Shaun Smith

Shaun Smith is a customer experience strategist who transforms how organisations connect with their customers and build lasting loyalty. As founder of Smith+Co and former Head of Customer Service at British Airways, where he helped steer the acclaimed 'Putting People First' initiative, he has spent over 25 years guiding executive teams across Europe, Asia Pacific and the US through brand differentiation and organisational alignment. A Fellow of the Professional Speakers Association and author of several books on customer experience innovation, Shaun equips leaders with straightforward, practical strategies that align marketing, service and people to create experiences that truly differentiate brands and drive measurable commercial success.

During the privatisation of British Airways in the mid-1980s, Shaun Smith served on the four-person steering group that managed the airline's acclaimed 'Putting People First' initiative, helping to redefine customer service standards across the industry. That experience marked the beginning of a career-long mission to shift organisational thinking from tactical customer service fixes to the strategic design of customer experience. As founder of Smith+Co, he has spent more than 25 years working with senior executive teams across Europe, Asia Pacific and the United States, helping them build experiences that drive brand differentiation and lasting customer loyalty. His work has spanned retail, telecoms, travel, financial services, technology, automotive, manufacturing and the public sector, proving that exceptional customer experience is both universal in principle and specific in application.

Shaun's credibility rests on a rare combination of operational leadership and strategic consulting. After his time at British Airways, where he led customer service, sales and marketing training worldwide, he moved to Hong Kong as Managing Director of Cathay Performa Consulting, a subsidiary of The Swire Group. There, he guided major organisations throughout Asia on service strategy before being appointed Group Advisor to Inchcape Group, where he worked with over 30 business units to shift their competitive focus from price and product to customer service. Later, as Senior Vice President of the Forum Corporation, a global workplace learning provider, he developed the company's consulting practice in customer experience. His practical expertise has informed several books on brand stories, market transformation and customer experience innovation, and his insights have been featured on CNBC and CNN. A Fellow of the Professional Speakers Association and member of the International Federation for Professional Speakers, he has been voted one of the UK's top business speakers and has appeared multiple times at the prestigious London Business Forum.

Shaun's approach centres on keeping things simple and actionable. He works with leaders to align marketing, customer service and human resources so that every part of the organisation contributes to a coherent, differentiated customer experience. Audiences leave his sessions with practical frameworks they can apply immediately, whether they are designing a new service strategy, leading organisational change or motivating teams to deliver on brand promises. His straightforward style cuts through complexity, offering clarity on how to compete beyond price and product. For organisations seeking measurable commercial success through better customer experience, Shaun provides the strategic insight and operational know-how that turn ambition into sustained competitive advantage.