LHH Knightsbridge Tapped by the City of Toronto to Find Head of Customer Experience

September 23, 2024 – LHH Knightsbridge has been retained by the City of Toronto to lead in its search for an executive director of customer experience. Partners Laura Machan and Stephen Hime are leading the assignment. The search firm is seeking an experienced customer service leader in large, complex, multi-channel environments with demonstrated commitment to excellent service delivery. The customer experience division is leading the corporate-wide approach to customer experience and provides support to all city divisions in delivering innovative service experience that is easy and accessible, allowing the public to be served when, where, and how they prefer.
A key member of the corporate services leadership team, the executive director, customer experience provides leadership in establishing and maintaining a corporate-wide customer experience vision and strategy, and oversees the planning, coordination, implementation, and operational delivery across all service channels. The executive director provides oversight and direction to the customer experience structure and its integrated teams. This executive oversees a team of 200 with a current operating budget of approximately $25 million.
The ideal candidate will be an experienced customer service leader in large, complex, multi-channel environments with demonstrated commitment to excellent service delivery. LHH notes that those applying should have excellent interpersonal skills with ability to establish credibility and collaboratively build and manage inter-departmental, cross-corporate relationships and partnerships. They must be a skilled change leader who has successfully managed integrated change and transformation initiatives, including digital, that have positively impacted both customer experience and operational excellence. Strong strategy and planning skills with experience developing and executing comprehensive customer service plans is preferred.
In addition, candidates should have experience leading, motivating and coaching a team aligned to the City’s values and ensuring a culture that champions equity, diversity and inclusive, respectful workplaces; experience in a unionized environment is an asset.
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Toronto is Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is home to more than 3 million residents whose diversity and experiences strengthen our great city. A global center for business, finance, technology, arts, culture, and innovation, Toronto consistently places at the top of international rankings due in part to investments championed by residents and businesses, and in turn, led by Toronto City Council and carried out through the work of the Toronto Public Service.
Proven Search Firm
LHH Knightsbridge Search delivers expertise in three search practice areas: executive search and recruitment, interim executive management, and board of directors’ search. The firm assists organizations in finding new talent, as well as helping their employees navigate change, become better leaders, develop better careers and transition into new jobs. The firm is led by head of executive search, North America, Tim Hewat.
Ms. Machan is a partner in LHH Knightsbridge’s executive search practice. She has more than 25 years of progressive human resource management and recruiting experience in industries such as manufacturing, construction, and power generation. She focuses on building the firm’s engineering practice as well as working with clients in other major market segments. A strong community advocate, Ms. Machan is the chair of the board for Heartache2Hope, a local mental health service provider. She has also been involved in Women in Nuclear, serving on as a director, invited speaker and course facilitator.
Mr. Hime has over 20 years of experience providing senior level search and recruitment services to client organizations in various industries throughout Canada. His experience is in the engineering, manufacturing, consulting and information technology sectors. Mr. Hime has a background in senior leadership, management and technical roles across many business functions. In addition to his experience in professional search and recruitment, he has led key recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) initiatives.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media