Global BPO & CX Thought Leader | Strategic Advisor

Award-Winning Industry Pioneer

Rod Jones is an independent Board Advisor, Industry Strategist and Executive Mentor specialising in the customer experience (CX), contact centres and business process outsourcing (BPO).

With more than five decades of leadership, consulting and operational experience, Rod advises CEOs, founders, boards and investors on business growth, strategic transformation and organisational performance. He is recognised for helping executive teams navigate disruption, anticipate emerging trends and make better-informed decisions in an industry reshaped by artificial intelligence, automation and evolving customer expectations.

Working alongside senior leadership teams, Rod helps organisations align strategy, leadership, technology and operational capability to drive sustainable growth. His advice extends beyond operational improvement to include market positioning, business development, technology strategy, governance, mergers and acquisitions, leadership development and long-term value creation. He is valued for combining board-level strategic thinking with practical operational experience, enabling organisations to translate ambitious strategies into measurable business outcomes.

Rod also designs and facilitates bespoke executive strategy sessions, board workshops and leadership MasterClasses for BPOs, customer operations and service organisations. These highly interactive programmes challenge conventional thinking, strengthen executive alignment and help leadership teams prepare with confidence for the opportunities and risks in an increasingly AI-driven business environment.

A respected authority on contact centre governance and operational excellence, Rod has served on the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Technical Committee for Contact Centre Standards since 2008, including as Chairman of the Standards Review Committee. He continues to represent South Africa as an active member of the ISO 18295 standards committee and has also served as an auditor for the Dubai Model Office Standards for Contact Centres.

Unlike many advisors whose perspectives are based solely on historical experience, Rod remains actively engaged with a carefully selected group of technology innovators developing next-generation solutions across omnichannel platforms, customer interaction intelligence, AI, analytics and digital transformation. This involvement gives him unique insight into the technologies shaping the future of customer operations and enables him to advise boards from both strategic and practical perspectives.

Beyond his commercial activities, Rod is Co-Founder and Patron of the Africa Federation of GBS Associations, an initiative dedicated to strengthening collaboration across the continent and to accelerating Africa’s standing as a leading global destination for business process outsourcing and digitally enabled services. He is a passionate advocate for job creation, leadership development and the responsible adoption of AI across Africa’s customer experience industry.

A sought-after keynote speaker, author, mentor and industry commentator, Rod is recognised for challenging conventional thinking, linking global trends to practical business realities, and helping organisations prepare not only for the future they expect but also for the future that is already emerging.

Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Rod works with organisations across Africa and internationally as a trusted board adviser, strategic sounding board, and catalyst for growth and transformation.

July 2026 
Johannesburg, South Africa • Telephone/Cellular: +27 (0)82-568-9976 • rod@rodjones.co.za • www.rodjones.co.za