Customer Service Department & Customer Service Success Awards Judging Committee
Chair: 
Sarah Sajedi, Co-founder, CEO & CTO
ERA Environmental Management Solutions
Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada
Sarah Sajedi is an award-winning environmental expert and one of the co-founders of ERA Environmental Management Solutions. Over the past 28 years as the company’s CTO and CEO, Sarah has had to carve out a place for herself in a competitive and largely male-dominated industry. Through her business acumen, degree in Chemistry/Biochemistry, and determination, Sarah has established herself as an authority on environmental performance and compliance solutions across the automotive, aerospace, chemicals, metal, and general manufacturing industries, among countless others.
Sarah’s leadership philosophy is simple: investing in the education and growth of employees promotes innovation and a stronger company. By fostering emerging talent from a diverse workforce, Sarah has grown ERA from a small firm into Canada’s most successful environmental management solution provider, successfully winning out Fortune 100 and 500 companies against multimillion-dollar U.S. competitors. Sarah is a passionate advocate for higher education. She believes education is empowering - that is why she currently sponsors three scholarships for higher education and is working toward establishing a foundation to provide financial aid and university access. She believes in helping others, particularly young female entrepreneurs, by providing a means to obtain higher education and independence, which is vital for their continued success. Voluntarism is also an essential part of Sarah’s leadership. She works with Angels of Mercy to provide food, clothing, and a listening ear to Montreal’s homeless population, and through the Helping Hands organization she provides clothing and education to children in developing nations. It’s important for her to be able to work hands-on with those in need.
Under her leadership, ERA has been named one of the most admired companies to watch (2018), one of Canada’s top SMEs by the Globe and Mail (2019) and Corporate Vision (2021), one of the top 10 automotive solution providers (2021), the most innovative EHS&Q compliance platform (2022), the Canadian Sustainable Business of the Year (2022), and the Gold Stevie Award winner in the Customer Service (Technology Industries category) at the 2023 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Sarah herself has been named a Woman of Influence by RBC, the Silver Stevie award winner at the 2013 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the recipient of the national Sara Kirke Award for Leadership in Technology.
Committee:
Robert Boyd, Accountant: AR, Credit and Collections
Echostar Corporation, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Robert Boyd has held a number of senior Finance and Business positions across a number of industries. With more than 25 years of experience and global designations in Accounting and Business from Europe and Canada.
Lucia Caron, Senior Director, Product Support
Verint Systems Inc., Round Hill, Virginia, United States
Lucia Caron has over 25 years of experience in the technical support industry, focusing on enterprise-level service and support, Cloud/SaaS technologies, operations analysis, managing rapid change, business process improvement, and aligning solutions to corporate business needs.
Cynthia Carrese, Founder/CEO
C2 Strategic Partners LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
With over two decades of hands-on experience in the performance management space, Cynthia has helped companies of all sizes unlock their full potential. Her expertise blends human engagement and Customer-Service-as-a-Service (CSAAS) strategies. Through these approaches, she has assisted countless companies in cultivating exceptional leaders, surpassing their key performance indicators (KPIs).
Deivydas Daugela, Director of Customer Support
Omnisend, Vilnius, Lithuania
Deivydas as a Director of Customer Support at Omnisend, a leading marketing automation company, is dedicated to enhancing client and employee experiences. With a decade-plus of expertise in B2B and B2C Customer Experience, Deivydas is passionate about unlocking potential and maximizing productivity and collaboration for his employees as well as his customers.
Steve Ernest, Senior Vice President- International Operations
Startek Inc., Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Steve Ernest is recognized as an innovative and strategic senior vice president with over 21 years of experience in managing high-touch consumer businesses across multiple locations. He has extensive experience steering businesses through challenging transitions in highly competitive environments and seeing through the implementation of long-term strategic objectives.
Ahmed Rauf Essa, CEO
Telemart, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Ahmed started Telemart at the age of 23, which is now considered one of the Top e-commerce marketplaces in Pakistan and the largest tech retail company with 30 retail stores across 22 cities in Pakistan. Ahmed is the only Pakistani entrepreneur to win 10 Global Awards at the age of 31.
Michael Kalka, Director, Client Success
LeadsOnline, Plano, Texas, United States
With over 30 years in contact centers, Mike has helped Fortune 50 and smaller businesses build centers from the ground up, scale them, and optimize for customer experiences. Having consulted for 13 years, coupled with his MBA from Baylor and his experience, he's the go-to expert in his field.
Jenna Koontz, Vice President, Global Technical Support
Global Technical Support, Austin, Texas, United States
Jenna Koontz, VP of Global Technical Support at Certinia, is a veteran leader with nearly 25 years in technology and software support. Jenna has established herself as a driving force in transforming the way organizations provide support to their customers through operational efficiency, continual service improvement, and customer-centricity.
Wayne Krebs, Consultant
EMK Business Consulting LLC, Allen, Texas, United States
Wayne is a consultant with EMK Business Consulting LLC and a member of IMC USA and MMC Certified. He has been a consultant for over 25 years and specializes in operational consulting, manufacturing, warehousing, and general small- to medium-business consulting. He enjoys the challenges that come with being a consultant.
