Debbie Akwara
Debbie Akwara is a leading CX entrepreneur and CX educator in Africa. She is the founder & CEO of Niche Customer Experience Group; West Africa’s first boutique CX management solution and training provider. Prior to Niche, Debbie led CX success in the banking, telecommunications and education sectors working at reputable local, pan African and international organizations in Nigeria i.e. Zenith Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, Etisalat Nigeria (now 9mobile) and Bridge International Academies. Successes recorded were an increase in self-service adoption, industry customer service ranking and revenue generation from CX improvement projects.
As an advocate for CX education in Africa, Debbie (through the Niche Institute of CX & Innovation) launched Africa’s 1st globally recognized CX certification courses in partnership with the Institute of Customer Management, United Kingdom and certified by the European Marketing and Management Association (EUMMAS) offering a trio of certifications for business managers, leaders and CX/customer service consultants I.e. the CCEM, CCEP and CCEPR.
Debbie is on a mission to grow businesses one customer experience at a time across West Africa and building the customer experience management capabilities of professionals in the region that will drive an authentic practice of customer experience management. In 2021 and 2020, Debbie was recognized as a top 50 & 150 global CX thought leader and influencer by Awards Magazine and Survey Sensum respectively. She is a certified management consultant (CMC) and a fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC) and also a fellow of the Institute of Customer Service & Trade Management (FICSTM).
Debbie has a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts, is an MBA student at the Africa Leadership University School of Business (ALUSB) with professional development certifications from the Pan African University (School of Media and Communications) and the Delft Institute, Netherlands. She is an author, a mom, a humanitarian and is always looking for new opportunities to learn about CX, connect with professionals and impact the practice of CX management in Africa and globally.
