As businesses compete increasingly on how customers experience them, the Chief Experience Officer has emerged to own that experience end to end. Here is what the role does, and where it fits.
What the role owns
A Chief Experience Officer (CXO) owns the whole experience a customer has with the business — from first awareness through purchase, use, and service, across every channel and touchpoint. Where responsibility for the customer is usually split across marketing, product, digital, and service, the CXO exists to own it as one coherent whole, and to make the experience consistent and intentional rather than accidental.
Why the role exists
The role appears where experience is a genuine competitive differentiator — in hospitality, consumer services, retail, and premium brands especially. When how a customer feels about dealing with a business becomes central to whether they stay and advocate, that experience deserves a senior, dedicated owner rather than being left to fall between functions.
A cross-functional leader
Because experience spans so many functions, a CXO leads largely through influence and alignment rather than owning every team outright. They connect marketing, product, digital, operations, and service around a shared view of the customer, and hold the organisation to a consistent standard. This cross-functional leadership is the hardest and most important part of the role.
How it relates to other roles
The CXO overlaps with marketing, product, and customer or service leadership, so its remit must be defined against them. In some businesses it sits close to the Chief Customer Officer; in others it is distinct. As with any cross-cutting role, clarity about what it owns is essential to making it work.
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Explore Executive Search →Frequently asked questions
What does a Chief Experience Officer do?
They own the end-to-end experience a customer has with a business — across every touchpoint and channel — as a single coherent responsibility, aligning marketing, product, digital, and service around the customer.
When does a business need a Chief Experience Officer?
When customer experience is a genuine competitive differentiator — common in hospitality, consumer services, retail, and premium brands — and is too important to leave split across separate functions.
Related: What Does a Chief Customer Officer Do? · Hospitality Executive Search · What Does a Chief Digital Officer Do?
