Marc Giles was awarded CX Leader at the recently concluded Irish CX Impact Awards 2025 last month, celebrated for his transformative leadership in shaping the customer journey at Aer Lingus.

As Head of Customer Experience, Giles oversees the full passenger experience across airport and inflight operations, ensuring the airline maintains industry-leading satisfaction and NPS results. Since beginning his career in 2003 in frontline roles, he has progressed through supervision, dispatch, safety, compliance, regional operations, and customer and brand, culminating in his current remit.

Under his leadership, Aer Lingus has delivered major transformation programmes, including the Good to Great initiative, which elevated the airline to a 4-star Skytrax rating, and the post-Covid rebuild of the customer journey. He now drives continuous improvement through the Customer First programme, embedding customer insight into every operational decision.

Judges highlighted Giles’ combination of strategic vision, operational excellence, and hands-on experience.

“Marc has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership across the entire customer journey. From strategic transformation programmes to day-to-day operational excellence, he has elevated Aer Lingus’ customer experience to a benchmark standard. His commitment to insight-driven improvement and embedding customer-centric culture is exemplary,” the panel said.

Giles’ achievement illustrates a progression of CX leaders who combine insight, innovation, and operational rigour to achieve measurable impact. With momentum building from 2025’s winners, who will emerge as the next CX leader to inspire teams and elevate the passenger experience in 2026?

The Irish CX Impact Awards annually convene Ireland’s customer experience leaders, providing a premier platform to showcase innovation, celebrate outstanding achievement, and foster connections across the sector.

Visit the official website to explore the winners, review award categories, and subscribe to the newsletter for updates and insights.