Katja Forbes is an award-winning digital visionary who knows how to move the needle on growth and innovation. A global authority at the nexus of CX, data science, product design, and emerging tech, she is a sought-after keynote speaker described as “unyielding, innovative and endlessly insightful”. Katja’s long list of accolades includes being named among the Global Top 25 AI leaders in CX, Global Top 20 CX Leaders in Financial Services, Top 50 Australian Professionals, Top 10 Women Disruptors, and one of Westpac/Australian Financial Review’s “100 Women of Influence”.
Now leading the CX charge as Head of Client Experience, Insights and Development at Standard Chartered Bank, Katja steers a gold award-winning team in creating inclusive and climate positive financial solutions. Beyond her work, Katja is known for her fierce determination, clarity of purpose, and unwavering commitment to uplifting women across the globe, securing her place as a thought leader who backs bold ideas with real-world impact.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with Digital First Magazine, Katja shared insights on the future of CX and innovation and how leaders must prepare for the challenges and opportunities ahead, the secret mantra behind her success, her significant career milestones, future plans, words of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
What drives your passion for innovation and growth, and how do you maintain that energy?
Envisioning our possible, probable and preferable futures and then walking them back to uncover what we need to do today to realise them fuels my work. I’m fascinated by tomorrow and anticipating or imagining what it could or should be. However, what matters tomorrow is designed today so I stay grounded, so I can practically move toward that better world. I maintain energy by playing to my strengths as an influential visionary and partner with others to collaborate where I’m not as strong, like the detailed minutiae, so my energy doesn’t get drained spinning cycles on things I’m not good at. No one person can be good at everything but with the right team we can be invincible.
What do you love most about your current role?
The breadth of impact we can have and how aligned it is with the mission of the Bank. In Corporate and Investment Banking, we’re crafting digital experiences globally for small businesses through to large multinationals, not for profits and governments of countries. We are delivering them both in mature and in emerging and frontier markets in alignment with what the Bank stands for, to be Here for Good. We enable all size players to participate in the global economy, fostering financial inclusion, resetting globalisation and progressing us to a climate positive future. I love that Standard Chartered continually reaffirms its commitment to inclusive practices and support for women in the workplace and I am so proud of the impact my team is having and their dedication to doing the right thing by our clients and communities.
Can you share your thoughts on the future of CX and innovation and how leaders can prepare for the challenges and opportunities ahead?
AI driven commerce is set to disrupt CX in unimagined ways. AI agents will become non-human economic actors, or machine customers if you will. They will be able to transact on behalf of their human and all the effort you’ve put into understanding behavioural and emotional triggers to capture human customers goes out the window. Those who are going to succeed in CX in the future will be able to work out how to story tell for machine customers through surfacing data and figuring out what the machine customer journey looks like. Get ready for screens taking a back seat to APIs in e-commerce and the presentation of the data about your product is more captivating than the emotional or aspirational pictures you can paint.
What do you think are the most significant opportunities and challenges facing women in technology and leadership positions today?
We’re still seeking gender parity in the workplace, and as the World Economic Forum suggests that it will take another 131 years, it doesn’t seem like it will be achieved in my lifetime. The pipeline for women leaders and women choosing technology career must start filling back in pre-school. Gender stereotypes and bias start early and by the time we see some of the typical inclusion interventions for women later in life, it’s too late as many have already been streamed out. But 2024 studies show us that companies with more women in leadership roles report a 34% higher return on investment (ROI). National Center for Women & Information Technology and other studies have consistently shown that gender-diverse teams are more likely to introduce new products and services, capture a larger market share, and outperform their less diverse peers financially. Fill the pipeline in day care! The opportunities we can realise from gender diversity are huge and it makes business sense!
In the opportunity column, hybrid and remote work have made leadership roles more accessible to women by offering greater flexibility, enabling us to balance career growth with caregiving and personal responsibilities. It removes geographical barriers, allowing access to top-tier opportunities without relocation, and shifts focus to impact over office presence, which helps reduce workplace biases.
