AI and data programs
10 AI customer support deployment experts
These ten professionals have led or run AI chatbot, virtual assistant and AI-first support programs inside their own companies' customer service operations. Their experience can help a reader plan how to scope, staff and scale an AI support deployment and how to judge whether it is working.
Professionals to explore
01—10Andreea Cojocaru
LinkedInExperience: Customer Service AI Director · Finastra
Customer Service AI Director at Finastra since May 2026, alongside her role there as CS Transformation Director and Salesforce Product owner since 2021. She was Global Customer Support Director at Finastra (2014–2021), and her profile describes modernizing support operations and optimizing Salesforce Service Cloud platforms in global fintech.
Giorgos Kritikos
LinkedInExperience: Chatbot Product Owner · Vodafone
Former Chatbot Product Owner at Vodafone (2023–2024), after serving there as Chapter Lead - BOT Training (2020–2023) and BOT Trainer - Conversational Analyst (2019–2020); since July 2024 he has been Product Manager - Virtual Assistant (Global) at Kaizen Gaming. His profile says his early Vodafone years were in customer care, team leadership and training, followed by six years focused on conversational AI.
Irina Zubova
LinkedInExperience: VP, Customer Support and AI Operations, E2E Digital Customer Relationship · Schneider Electric
VP, Customer Support and AI Operations, E2E Digital Customer Relationship at Schneider Electric since January 2026. At the same company she also held the role of VP, Customer Support and Data&AI, E2E Digital Customer Relationship (2024–2026) and was VP, Digital Sales & Customer Support enablement (2021–2024).
Iulia Florea
LinkedInExperience: Head of COPS Digital & AI Transformation · Vodafone
Head of COPS Digital & AI Transformation at Vodafone since April 2025, after serving as Head of Customer Care & Integration there (2015–2025). She leads squads and programs that integrate AI into customer operations, changing how care and sales are delivered through intelligent automation and data-driven decision-making.
Kevin Knowles
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Chatbot and Self Service · Sage
Senior Director of Chatbot and Self Service at Sage since November 2025, after serving as Director of Chatbot and Self Service there (2023–2025). At Vodafone he was Global Head of Contact Automation (2018–2020), and his profile says he led the team responsible for scaling up the TOBi customer chatbot across Vodafone Group.
Luna Kandalaft
LinkedInExperience: AI Solutions Architect, Customer Support · Mercury
AI Solutions Architect, Customer Support at Mercury since June 2026, after roles as AI Support Experience Specialist at Super.com (2026) and Platforms & Automation Technologist, Customer Experience at Wave HQ (2024–2026). She was Chatbot Customer Content Specialist at Wave HQ (2020–2022), and her profile says her self-serve work began with conversation design, building scripted chatbot flows.
Michael Ampuero
LinkedInExperience: Digital Business Architect and Product Owner - Chatbot and IVR · Sun Life
Former Digital Business Architect and Product Owner - Chatbot and IVR at Sun Life (2022–2026) and Digital Product Owner - Chatbot and Messaging Channels at Rogers Communications (2021–2022). His profile says he has led chatbot migrations, IVR enhancements and multilingual deployments, with a focus on CCaaS, conversational AI and self-service platforms.
Naila Hussain
LinkedInExperience: Head of Online Customer Interaction- Live Chat AI Chat BOTS Messaging · The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
Former Head of Online Customer Interaction- Live Chat AI Chat BOTS Messaging at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (2010–2023), and Head of Customer Experience at Oner Active since April 2024. Her profile describes building and leading remote customer experience teams for live chat and video live consultation, scaling from zero to over 75 artists across the UK and EMEA region.
Phasawee Sirisupanimit
LinkedInExperience: Assistant Vice President, Digital Customer Experience (AI Chatbot) · UOB
Assistant Vice President, Digital Customer Experience (AI Chatbot) at UOB since July 2023, a Customer Service department role covering digital customer experience and AI chatbot performance for the TMRW app by UOB. Prior roles include AI Chatbot Team Lead at Shopee (2022–2023) and Business & Integration Arch Senior Analyst (Chatbot & Voicebot) at Accenture (2020–2022).
Rahul Rajpal
LinkedInExperience: VP Customer Experience & Global AI first support Operations · Aspire
VP Customer Experience & Global AI first support Operations at Aspire since September 2023, following Director of Support, Global Director Customer Experience and Director of Implementation roles at Google (2019–2023). At Aspire he built AI-first support operations across chat, email and phone using Claude, n8n, Intercom, HubSpot Breeze and Gemini, and led a company-wide customer experience strategy with CSAT of 92%+.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's role type to your decision: chatbot product owners and bot training leads tend to be closest to conversation design and day-to-day tuning, while support executives can speak to operating model, staffing and customer satisfaction. Also weigh timing, since a scripted chatbot rollout from several years ago raises different issues than a current generative AI or agent deployment.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How did you decide which customer contacts to hand to AI first, and how did you set the rules for handing conversations to human agents?
- 02Which metrics did you use to judge the deployment, such as resolution, containment or CSAT, and which ones turned out to be misleading?
- 03How did the rollout change staffing, training and workflows for your support team, and what would you do differently next time?
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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