Financial services, fintech and regulated industries
Megan Hunter
Customer experience and operations consultant
I build & deliver products, experiences & programmes. Using AI & Human collaboration to create better outcomes.
What to automate?
What stays human?
How to protect outcomes?
I'm Megan. After leading customer strategy, proposition and customer sustainability inside a FTSE 100 pensions and savings provider (Standard Life), I now work with banks, insurers, pension firms, fintechs and other regulated businesses on customer and client experiences that scale, stay human, and stand up to scrutiny.
Customer Directors, CCOs and adjacent customer leadership in insurers, banks, pensions and wealth. I bring embedded customer strategy, operations and proposition leadership inside the organisation: senior in-house judgment sitting with your team, not a partner research deck.
Packages for regulated businesses, always tailored to what you need. I don't offer AI as a standalone package. Embedding AI is part of how I already work, and part of how we'd work together: joining it up across customer journeys, operations and proposition, not dropping a tool in and walking away.
Every engagement starts with a conversation, not a proposal. Depending on what you need, I work as a consultant on defined projects, as a contractor on day rates, or as an interim covering a senior role. Fully remote across UK and CET hours, set up to operate outside IR35, and available on site for kick-offs or key moments. Flexible on contracting route to suit your procurement.
Selected work.
Six engagements that show how I work inside regulated organisations.
UK BANK
Vulnerable-customer journey and referral gaps
+
Delivered customer-vulnerability research and peer benchmarking for a UK bank, including journey mapping and frontline interviews that informed stronger external-referral options in serious circumstances.
Vulnerability and customer outcomes in DC accumulation
+
The problem. Pensions providers needed evidence of how vulnerability shows up in DC pensions accumulation, and how journeys and experiences link to customer outcomes under Consumer Duty.
What I did. Helped design a large quantitative pensions study on vulnerability and customer outcomes in DC accumulation, then wrote provider-facing summaries and helped present findings back to one of them.
The outcome. Providers used the findings to inform proposition, journey and customer-experience design, with clearer focus where customers struggled. One used the research to shape a pensions tool helping customers understand future retirement income.
The problem. Sales motions and data were not clearly mapped to adviser and institutional journeys, so it was hard to see where to systematise.
What I did. Delivered a Salesforce-centred go-to-market assessment, mapping sales motions and data to adviser and institutional journeys, and recommending where to systematise, including where AI fits after the basics.
The outcome. The client had a clear view of where AI could help: save time in people's day, and generate more leads by automating and systematising work the sales team were already doing.
STANDARD LIFE, BUSINESS MANAGER TO THE GROUP CUSTOMER DIRECTOR
Customer transformation programmes
+
Led the move of a 1,000 strong customer service operation, and a wider business of 3,000, to working from home in under two weeks during the pandemic.
Co-led business readiness for a product set moving to an outsourced service provider.
WOMEN'S HEALTH STARTUP
Programmes and products in women's health
+
Menstrual equity charity partnership expanded into the EU.
Launched the first Scottish women's health event with a client.
Designed a menstrual cycle calendar integration tool, live with over 250 users.
Outcomes delivered
+84%
Digital Skills Hubs engagement. First Digital Inclusion Customer Strategy.
1k / 3k
Customer-facing staff and colleagues transitioned to remote in under two weeks.
£1m
Board and ExCo funding secured for a customer sustainability programme.
First
Financial Inclusion Customer Strategy on the gender pension gap.
Consumer Duty Reporting
Customer strategies that supported Consumer Duty reporting.
GTM + AI
GTM review including Salesforce and AI.
Trusted by FTSE 100 leaders and start up founders.
In short
One of the most passionate, energetic, dynamic individuals I've ever had the pleasure to work with. She's committed to finding purpose in the work that she does and truly making a lasting impact to customers. This passion is coupled with a limitless drive, intelligence and thirst for knowledge.
Megan is a high achiever and delivers quality outcomes. She is a delivery-focused individual, both strategic and operationally, who always strives to do the right thing for customers in support of the wider business strategy.
We quite simply could not have done it without her. She provided technical expertise, sector insight and excellent team skills whilst delivering to budget and on time. Would like to keep Megan's skills a secret so she's always available to us but that would be very unfair. Highly recommended.
Full reviews
Jeneen Gill-Graham
Head of Strategic Partnerships, Standard Life
“Having worked with Megan over her career at Standard Life / Phoenix Group, from Proposition Manager where she helped develop a risk and governance framework across the department to her most recent Head of role, I would recommend Megan for almost any role. One of the most passionate, energetic, dynamic individuals I've ever had the pleasure to work with - she's committed to finding purpose in the work that she does and truly making a lasting impact to customers. This passion is coupled with a limitless drive, intelligence and thirst for knowledge that means she is a valuable asset in every role that she does. Underlying her passion for customers and people is her strong Leadership capability as a fantastic people manager, able to lead teams of incredibly loyal and happy people as well as deep understanding and knowledge of risk, governance and operational business processes. In Megan you have a unique individual who has truly developed a broad skillset whilst retaining her key passions and I have no doubt that she would be brilliant in any role that she chose to do.
Feb 26, 2025
Elaine Galston
Founder, Bettii (Women's Health Start Up)
“Megan helped us bring Scotland's first ever medically led women's health event to life. She was instrumental in making the day a huge success. We quite simply could not have done it without her. She provided technical expertise, sector insight and excellent team skills whilst delivering to budget and on time. Would like to keep Megan's skills a secret so she's always available to us but that would be very fair. Highly recommended.
