Speaker, author and board director.

Isabella Villani is one of Australia’s leading voices in customer experience (CX) and transformation, and an in-demand keynote speaker at conferences, corporate events and industry forums across Australia and internationally. With more than 20 years advising boards, CEOs and executive teams, her keynotes draw directly on live consulting work, so audiences hear what is working right now: how AI and emerging technology are reshaping customer expectations, and how leading organisations are responding with strategy, culture and design rather than hype.

She is the author of two internationally recognised books, Good to Great CX (Major Street Publishing) and Transform Customer Experience (Wiley), distributed to more than 10,000 retailers worldwide and described by global CX authority Don Peppers as ‘absolutely jam-packed with the latest thinking, the most competitively successful ideas and practical case studies from around the world’.

Isabella is founder and Executive Chair of Exceed Global, the advisory, training and talent firm she established in 2011, working with clients including Telstra, NAB, Westpac, ANZ, IAG, Medibank and Service NSW. She has keynoted, chaired and facilitated at major events including ACEM Day 2025, Acquia’s Engage Asia Pacific conference, the Verint annual conference in front of 900 delegates, and the Aspect ACE conference in Orlando with more than 1,000 international delegates.

A Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (Order of Merit) with governance experience across eight board appointments, she is currently Deputy Chair of GMB Water and a director of DV Safe Phone, and holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and executive coaching qualifications, with continuing professional development in AI, cyber security and climate governance.

Isabella tailors every engagement, researching the client, audience and industry before she steps on stage. She is available for keynotes, workshops, executive briefings, conference chairing, MC and panel roles, and virtual sessions, based in Melbourne and speaking throughout Australia and internationally.