Sonia Etxebarria

Sonia Etxebarria
Creating Business Value through
PEOPLE CENTRIC STRATEGY AND DESIGN
Madrid | +34 616 25 14 68 | [email protected] | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-etxebarria/

SENIOR MGMT ROLES
▪ CEO/Founder
▪ Country Manager
▪ Customer Director
▪ Start-ups Mentor

INDUSTRIES
▪ Energy
▪ Distribution
▪ Insurance
▪ Automotive
▪ Pharma
▪ Tech start-ups

COMPANIES/CLIENTS
▪ Sketchin
▪ Toyota
▪ Enel
▪ Dexcom
▪ RENFE
▪ Amazon

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
▪ Business Bachelor (Deusto Univ)
▪ Customer Experience expert (DEC Assoc.)
▪ MBA (ThePowerMBA)
▪ EWOB Board Readiness Program

LANGUAGES
▪ Spanish (native)
▪ English (bilingual)

RECOGNITION &
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
▪ CC Hub CX Awards jury
▪ Various magazines articles
▪ Co-autor “Profitable CX” book
▪ E-comms awards

STRENGTHS
▪ Strategy & Execution
▪ Holistic view
▪ Human and Business perspective
▪ Modern Leadership Style
▪ Emotional intelligence
▪ Persistent, Enduring & Resilient
▪ Problem solver

Value Proposition to Boards
As an experienced entrepreneur and strategic leader, I specialise in driving revenue growth by identifying and capitalising on opportunities for loyalty and expansion. With a strong foundation in emotional intelligence, market knowledge, and business strategy, I focus on fostering a human-centric culture that engages and motivates teams, aligning with the board%27s vision for a profitable and sustainable future. I excel in listening, understanding, and motivating stakeholders, and I am committed to helping the board achieve its strategic objectives while fostering a culture of inclusivity, collaboration, and innovation.


Career Narrative & Key Achievements
With a 25+ year track record in customer experience strategic design, I have contributed to the growth and profitability of companies through strategic, advisory and operational roles.
Takeda (pharma): qual research, customer personas, journey and some initiatives (e.g. communication, Health Care Professionals engagement…) in the form of roadmap development with KPIs, for a new non-mandatory vaccine launch. A year later the demand grew by 1,5x.
Begoistas (healthy eating startup): business model, value proposition, customer personas, offering and product test&launch. Today an Award winning Spanish company that delivers nationally.

Relevant Board Experience
Board Member
As a Customer Experience expert, I co-founded the influential Spanish-speaking CX Association (DEC) along with top companies such as Santander bank, Mercedes, and Iberia Airlines. I also co-founded the Women in CX (WiCX) platform. My insights and leadership can benefit companies addressing customer experience or loyalty challenges. I am well-suited for roles in Customer Experience, Marketing, and Customer Relations Committees, and I can effectively chair those committees and lead strategic initiatives to support a customer-centric culture and the company’s success.

Start-up business Founder and Mentor
As the CEO of Akuyari, I can bring significant value to startups as a board member or advisor. Over three years, my company achieved 120% growth by defining strategic plans and identifying opportunities for expansion. I have mentored over 50 startups, refining their business models and guiding them through critical growth phases. My experience equips me to ensure startups build a strong foundation for sustainable success.

Business growth
As the main responsible for a strategic project involving over 100 people for Endesa (Enel), and being part of the steering committee, I became the Country Manager for Sketchin in Spain. I raised the brand from zero awareness, built a high-performing team of 5, and secured key projects with major insurance and energy companies in Spain within just 2 years, despite a very limited budget. I can help boardrooms by leveraging my experience in brand building, team development, and project management under constrained resources. I would be an asset to the Brand Development Committee or the Project Management Committee, where my skills in driving growth and achieving strategic objectives under tight budgets can be particularly valuable.

Senior Advisor to Committees
Since 2017, I have been an external advisor as part of my activity as a strategic designer, presenting strategies and action plans to committees and boards (Toyota, Dexcom, Reale Insurance, RENFE, Takeda, CHC Energy, and others), centered on people and innovation as the drivers for sustainable growth. I can help boardrooms by bringing a fresh perspective on strategic planning and innovation, especially in heavily regulated industries where creative so