October 30, 2025

How EXP KSA is Redefining the Experience Movement in the Middle East

By David Dungay

Featuring insights from Mohamed Debouk, CEO of New Metrics

Saudi Arabia has entered a defining phase in its transformation journey. One where experience has become central to how organizations deliver value, earn trust, and drive growth. That transformation took center stage at EXP KSA, a gathering that united government leaders, private sector executives, and experience management experts to explore how customer and employee experience are shaping the Kingdom’s next decade of progress.

Hosted by New Metrics, in collaboration with Medallia, EXP KSA was a reflection of how far the region has come and where it is heading. 

The Region’s Experience Movement Comes of Age

For Mohamed Debouk, CEO of New Metrics, EXP KSA marks a turning point. “The region has moved from discussing CX as a trend to embedding it as a discipline that connects strategy, people, and purpose,” he said.

Under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, public and private organizations alike are investing in understanding citizens and customers at every touchpoint. This shift is visible in the Ministry of Culture’s empathy-driven approach to event feedback, the Riyadh Municipality’s transformation of citizen services, and leading enterprises that are now using real-time insights to improve both experiences and outcomes.

“Experience management today is not about collecting feedback; it’s about acting on it,” Debouk emphasized. “At EXP KSA, we saw how Saudi organizations are using experience data to make decisions faster, improve operations, and create measurable public value.”

From Insights to Action

A recurring theme across the sessions was execution, moving beyond listening to measurable change. Speakers explored how experience signals, when captured and analyzed effectively, can drive agility and innovation.

Debouk highlighted this as the foundation of New Metrics’ philosophy. “Listening is only the beginning. The real transformation happens when insights become part of how an organization operates every day influencing policies, redesigning journeys, and shaping leadership priorities.”

This approach aligns closely with Medallia’s mission to turn billions of experience signals into real-time intelligence. Together, New Metrics and Medallia are empowering organizations across the Middle East to understand not just what customers say, but what they feel — and to translate those emotions into smarter decisions.

Human-Centric at Scale

While technology and AI featured heavily at EXP KSA, Debouk believes the event underscored a deeper truth: the future of experience is still profoundly human.

“The most advanced systems mean little without a culture that listens,” he explained. “Technology enables scale, but empathy gives direction. What we’re seeing in Saudi Arabia is a maturing understanding that the two must coexist — that digital transformation succeeds only when it is human-centric.”

This perspective resonated through sessions led by both private enterprises and government entities. Whether in designing connected ecosystems, embedding AI-powered insights, or enabling frontline empowerment, speakers returned to a shared principle: great experiences begin with understanding people.

The Power of Partnership

Another defining characteristic of EXP KSA was collaboration. The event brought together senior leaders from government ministries, financial institutions, telecom operators, and technology firms — reflecting how CX and EX transcend industries.

“Experience transformation is not a solo effort,” said Debouk. “It requires an ecosystem — consultants, technologists, and policymakers — working together to deliver impact that lasts.”

New Metrics’ regional presence across the GCC, combined with Medallia’s global leadership in experience management, has positioned EXP KSA as a platform for exactly that kind of ecosystem thinking. The conversations it sparked are already shaping joint initiatives, training programs, and benchmarking studies designed to strengthen CX maturity across the region.

A Regional Movement in Motion

For New Metrics, EXP KSA is part of a broader mission: to accelerate experience management maturity across the Middle East. Through partnerships, advisory, and capability building, the company is enabling organizations to embed CX and EX disciplines into the fabric of how they operate — from strategy to frontline delivery.

“The conversations that began at EXP KSA don’t end when the stage lights go off,” Debouk reflected. “They continue in boardrooms, ministries, and service centers across the region. The event is a catalyst — a spark that connects insights, ambition, and action.”

As the GCC continues to invest in digital transformation and human capital development, experience has emerged as the common thread tying it all together. It is how trust is built, how value is measured, and how nations deliver on their promises to citizens and customers alike.

Looking Ahead

EXP KSA has set a benchmark for what experience events in the region can achieve — not only in terms of thought leadership but also in shaping a shared vision for progress.

For Mohamed Debouk, this is just the beginning. “The Middle East has the vision, the leadership, and the momentum to define the future of experience globally. What we witnessed at EXP KSA was the energy of that movement — one rooted in empathy, powered by data, and driven by purpose.”