Every contact centre leader is on a journey with AI, but where do you start? Many are in the exploratory phase, under pressure to identify use cases to ‘use AI’, while others have secured investment through strong business cases and are looking for the ROI.
The CCMA has teamed up industry experts, Sabio, to help operational leaders take their first steps in adopting AI. We’ll be exploring key areas for consideration, such as how to prepare your knowledge base for AI, how to integrate Agentic AI with your human team and how to optimise your channel strategy with AI. As well as sharing stories of success, we’ll be educating on the pitfalls too to help you navigate this latest tech opportunity.
Agenda
| 09:30 | Registration and Networking | |
| 10:00 | Welcome
Hear the latest news and updates on the CCMA and what to expect from the day. |
Leigh Hopwood, CEO, CCMA |
| 10:15 | Open Mic: Where Are You on Your AI Journey?
Every contact centre leader is on a journey with AI. Many are in the exploratory phase, under pressure to identify use cases to ‘use AI’, while others have secured investment through strong business cases and are looking for the ROI. Where did you start? How far have you come? What lessons have you learnt already? |
Leigh Hopwood, CEO, CCMA |
| 10:45 | AI in Action: Identifying Value and How to Succeed
Kevin will lead an advisory session and share his approach to helping organisations identify and adopt impactful AI use cases, define value-driven metrics, and apply a balanced scorecard for a comprehensive assessment of what’s realistic and possible. The session will conclude with a forward look at what it takes to succeed in the evolving AI landscape. |
Kevin McGachy, Head of Solutions, Sabio |
| 11:15 | Break | |
| 11:30 | Sharing the Journey: Making AI Work
In this session, Alvin will take us through Dojo’s journey to successfully integrate AI into the heart of their contact centre. |
Alvin Lobo, Head of Performance, Dojo |
| 12:00 | Panel Discussion: Beyond the Hype to Deliver Value
AI promises efficiency, personalisation, and cost savings—but with reports suggesting that early adopters may not be delivering the value promised, what does it really take to make it succeed in the contact centre industry? This panel brings together views from operations, technology, and customer experience to debate the critical success factors for AI adoption. From workforce transformation and data quality to ethical deployment and customer trust, we’ll explore the tensions between ambition and reality. Expect candid insights and actionable takeaways to help you move from experimentation to impact. |
Hosted by Leigh Hopwood, CEO, CCMA
|
| 12:45 | Final Comments and Close | Leigh Hopwood, CEO, CCMA |
| 13:00 | Lunch | |
| 13:30 | Close | |
About the Speakers
Alvin Lobo, Head of Performance Management, Dojo
Alvin leads the customer-centric support functions – Forecast & Planning, Training, Quality & Knowledge and Operational Data and Insights. Over the last 5 years Alvin has helped build and develop the contact centre at Dojo into a multi-award winning Operation. With Dojo’s international expansion, Alvin is now focused on leveraging AI to augment the customer and agent experience Starting his career at Zurich Insurance, Alvin held various positions in the organisation over a 10 year period before joining Ovo Energy as Head of Forecasting & Planning before joining Dojo.
Alan Mullen, Senior Customer Care Manager, Superdry
With 20 years of experience as a Contact Centre Leader in Financial Services and Retail, Alan leads the Superdry Customer Service Team alongside his role as Business Change Manager. Having transformed Superdry’s Customer Service to a Digital First approach, and leading the operations teams through a full CRM re-platform to Salesforce, he is now deploying automation and Gen-AI in the Contact Centre to deliver faster resolutions aligned with industry-leading FCR and CSAT.
Robert Holohan, Head of Channel Management, DVLA
Rob has over 20 years’ experience in the contact centre industry. He has led numerous technology initiatives, including the delivery of DVLA’s award-winning AI Chatbot and IVR channels. Rob is passionate about innovation that enhances both customer and agent experiences, focusing on solutions that simplify interactions and improve service efficiency.
Steve Munn, Director of Service Operations, Worcester Bosch
Joining Worcester Heat Systems in 1988, Steve has dedicated his career to Worcester Bosch, a leading UK manufacturer of innovative heating and hot water solutions. With over 35 years of experience, Steve has held diverse leadership roles in Manufacturing, Logistics, and After Sales Service. Over the decades, he has been instrumental in navigating several significant change management projects and has witnessed and adapted to major technological shifts within the industry. Steve is also a strong advocate of employee engagement and competency development, ensuring that operational excellence goes hand-in-hand with cultivating talent.
Paula Hildreth, Head of Client Success Management and Business Consultancy, Sabio Group
Paula is all about helping organisations get the most out of their tech investments. As UK Head of Client Success Management and Business Consultancy at Sabio Group, she works closely with clients to make sure their digital transformation journeys deliver real value, not just promises. With over 25 years of experience in customer experience and consultancy, Paula brings a mix of strategic thinking, empathy, and hands-on know-how to every project. Before joining Sabio, she spent two decades at BGL Group, where she led initiatives focused on customer-centric innovation and operational excellence. She’s passionate about making technology work for people, not the other way around. Whether it’s cloud migration, AI, or optimising customer journeys, Paula’s focus is always on creating meaningful outcomes for clients.
Kevin McGachy, Head of Solutions, Sabio
Kevin leads the AI Practice at Sabio, supporting organisations to adopt conversational and generative AI in ways that deliver measurable business outcomes. Having built his career through the contact centre industry across operations, customer experience, and technology roles. Kevin brings a practical understanding of the challenges leaders face and how to overcome them
Supported by
Where and when?
Date: Wed 28 Jan 2026
Time: 09:30 - 13:30
Location: Worcester Bosch, Worcester
Who is it for?
This event is for those who own and / or implement the AI strategic vision within your contact centre. Open to members and non-members.
Why should you go?
Network with peers and learn from others.
How much is it?
Free of charge.
Become a member for
- Free events
- Discounts on training
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- A huge peer network
Join today for immediate access.