Ep. 101 - Communication Isn’t About the Trend - Julian Walker
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In this episode, Julian Walker, VP of Global Customer Experience at Pearson, shares how one of the world’s largest education companies transforms its customer experience by centring every initiative around student outcomes. Julian reveals how Pearson maps global journeys, connects insights to delivery, and integrates CX into strategic decision-making across a decentralised organisation.
He explores how CX teams can drive cultural shifts without owning every process, how to create alignment across markets with varying needs, and the importance of shared metrics in empowering customer-focused behaviours. Julian also reflects on how personal storytelling, co-creation, and adaptive governance can turn complexity into clarity, making this a must-listen for CX leaders navigating large-scale transformation.
Guest Bio
Julian Walker is the Vice President of Global Customer Experience at Pearson, the world’s leading learning company. With operations in over 70 countries, Pearson supports millions of learners through its education products and digital platforms. Julian leads a global CX team focused on delivering better learning outcomes by embedding customer-centric thinking across the organisation.
With over a decade of experience in education and digital transformation, Julian specialises in navigating complex, decentralised environments. At Pearson, he drives initiatives that align customer journeys with business strategy, builds shared CX metrics across diverse markets, and enables local teams through co-creation and adaptive governance. His work is redefining how large-scale organisations use customer experience as a lever for lasting change.
Takeaways
- CX must link directly to business outcomes.
- Influence matters more than ownership in CX.
- Shared metrics drive cross-market alignment.
- Co-creation makes global journeys locally relevant.
- Personal stories create CX buy-in.
- Adaptive governance enables scalable CX change.
Chapters
00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Julian Walker
01:12 Pearson’s Global Footprint and CX Role
04:30 Connecting CX to Business Outcomes
07:46 Mapping Journeys Across Diverse Markets
11:19 Embedding CX Without Owning Every Process
15:02 Co-Creation and Local Empowerment
19:45 The Role of Metrics in Driving Alignment
24:58 Using Personal Stories to Drive CX Change
28:40 Adaptive Governance in a Decentralised Org
32:06 Final Thoughts on Scaling CX Impact
