Darryl Michael Speach

Darryl Michael Speach is a highly sought-after keynote speaker and expert in customer experience, employee engagement, and leadership. Speach's mantra is, "Customer experience is the final frontier for game-changing market differentiation. An organization's products, services, and pricing can be easily replicated; extraordinary service quality cannot." No podium or boring presentation slides; Speach's captivating storytelling style has edutained and informed audiences worldwide. He has spoken at various events, conferences, and corporate meetings. He has been published in Fast Company, Forbes Magazine Middle East, Harvard Business Review Arabia, and CIPD Editorial.

His two careers with the Walt Disney Company highlight his extensive expertise. He helps audiences understand the intentional processes and methods behind the Disney Difference and provides real-world examples of how organizations have adapted these learnings to drive measurable results. He is an expert in the proven science behind "catching employees doing things right" and reward and recognition programs designed to drive employee engagement; his formula is simple: happy, engaged employees equal happy customers.

Speach headed a globally focused joint venture between McKinsey & Co. and the Disney Institute and led its CX consulting practice. Client engagements involved conducting culture assessments and partnering with internal champions and C-level executives to design and implement CX service frameworks to drive NPS, CSAT, loyalty metrics, and revenue growth. The last step involved establishing listening posts and building matrix reporting structures to identify CX-related opportunities for refining and enhancing data-driven CX decision-making and innovation.

Speach established corporate universities at Centene Corporation, a Fortune 25 healthcare company, and Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), a MENA region holding company based in the UAE. As the Dean of Centene University, Speach lead the Accelerating Innovation, Customer Centricity, and Digital Transformation learning initiatives. As the Chief Learning Officer at MAF, Speach launched the university's School of Analytics and Technology and the CX-focused School of Great Moments. His unique approach to L&D involves instilling an edutainment curriculum design mindset focused on creating engaging learning journeys to deliver on specific learning goals while leveraging various modalities.

Speach is a former Disney University Leaders Pathway instructional designer and master facilitator and a graduate of The Center for Creative Leadership's LDP and Leading Teams for Impact. While leading CAA's global L&D function, Speach partnered with talent agents, executive leadership, and a world-renowned DEI consulting firm to develop and launch customized learning journeys for all employees. Speach has a global perspective and an innate DEI mindset. Speach has spent several years leading teams in Europe, Asia, and the MENA region, including two years living in Dubai.