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CCMA Contact Centre Innovation Summit

Wed 21 Oct 2026
10:30 - 15:30
Hotel Voco, Manchester

Contact centres are under increasing pressure to do more than ever before: deliver seamless customer journeys, adopt AI with confidence, and drive measurable performance improvements, all while balancing operational efficiency and rising expectations.  

The challenge is not just where to innovate, but how to make change happen in a way that is practical and human. This event brings together senior leaders to share real experiences and explore what is working in practice, to support them with decisions that will have the greatest impact over the next 12–18 months. 

This senior-level event is designed for those looking to move beyond incremental change and take a more structured approach to transformation. Through a combination of expert sessions, case studies, and round table discussions, we will explore how to redesign customer journeys and prioritise technology investment in a way that delivers real value.  

How much is it?

Included as part of CCMA membership. £99+VAT for non-members

Why should you go?

You will leave with a clearer understanding of where to focus, how to overcome common barriers, and what practical steps to take next to accelerate your transformation journey.

Who is it for?

For those responsible for managing a department or have direct input into the strategic development of their contact centre. They may be responsible for change, innovation or the technology in their contact centre, including IT Director, Head of Change or a Senior Project Manager.

Agenda

10:30
Welcome
Leigh Hopwood, CEO, CCMA
10:50
Keynote: Time to Innovate

Innovation in the contact centre is no longer optional, it’s essential. Alex will explore why transformation in the contact centre is critical to business and how AI, smarter workflows, and human‑centred design are reshaping service performance. Expect fresh thinking, and a clear roadmap to drive meaningful transformation in 2026 and beyond.

Alex Gold, Executive Director, JPMorganChase
11:20
Helping Customers Help Themselves

The best service experiences don’t start when a customer contacts you. They start by making support easy to find, simple to use and tailored to customer needs. Hear how Sage has combined customer insight, AI and digital innovation to design journeys that reduce effort, increase confidence and create better outcomes, from regulatory change and onboarding to everyday support interactions. 

Sharon Oley, Customer Services Director, Sage and Fallon Scott, Chatbot and Content Design Manager, Sage
11:40
Roundtable Discussion: Where Do You Start?

How do you identify the customer journeys that are causing the most pain? Who takes responsibility for leading change, who’s in the working group and who are the key stakeholders?  

Kate Knowles, Services Director, CCMA
12:30
Networking Lunch
13:15
Debate: Overcoming Barriers

We’ll explore what really holds contact centres back from innovating; from legacy systems and siloed processes to cultural hesitation and competing priorities. The panel will share practical stories of how they’ve broken through these barriers, empowered their teams, and created the space for fresh ideas to take root, unlocking smarter, faster and more human customer experiences. 

With:

  • Catherine Lindsay, Head of Contact Centre and Customer Support, Leeds Building Society
  • Matthew Dijkstra, Chief Customer Officer, Vitality
  • Darryl Beckford, Chief Architect, Major Retailer
Hosted by Chris Ward, Head of Content, CCMA
13:45
Roundtable Discussion: Tech Innovation Priorities

What are your priorities for innovating your tech stack? Are you updating your legacy systems over introducing AI? Are you investing in knowledge management to be AI-ready? Are you delivering on a next generational AI approach?  

Luke Cuthbertson, Head of CX Consulting, Route 101
14:30
Networking Break
14:45
Totally Committed to AI: The Lessons So Far

OVO Energy is on a mission to embed AI and agentic AI across its customer operation, reimagining how customers get support and how colleagues deliver it. In this candid session, Laura shares where AI has been implemented so far, where the biggest returns have been realised, and the lessons learned along the way. Discover how the organisation has balanced innovation with customer outcomes, where AI has genuinely improved experience and efficiency, and what they would do differently if they were starting again today. 

Laura O’Neill, Senior Digital & AI Operations Lead, OVO Energy
15:10
Q&A + Final Thoughts

As a round up to the day, you’ll have an opportunity to raise questions of all the days speakers and share your comments and learnings from the day. 

Leigh Hopwood, CEO, CCMA
15:30
Close

Speakers

Alex Gold

Executive Director
JPMorganChase
Alex leads customer service transformation, using experimentation, AI and human-centred design to build high-performing, technology-enabled teams that improve customer and colleague experiences today.

Catherine Lindsay

Head of Customer Operations
Leeds Building Society
Catherine has worked in Contact Centres and Customer Experience for 30 years.  Currently Head of Customer Operations at Leeds Building Society, she leads Contact Centre, Back Office and Complaints.

Darryl Beckford

Chief Architect
Major Retailer
Darryl shapes technology strategy and AI transformation, helping organisations build resilient customer operations, scale service platforms and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Fallon Scott

Chatbot and Content Design Manager
Sage
Fallon is passionate about AI, automation and customer experience. She leads global teams to deliver innovative digital solutions, optimise customer journeys and drive measurable business growth.

Laura O'Neill

Senior Digital and AI Operations Lead
OVO Energy
Laura leads business optimisation and change initiatives, coaching teams, driving continuous improvement, operational excellence, and transformation across customer operations.

Luke Cuthbertson

Head of CX Consulting Practice
Route 101
With 16 years’ experience in contact centre improvement roles, Luke specialises in using data, technology, and AI to help organisations define and deliver effective CX strategies.

Matthew Dijkstra

Chief Customer Officer
Vitality
Matthew champions customer-centricity across the business, combining insight, innovation and operational excellence to deliver outstanding customer outcomes and experiences at scale.

Sharon Oley

Customer Services Director
Sage
Sharon leads large-scale customer service operations, driving strategic transformation, performance, and people development while building high-performing teams and fostering future talent.

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The CCMA was founded with the goal of sharing best practice and networking to improve skills and knowledge in order to progress contact centre operations - and we live by that to this day.

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