The CX Exec to CEO Pipeline

What do Best Buy, Lululemon, and PayPal have in common? They all have hired CX leaders to head their organizations this year. The CEO spot requires an abundance of experience in different executive avenues, but this shift can tell us a lot about the skills companies are looking for as they navigate new and changing customer expectations.

In 2025, 234 CEOs left their roles globally. Setting a new record last year for top leadership departure, this is setting the tone for a consistently high-churn 2026. There have been a notable number of recent top leadership shifts in several different sectors. Target, HP, and Disney have changed CEO leadership this year. Upon looking at the candidates companies are calling upon to fill these roles, many of these hires have backgrounds in customer service and experience. 

So why do CX execs have so much to offer in a Chief ExecutiveOfficer or Chief Experience Officer position? There's a recent focus on retention and loyalty, a bid for quality over quantity in customers. Execs are seeing and respecting an "amplification effect." After having a positive experience, customers tell an average of nine people about the excellent service, whereas they tell 16 people about a poor customer experience– illustrating that mere acquisition isn't enough. Organizations are seeing their consumers differently, but this change is showing a grounding in customer sentiment and needs.

Heidi O'Neill, a seasoned retail executive, shifted to Chief Executive Officer at Lululemon this month. Previously at Nike, she held various executive titles for 27 years, most recently, President of Consumer, Product, and Brand. Since 1998, she's been pivotal in Nike's marketing and consumer strategy success. Lululemon is facing a sharp decline in sales and intense competition, but O'Neill's focus on customer experience makes her a wise choice for this role. According to Zippia in 2023, "Customers are likely to spend 140% more after a positive experience rather than a negative one," so a focus on consumers' holistic experiences feels like a strategic bet for the activewear giant.

Paypal also pulled from an external pool in hiring Enrique Lores. He held the role of Senior Vice President of Worldwide Customer Support and Services at HP in 2011 and has since transitioned to the CEO role at Paypal with a strong CX background. 77% of customers believe that inefficient customer experiences detract from their quality of life, and in a high-friction financial world, the choice of Lores for the President and CEO role feels like a smart one.

Best Buy's incoming CEO most recently held their Chief Customer, Product, and Fulfillment Officer title for three years. Jason Bonfig, an executive with the company since 2000, brings customer and product expertise that's immediately transferable to the Chief Experience Officer role he's been called upon to fill. Best Buy, up against department store competitors like Amazon and Target, is facing the task of differentiating itself through service and hanging onto loyal customers who expect consistent in-store and online experiences.

Josh D'Amaro, formerly head of Disney Experiences, is The Walt Disney Company's new CEO as of March 2026, further emphasizing the correlation between experience design and leadership focus. The application of live experiences to broader CX themes seems to be a fit for a brand so focused on immersive consumer experiences.

For the future of CX, it will be fascinating to observe the repercussions of this shift toward leadership focused on customers and their experiences. Making seamless consumer experiences a hallmark of a brand drives loyalty and trust, and these experiences, coming from the top of the company, creates a CX culture of thoughtful and intentional service. In the years to come, it will be fascinating to observe if this trend of hiring CEOs with backgrounds in CX will continue as customer focus grows.

Image credit to Edmond Dantès via Pexels.