The Verde Group

About The Verde Group

When Paula Courtney bought back her customer experience consultancy in 2003 from the company she had sold it to three years earlier, she was stumped. What would the new company be called?

She thought about choosing a name that resonated with her Portuguese roots and one of her favorite wines, Vinho Verde. This Portuguese wine is produced in the green rolling hills of northern Portugal and has a slight effervescence.

The Verde Group felt right. It gave a meaningful nod to Paula’s heritage and “verde” was a word that stood for growth and prosperity in many languages.

From early days in Toronto to building a global organization, The Verde Group has stayed true to its roots and Paula’s passion for researching, understanding and interpreting what motivates human beings and how they behave. For over two decades, The Verde Group has perfected and employed a proprietary research methodology that’s grounded in human behavior — in particular, the insight that individuals are far more likely to take action in response to negative events than to positive ones.

It’s a methodology that goes straight to the heart of the customer experiences that matter most to customers and to The Verde Group’s clients’ top line in a way that satisfaction analysis cannot.

From financial services to logistics, manufacturing to retail and telecommunications, The Verde Group’s leaders offer expertise across a variety of industries. And their diverse viewpoints result in fresh perspectives that deliver value to clients and lasting satisfaction with the Verde Group’s work. Which could explain why clients that rely on The Verde Group’s proven expertise, like Pratt & Whitney since 1998, stay for the long haul.

WBE Canada
The Verde Group is a verified women-owned business by WBE Canada and is committed to supplier diversity as well as corporate social responsibility.

Partnerships

qualtrics XM
Wharton University of Pennsylvania

Leadership Team

Member Image

Paula Courtney

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

A passionate change agent and entrepreneur, she believes that organizations remain competitive and profitable when they are brilliant at the basics of service delivery. As CEO of The Verde Group, a research consultancy specializing in helping companies improve customer retention, Paula leads the development of new research methods for helping companies link customer and employee experiences to financial outcomes. Paula is also a member of the Board of Directors of Covenant House, which empowers young people and helps them overcome adversity in 31 cities and six countries.

Member Image

Jon Skinner

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Jon has more than 20 years’ experience in helping clients and organizations raise customer value through improved customer insight, relevance, satisfaction and operational excellence. Spanning both B2B and consumer categories, he has consulted to market leading companies across the Financial Services, Pharmaceuticals and Medical, Telecommunications, Software and Consumer Package Goods verticals designing and implementing programs to grow customer value.

Member Image

Dennis Armbruster

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Dennis has over 25 years of knowledge in customer experience & loyalty strategy. He specializes in helping organizations improve market share and brand engagement by identifying and prioritizing opportunities and bridging the gap between strategic insights and the operational realities of change. His experience spans a number of Verde Group key verticals including partnering with brands such as: T-Mobile, AT&T, US Cellular, The Home Depot, Walgreen’s, Target, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Canadian Tire, A&F, Alaska Airlines, Hertz, Delta Airlines and more.

Member Image

Gord Ripley

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

An experienced executive manager in the loyalty research and analytics space, Gord has over two decades of experience managing the operational complexities of enterprise-wide customer experience programs for North America’s largest organizations. Adept at optimizing existing processes and developing new ones that deliver greater client efficiencies and new sources of client value, Gord oversees all operations at Verde Group.

Member Image

Sandie Parker

VICE PRESIDENT

Sandie specializes in consulting with clients in the areas of customer experience and loyalty assessment, sales force research and strategy, measurement and reporting. Her expertise encompasses both qualitative and quantitative research and facilitation of strategic action planning. Sandie has extensive background in the financial services industry including retail brokerage, wealth management and financial planning, investments and securities, insurance, commercial and investment banking, and contact centers.

Member Image

Christine Young

VICE PRESIDENT

Christine has over 20 years’ experience in the market research industry and specializes in program development and consulting with clients in the area of customer experience and loyalty. Christine works with the client to build, measure and optimize their customer experience programs, with a focus on operational excellence and consistent delivery of high-quality CEM programs.

Are you ready to unleash the power of your customer experience?