Competing on experience,
winning the customer
Customer Alpha
September 2026 | New York
Customer Alpha is a cross industry community of professionals striving to create better outcomes for their customers. It’s a platform for learning and discussion on all things customer. From leveraging omnichannel marketing to using customer data to create personalized loyalty cards, we’re bringing customer experience leaders from eBay, Marks & Spencer, National Rail, Only Fans and more together under one roof to collaborate and explore the next frontier in customer experience innovation.
2023 Key event stats
The customer reigns supreme and strategies to win their hearts, minds and share of wallet have never been more important. Understand how customer behaviour is evolving and informing the strategies, products and processes that will attract, retain, and better serve the current and next generation of customers
Rockstar speakers
Co-located with three other events
Day of innovative content
Attendees
2023 Key themes
DESIGNING WINNING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES
Customer behaviour and expectations are changing, and customer experiences need to keep pace. Understand customer expectation and how to deliver products and services that make the grade.
THE POWER OF CUSTOMER DATA
Understand the potential to leverage customer data to gain competitive advantage. Make the most of customer data whilst ensuring safety and security.
INNOVATING AT CHECKOUT
Understand the potential to leverage customer data to gain competitive advantage. Make the most of customer data whilst ensuring safety and security.
OMNICHANNEL STRATEGY IN ACTION
Customer behaviour and expectations are changing, and customer experiences need to keep pace. Understand customer expectation and how to deliver products and services that make the grade.
BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION
Understand how business model innovation can create stickiness, increase lifetime value and lower cost of acquisition.
NEXT GEN TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES
The customers of today, tomorrow and beyond won’t have their needs met by yesterday’s technologies. Successful businesses need to innovate to control costs, meet customer demand and stay ahead of the curve.
2023 Rockstar sponsors
Invest NI Delegation
2023 Media partners
2023 Rockstar speakers
2023 Agenda
8.30 - 9.00 Networking breakfast
9.00 - 9.10 Opening remarks
9.10 - 9.50 Unpacking the eCommerce explosion through the lens of the customer
- Krithika Rosenthal, Group Director of Strategy, Wavemaker
- Elizabeth Zietlow, Vice President – Experience Insights, Strategy
& Research, Signet Jewellers - Max Rudy, Director of eCommerce, Wild Planet Foods
9:50 - 10:30 Data drives results
- Wesley Shayne Mann, Senior Manager– Finance & Payment
Analytics, Etsy - Christian Trautwein, Senior Manager | Strategy & Operations,
ZocDoc - Peter Gray, Former Vice President of Growth Product, Wall Street Journal
10.30 - 11.10 Coffee break
11:10 - 11.50 The next frontier in omnichannel commerce
- Lauren Benkov, Director of Customer Experience, Wonder
- Samuel Hollander, Founder & Chief Growth Officer, Mango
Media - Thiago Gaiao, Global Omni Category Development Director,
Reckitt - Ben Schein, Head of Product Management, Shake Shack
11.50 - 12.30 Keep your friends close and your customer even closer
- Moderator: Cindi Rosner, Vice President of Marketing, CR
Consulting - Nana Danielov, Senior Vice President, BioNova
- Jonah Redel-Traudel, Director of eCommerce, Summit Golf Brands
12.30 - 1.30 Lunch
1.30 - 2.10 Living the dream: Creating seamless customer journeys
- Alexis Pena Vecino, AVP of Customer Experience & Marketing
Operations, NAADAM - Haixia Yu, Chief Executive Officer, 1898 Legacy
- Alan Magee, Vice President – Marketing, Empire Portfolio Group (DBA OrangeTheory Fitness)
2.10 - 2.50 Innovation at checkout: How the power of technology is transforming payments
- Jess Dembeck, Principal Product Manager – Payments, The
Lifetime Value Company - Dhruv Sharma, Head of Payment, WeWork
- Marc Lupinacci, Senior Director D2C eCommerce, SimpleTire
2.50 - 3.30 How can businesses better serve customers during at time of rising prices and stretched incomes?
- Courtney Cardin, Co-Founder, Aura Finance
- Lance Amato, Head of Customer Experience, Amato
- Sam Paik, Chief Financial Officer, Empire Portfolio Group
3.30 - 4.00 Coffee break
4.00 - 4.40 Seeking resonance - How brands can communicate with the next generation of consumers?
- Shahzad Haider, President, The Future Connoisseurs
- Trevor Mengel, Co-Founder & CEO, CloutDesk
- Immanuel Fabian Klaiber, Head of Pricing, FINN
4.40 - 5.20 Sign up now: Exploring the future of the subscription economy
- Immanuel Fabian Klaiber, Head of Pricing, FINN
- Peter Gray, Former Vice President of Growth Product, Wall Street Journal
5.20 - 5.25 Closing remarks
5.30 - 6.30 Networking drinks
Co-located events
One day, four events and an interconnected community – register your interest for Customer Alpha and get access to FTT Embedded Finance & Super-Apps, Future Identity Finance and Fintech Talents North America. Four events’ worth of content and networking.
Join an exciting and disruptive community of retailers, manufacturers, insurers, telcos, financial institutions, fintechs and tech innovators and learn how embedded finance is spearheading cross industry financial transformation.
Explore how digital identity can reduce fraud, enhance compliance and build customer trust in an evolving financial services landscape.
Discover a community of innovators and collaborators redefining financial services across a continent.
Register your interest
Contact us
Reach out to the Customer Alpha team with queries on how to get involved through sponsorship, exhibition, speaking or media partnership opportunities.
