Episodes

  • AI and the Future of Customer Experience
    Jan 18 2026

    This episode explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping customer experience across marketing, sales, and service. The discussion dives into the shift from efficiency gains to creating connected ecosystems that deliver a “total experience” for customers, employees, and partners. Key themes include the critical role of high-quality data, evolving operating models, and embedding AI into every layer of the business. The conversation also highlights why trust, integrity, and employee experience are essential pillars for success in an AI-driven world, and how governance frameworks must adapt to balance human and AI decision-making. Finally, the episode looks ahead to the biggest trends, shaping customer experience over the next five years and offers practical steps for organizations to start their transformation journey.

    Our speakers this week:

    Walt Becker, Global Customer Advisory CoE Lead, KPMG International Tim Knight, Partner, Head of Customer Experience, KPMG in the UK Carmen Bekker, Partner, ASPAC Customer Lead, KPMG in Australia

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    20 mins
  • The New Edge in Business Growth
    Dec 1 2025
    KPMG’s Customer First Podcast brings together global experts to discuss the latest trends in customer experience, highlighting insights from the Customer Experience Excellence Report. This episode explores why customer experience is a key differentiator for businesses, introduces the six pillars framework, and examines how technology, empathy, and total experience strategies help leading brands drive growth and stand out in a competitive market. Our speakers: · Walt Beck, Global Customer Advisory CoE Lead, KPMG International · Scott Lieberman, Customer Advisory Leader, KPMG US · Tomas Potmesil, Customer Advisory Leader, KPMG EMA
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    17 mins
  • Changing expectations: Healthcare and financial services
    Sep 21 2022

    As companies get to grips with inflation, cost of living crises, supply chain issues, and geopolitical conflicts, meeting customers' expectations has never been so challenging. Today, we're having a roundtable with two of KPMG's global sector leads to talk about trends that we're seeing in the marketplace around customers and consumers, and how companies are interacting and engaging with their customers, and how they're trying to stay ahead of disruption.

    Our speakers this week:

    • Julio Hernandez, Global Customer and Operations Service Line Lead, KPMG International
    • Anna van Poucke, Global Sector Lead for Healthcare, KPMG International
    • Judd Caplain, Global Sector Lead for Financial Services, KPMG International
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    32 mins
  • The great data debate
    Aug 24 2022

    From emerging technologies like the metaverse, to speech-processing and improved location-based services, organizations are trying to balance the quest for insight versus the protection of customer data. Today, our panel discuss what good customer privacy looks like, and how it is shaping customer interactions.

    Our speakers this week:

    • Julio Hernandez, Global Customer and Operations Service Line Lead, KPMG International
    • Sylvia Klasovech Kingsmill, Global Head of Privacy and Partner, KPMG in Canada
    • Paul Henninger, Global Head of Lighthouse and Partner, KPMG in the United Kingdom.

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    33 mins
  • Inflation
    Apr 14 2022

    How can companies manage rising inflation and the impact on customers? In this episode, our panel talk about the importance of brand, loyalty, and tactics that companies can take to manage higher inflationary pressure.

    Our speakers in this episode:

    • Julio Hernandez, Global Customer and Operations Service Line Lead, KPMG International
    • Yael Selfin, Chief Economist, KPMG in the UK
    • Edgar Molenaars, Partner, KPMG in The Netherlands
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    24 mins
  • Innovation
    Jan 26 2022

    In this episode, our panel explore constantly rising customer expectations that are challenging companies to innovate fast to keep up, and discuss how organizations can maintain the momentum of transformation accelerated by COVID to ensure their positive results continue. Innovation is not just limited to technology but rather enabled by it.

    Our speakers this week:

    • Isabel Zisselsberger, Partner, Head of Financial Services Strategy and Operations, KPMG China
    • Sam Ganga, Principle, National Consulting Industry Leader - Consumer & Retail, KPMG in the United States
    • Patrick Maes, Director, Head of Customer, Sales, Marketing and Innovation Advisory, KPMG in Belgium
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    26 mins
  • Personalization
    Jan 6 2022

    In this episode, our panel explore personalization and how companies should look to cultivate proactive, one-to-one connections with their customers that deliver on their expectations, without threatening their trust in the brand. They also discuss how, going forward, businesses must be sensitive and systematic in how they utilize data, always demonstrating the clear benefit to the consumer.

    Our speakers this week:

    • Amanda Hicks, Partner, Customer Brand and Marketing Advisory, KPMG Australia
    • Tom Lurtz, Partner, KPMG in Germany
    • Paul Henninger, Partner and Head of Lighthouse, KPMG in the UK
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    34 mins
  • Orchestrating experiences
    Dec 10 2021

    Today, during our episode of Customer First, we're going to be talking about orchestrating customer experiences and KPMG's Global Customer Experience Excellence report for 2021. We'll be discussing what are the key trends from year's research and who are the companies leading the way in CX?

    Our speakers this episode:

    • Julio Hernandez, Global Lead - Customer and Operations, KPMG
    • Jenny Roche, Partner, KPMG Australia
    • Peter Liddell, Global Head of Operations, KPMG

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    30 mins