible,” McLeod said. “This award is also a tribute to our management at all levels, who enthusiastically share the ‘customers-first’ commitment.”
McLeod’s responsibilities include management of customer service operations, marketing, and metering. She also oversees APS’ economic development and community relations organizations. Prior to becoming APS’ CCO, McLeod oversaw construction and operations for Southern Arizona.
In June, 2009 at the inaugural CCO Summit, and in recognition of significant achievement in all these areas, the CCO Council is recognizing Jeb Dasteel, CCO of Oracle as the 2009 Chief Customer Officer of the Year.
At the time of the award, Dasteel had been with Oracle for 11 years, five of which have been spent running Oracle’s Global Customer Programs and as CCO for the last year.
During this time, Dasteel has made exceptional strides in improving customer relationships, driving profitable customer behavior, and in creating customer-centric cultures, transforming Oracle from a hard-charging, product focused company to one committed to placing the customer at the center of their strategic decision-making process, with powerful results. The results are impressive. Through a string of 55 acquisitions, Oracle has achieved nearly 100% customer retention.
Charles Phillips, President of Oracle, said, “Several years ago it became clear to us that the Chief Customer Officer role was a missing piece of Oracle’s strategy. Our CCO has become a key part of the Oracle transformation. The pay-off has been tremendous as we become more of a trusted partner to our customers”
“The key to business success, particularly in a down economy, is anticipating customer needs and continuously deepening customer relationships,” said Dasteel. “We’ve gotten really good at listening to customers, prioritizing feedback, and driving customer strategy at all levels. The award is a great honor and a testament to Oracle’s executive leadership that has provided such visible support for the customer focus we’ve tried to achieve.”
The Council is honored to have Jeb Dasteel as the 2009 Chief Customer Officer of the Year.