Sandeep Mahajan, Director, Data Science Product Management - Connected Intelligence
Walmart, Bentonville, Arizona, United States
Sandeep is an experienced Product Management leader with a proven track record of solving customer and associate pain points through the application of cutting-edge technology and solutions. He's currently leading the Associate Intelligence team at Walmart to improve the quality of life and work for ~1.6M associates and has held leadership roles.
Sneha Mandala, Speaker & Coach on Peak Performance
Sneha Mandala, Sparks, Nevada, United States
Sneha is a leading expert in Sustainable Peak Performance for corporate and tech professionals and also holds the prestigious Professional Certified Coach designation. As a sought-after speaker for Vistage, she has reduced turnover and elevated engagement in organizations with over 1500 coaching hours and a TED talk on her innovative Flow State framework.
David Mankovics, Head of Marketing
Shrooly, London, United Kingdom
With a decade of experience leading businesses, Dávid Mankovics specializes in customer experience, communications, and strategic marketing. He oversaw marketing at agencies and was the CEO of Sybrillo. He is currently the Head of Marketing at Shrooly. A BSc in Engineering, along with Commerce and Marketing, comprises his academic heritage.
Andreina Martinez, Consultant
University of Leeds, Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Andreina Martínez is an award-winning Communications Specialist experienced in Corporate Communication, branding, visual communications, and digital media. Her focus is to create high-quality, immersive, creative, and relevant content that engages audiences through different channels and mediums.
Venkata Mudumbai, Manager
Capgemini America Inc, Plainfield, Illinois, United States
Venkata is a Manager of Digital Customer Experience at Capgemini America Inc. in Chicago, USA. He boasts 20+ years of CRM application experience. Renowned for leadership and expertise, he optimizes CRM strategies, excelling in Salesforce integration with Robotic Process Automation and AI-driven financial advisory tools, driving business success.
Suman Narne, Director of Product Development
AdhereHealth LLC, Franklin, Tennessee, United States
Suman is an accomplished leader in innovation and healthcare technology, over 13 years of experience in the field. A member of the Resolve team at Adhere Health, he has led a diverse group of clinicians and engineers. His mission is to drive regional growth and elevate global capabilities by leveraging innovation and technology.
Meenakshi Panda, Director, Software Engineering
Capital One LLC, Richmond, Virginia, United States
Meenakshi is an experienced and results-driven information technology leader with a proven track record of directing and optimizing IT operations for organizational success for over 20 years. Overseeing critical aspects of technology, including system reliability, cybersecurity, and cloud migration, Meenakshi has led diverse teams to excel in delivering innovative solutions.
Mithun Pavithran, Senior Instock Manager
Amazon, Miami, Florida, United States
Mithun is a seasoned professional in Supply Chain Strategy, Product, and Program Management, based in Miami, Florida. With over 17+ years of experience, he excels in process innovation, implementing supply chain solutions, and business transformation in various sectors, including Technology, Aerospace, Medical, and Retail. Mithun has held key roles at Amazon and other companies.
Silke Robeller, Regional Board Member
Call Center Verband e.V., Raisting, Bavaria, Germany
Silke is the Director of Customer Care, an expert strategic problem solver and innovative solution provider. Focused on developing high-class, international customer service organizations that not only motivate customers but also foster strong connections with the company, enabling the full potential of customer relationships to be realized (leading to more deals and recommendations).
Saurabh Singh, Director
AlixPartners, New York City, New York, United States
Dora Williams, Instructor Trainer
Smiling Hearts CPR, Brunswick, Georgia, United States
Dora Williams has been CEO of Smiling Hearts CPR for 7yrs. She has 12+ years experience in teaching and training upcoming CPR Instructors. She is also a certified Life Coach at Life's Journey to Success Coaching with 15 yrs of experience. She is most known for her Empowerment classes.
Rahul Yadav, Founder & CEO
Feasti, Dallas, Texas, United States
Rahul, a dynamic and innovative entrepreneur, has a passion for bringing ideas to life. With expertise in entrepreneurship, he founded Feasti to promote entrepreneurial spirit at home. As Feasti expands and leaves its mark, Rahul stays dedicated to pushing limits, encouraging innovation, and driving positive global change.
Nazlican Yoney, Founder CEO
House of Sol, Chicago, Illinois, United States
With a decade of experience in strategic positions at Google, Turkcell, and Microsoft, Nazlican embarked on her entrepreneurial journey by founding the acclaimed design start-up, House of Sól. Additionally, she contributes as an Advisory Board Member at the Sabanci School of Business and shares her insights on technology through her writings in Vogue.
Gary Zhou, Founder
Brand Head | DC | HGG, Beijing, China
Gary has over 15 years of experience in commercial, branding, marketing, and visual design in the real estate industry. Gary, a key promoter of shopping center marketing in China, is dedicated to providing solutions for branding, digitalization, and diversification for clients, as well as introducing international marketing concepts and resources to China.