Supported by
Supported by

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
Reimagining Customer Journeys

In this session, you’ll find out how a contact centre has transformed its customer journeys to deliver smoother, more human experiences while strengthening operational performance. We will reveal the insightled redesign steps they took, how teams and technology came together to remove friction, and the measurable impact on quality, speed, and customer satisfaction, giving you practical inspiration for driving change. 

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:

  • Matthew Dijkstra, Chief Customer Officer, Vitality
  • Mark Billingham, Chief Customer Experience Officer, The Access Group
Hosted by Chris Ward, Content Lead, 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
Committing to AI

We’ll share a journey of full commitment to AI, revealing how the organisation modernised operations through advanced automation and the use of AI. 

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

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.

Register for this event here

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For more than 30 years, the CCMA has been dedicated to supporting contact centre leaders. We push ourselves to do more for our thriving membership base, which is the largest community of industry professionals in the UK.

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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