LONDON, 24 June 2026 – ArvatoConnect has strengthened its senior leadership team with two strategic appointments as the customer service landscape undergoes a fundamental shift.
Richard Maynard joins as Chief Operating Officer, while Amjad Khan has been appointed Director of Operations, reinforcing the business’ focus on helping high trust, regulated organisations balance AI efficiencies with the human expertise needed to deliver good customer outcomes – and where customer operations are closely linked to compliance, protecting vulnerable customers and brand reputation.
Routine, high-volume activity that was traditionally offshored is increasingly being handled by digital agents, enabling more services to be delivered competitively from the UK and freeing up teams to focus on complex work where empathy, judgement and trust are critical. In fact, ArvatoConnect research found that 73% of UK CX leaders would reshore if cost weren’t a factor, 34% plan to within 12 months, and 46% already deliver some UK customer service, with AI now removing that cost barrier. The same technology is also augmenting agents themselves, surfacing real-time sentiment and vulnerability signals so teams can step in at the moments that matter most.
The appointments support ArvatoConnect’s strategy of combining AI-enabled operations with UK-based specialist teams, keeping customer operations closer to clients, regulators and the consumers and communities they serve, while reducing potential security exposure.
Strengthening operational excellence
Richard Maynard brings more than 20 years’ experience leading large-scale UK and international contact centre and business process outsourcing (BPO) operations, including senior leadership roles at Vodafone. As Chief Operating Officer, he will scale and sharpen ArvatoConnect’s operational capability, underpinning the company’s growth ambitions with consistently high service quality and performance.
“Customer service is moving beyond a simple volume model. AI can increasingly handle routine activity and improve the customer journey, but the interactions that remain human often matter more to the customer and to their brand,” said Richard Maynard, Chief Operating Officer at ArvatoConnect. “I was drawn to ArvatoConnect by the opportunity to strengthen operational discipline while building on an already strong culture – one that clients rely on when service is not just about efficiency, but about protecting relationships, reputation, and long-term value.”
Demonstrating regulatory maturity in complex sectors
Amjad Khan joins with more than 15 years’ experience transforming customer operations across financial services, utilities, insurance and housing. His background includes leading large-scale AI, automation and digital transformation programmes, alongside extensive expertise in FCA regulation and Consumer Duty.
As Director of Operations, Amjad will lead CX and BPO delivery across ArvatoConnect’s UK sites, helping clients embed regulatory requirements into everyday operations while improving customer outcomes.
“In regulated sectors, it’s not enough for providers to say they understand regulation and compliance. They have to prove it in how services are designed, governed, measured and continuously improved – as well as translating it into day-to-day behaviours.” said Amjad Khan, Director of Operations. “What stood out to me about ArvatoConnect is it’s maturity in embedding regulatory thinking into everyday operations, so clients can protect customers in every interaction, support good outcomes and reduce operational risk.”
Driving confidence and growth for clients
Debra Maxwell, Chief Executive Officer at ArvatoConnect, said: “Richard and Amjad join us at a pivotal moment for the customer service market, as clients look for more than a traditional contact centre or volume-based BPO model.”
“Regulated organisations, are under pressure to reduce cost, adopt AI responsibly and protect customer trust at the same time. Our difference is that we bring those priorities together through a UK-based model, deep regulatory expertise and the long-term investment needed to redesign customer journeys properly. Their appointments further support us in leading this shift.”