Who has been a significant influence or mentor in your career, and how have they helped shape your professional journey?
Anne Massey has been my executive coach since 2017 and has supported and guided me through multiple career transitions, helped me when I was at many different crossroads and really pushed me on my personal brand development. Among other things, she coached me through the very arduous M&A process as I sold my business and transitioned from Owner to Employee. She has been instrumental in the curation of my career, providing sound advice, challenging my thinking and always encouraging me to excel. Her business acumen and political savvy is second to none and I have learned astonishing amounts under her guidance. She is my go-to professional sounding board, and I wouldn’t take a work-related step without consulting her for advice. She’s inspired me to pursue my own coaching certification to allow me to also help other women the same way she’s helped me.
You have been a recipient of prestigious awards and accolades over the course of your career. Our readers would love to know the secret mantra behind your success.
Success isn’t about accolades. It’s about having a clear point of view and sharing it boldly. As the saying goes, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” When people search for you online, what will they find? Silence, or a compelling voice engaged in meaningful discussions? To be recognised, you must be true to yourself, as brave as you can, put your ideas out there, welcome debate, and stand by your convictions.
Equally important is playing to your strengths. You’ll achieve far greater success by honing your natural talents into superpowers rather than spinning cycles improving weaknesses. Lean into what sets you apart.
And finally, be in it to win it! If you believe you’re worthy of an award, nominate yourself and make a compelling case. At the same time, take the opportunity to uplift others; generosity always comes back tenfold.
What has been your most career defining moment that you are proud of?
I built a business from the ground up, starting with nothing, putting my house on the line and grew it into a thriving success. By 2018, it had scaled to the point where a multinational firm approached me for acquisition. After the sale, I led the team through the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 without losing a single member, ultimately emerging stronger and outperformed our targets.
I was also the first to depart the acquired entity, having been headhunted by Standard Chartered. But what I’m most proud of isn’t only the business success, it’s the opportunities I created. I gave so many talented individuals their first CX design jobs, and the impact of that team continues to ripple across the industry today. Even today my favourite thing to do is offer someone a job.
How do you prioritize your well-being and self-care amidst a demanding career?
It’s all about balance. Wellbeing requires intentional self-care and I really like using the Healthy Mind Platter approach. I try to structure my days around the 7 key mental wellness practices: Focus Time for deep work, Physical Time to stay active, and Sleep Time to recharge. Connecting Time to nurture relationships and Play Time to stay creative. Time In, through reflection or mindfulness, helps maintain clarity, while Down Time ensures my brain gets the necessary rest. When I succeed in getting the balance of these 7 items on the platter, I am resilient, engaged, and performing at my best. Honestly, I don’t always succeed but some days it’s enough that I tried my best. Also, “what gets measured, gets managed” so I love to track and review my well-being data to find signals that I need to adjust my balance.
What are your long-term career aspirations and how do you see yourself, evolving as a leader in the next five years.
I am highly strategic and I’m always considering all the possibilities, so I don’t miss out on the best path. I delight in challenging the status quo and shooting for the stars. Perhaps I only hit the moon, but I know that doing things the way they’ve always been done results in a slow slide to mediocrity and irrelevance. I also love to build things, build teams, build functions, build capabilities. I’m aiming for a c-suite role, either with an organisation or based on starting my own enterprise again but one true thing that resonates is I always want to be doing ‘big, impactful work’.
What advice would you give to someone looking to break into the field of CX and innovation.
A working knowledge of data science and how you can use data and insights to shape CX will be vital as the field progresses. There are so many free courses out there I encourage everyone to get basic data literacy. The machine customers are coming! On the innovation front, remember it isn’t always about making a new product or a new thing. Innovation is about finding new value where it wasn’t present before and working out how to access it. Finally, be tenacious and ready to embrace ambiguity. The next decade is going to be a ride!