Leadership in Transformation: Alorica Co-CEOs on How AI is Shaping the Future of CX

November 28, 2024

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About the Guest

Mike Clifton

Co-Chief Executive Officer of Alorica

Mike Clifton serves as Co-CEO of Alorica, leveraging his extensive experience as a CIO to drive innovation and strategic IT transformations. Throughout his career, Mike has held key leadership positions at prominent organizations, including Hanover Insurance, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, and Cognizant. At Alorica, he combines his technology expertise with leadership insights to guide the company’s vision and operational excellence.

Max Schwendner

Co-Chief Executive Officer of Alorica

Max Schwendner serves as Co-CEO of Alorica, bringing a strong foundation in finance and operations to his leadership role. He began his career as an investment banker at J.P. Morgan before joining Alorica in 2019 as CFO. Max later advanced to President of Global Services, where he honed his operational leadership. As Co-CEO, he applies his financial expertise and strategic mindset to complement Mike Clifton’s technology-driven approach.

Episode Overview

As the role of CIO continues to evolve as a strategic partner to the business, many CIOs are emerging as strong contenders for CEO positions. In a panel discussion from the 2024 Metis Strategy Summit, Alorica Co-CEOs Mike Clifton and Max Schwendner sit down with Peter High to discuss their leadership journeys—Mike’s transition from CIO to CEO and Max’s progression from CFO to Co-CEO. They delve into how their complementary expertise in technology and finance fuels innovation at Alorica. Additionally, the conversation highlights the transformative power of AI in customer experience (CX) and the bold strategies Alorica employs to disrupt its own business model for future growth.

Highlights include:

From CIO to CEO: Mike Clifton shares how his experience as a CIO prepared him for his role as Co-CEO, emphasizing the importance of technology leadership and inspiring teams.
Co-CEO Collaboration: Mike and Max discuss how they divide responsibilities while maintaining a unified leadership approach, leveraging their complementary expertise.
AI Innovations in CX: Alorica’s cutting-edge advancements in AI, including real-time voice translation and dialect neutralization, are transforming customer interactions and operational efficiency.
MetaHuman AVA: Introduction of AVA, a bespoke AI solution tailored for Alorica’s clients, capable of delivering human-like interactions to enhance customer service.
Disruptive Innovation: The necessity of cannibalizing existing business models to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving industry.
Future of AI in Business: Insights into how AI is enabling new opportunities for efficiency, customer satisfaction, and revenue generation across industries.

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“We needed to apply two lenses to the same problem. Implicit in your question is that there is a division between what Mike focuses on, and what I focus on. There isn't. There's two people in the box called CEO at Alorica."

- Max Schwendner