Nov 26, 2025
Sarah Marks
CEO, RedStart Educate
“Thank you, Megan Hunter, for being an amazing volunteer in our workshops with the children, a determined advocate for us in Edinburgh and a staunch ally. I am sure the focus of your podcast will be a huge success. The world needs more Megan Hunter energy!
May 21, 2025
Lauren Adair
Events Director, Africa Tech Summit
“Megan was an absolute pleasure to work with on the inaugural Africa Tech Summit Awards. From the outset, she took ownership of the project, managed it with professionalism and creativity, and delivered outstanding results. She seamlessly navigated challenges, coordinated stakeholders, and executed a fantastic awards program. Thanks to her hard work and attention to detail, our first awards ceremony was a resounding success, setting a high benchmark for future awards. I highly recommend Megan for any project requiring strategic vision, meticulous management, and a results-driven approach. I would absolutely hire her again! Key strengths: - Strong project management & leadership - Strategic thinking & problem-solving - Delivered beyond expectations - Collaborative & communicative
Mar 1, 2025
Stuart Robertson
Chief Information Officer, Royal London
“Megan, I don’t think I’ll ever forget our time working together on the operation to mobilise thousands of our colleagues to work from home during the first few weeks of the pandemic.
Looking back, our IT recycling efforts should have won Phoenix a sustainability award! Thanks for being such an epic colleague and I hope we work together again in future 👏🏼👏🏼
“I had the pleasure of working with Megan over several years and saw first hand her effectiveness as a business leader and team player.
Megan is a high achiever and delivers quality outcomes. She is a delivery focussed individual, both strategic and operationally, who always strives to do the right thing for customers in support of the wider business strategy.
As a multi-talented individual Megan has also led significant transition programmes in addition to her customer work. She led the transition of our Edinburgh colleagues to work from home, during Covid-19 lockdown, ensuring business continuity and has also co-led business readiness for our transferring product sets to an Outsourced Service Provider. Both these programmes required exceptional project management capability, risk assessment skills, team leadership and excellent communication skills.
Megan is a highly regarded colleague who is well adept at working with both internal teams and third party partners alike. She is a strong project manager, with great presence of mind, and great problem solving skills who is able to present her work comprehensively and with passion to her teams, the executive group and to the Boards with great effect.
Overall, an excellent colleague who would be an asset to any organisation.
“I had the pleasure of managing Megan whilst she was a Proposition Manager at Standard Life, she is an extremely hard worker who constantly delivers. Megan designed and developed propositions for workplace pension clients, successfully creating and implementing our take to market strategy for both legislative and propositional change. She has strong stakeholder management skills, including with senior industry leaders, for example she collaborated with the IGC (Independent Governance Committee) Chair to deliver two annual reports. Megan is a talented team player and would be an asset to any organisation.
Jul 23, 2024
Diane Webb
Digital Inclusion Manager, Phoenix Group
“Having a brilliant manager is everything. I was lucky enough to join Megan’s team and thrive under her strong leadership. Megan is an impressive person, authentic, kind, determined and will always go above and beyond. She has a can do attitude, viewing challenges as opportunities. She has the ability to collaborate at any level in an organisation and skilfully manage stakeholders.
Working with Megan I have always felt valued, trusted, heard and empowered. Megan puts people first, striving to do her best for her team, colleagues, customers and wider society. When you work with Megan you know she has a strong sense of fairness and wants to make a positive difference. Megan can be trusted to do the right thing versus the easy thing.
Megan brings balance and positivity to all she does. I love her sunny disposition. While driving forward an ambitious Customer Sustainability strategy she still managed to encourage our team to look after each other, have fun and grow along the way. Megan is a person who gets things done.
I know there is so much more to come! I’m excited for any organisation that gets the chance to work with you Megan. You will shine bright in all you do.
Sep 21, 2024
Liam McCathie
Workplace Proposition Manager, Aegon
“Megan is a truly inspirational leader with an incredible ability to bring complex topics to life. Her passion for getting things done is equally met by her drive to do the right thing for customers, colleagues and wider society, making her a unique driver of change throughout the business. Not only this, but she is able to set ambitious strategies, incorporating strong values and a common mission to help ensure that all involved strive towards the same outcome. It is by doing this that Megan is able to create an environment for those around her to want to make a difference and to deliver outcomes in the best possible way.
Megan's people first approach is invaluable within any team. She truly cares about the individual, looking to help them in whatever way she can. This allows her to build strong, authentic relationships with stakeholders which are key to successful deliveries and getting things done. As a leader, she encourages personal development by providing both the support and encouragement to be the best version of yourself, helping people to feel valued and part of a bigger cause.
It is her unique ability to balance her passion for people, technical knowledge and drive to deliver the right outcomes which makes Megan a genuine joy to work with.
Jul 18, 2024
Fionn Travers-Smith
Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Pay UK
“Megan is an excellent manager and an inspirational leader who relentlessly pursues excellence, and creates delivery-focused, effective, and collaborative teams. She has a talent for crafting and communicating strategy, and is adept at motivating people to deliver it through pragmatic and results-oriented programmes.
Megan delivers an empowering approach to management that fosters autonomy, growth, and challenge, while providing clear vision and effective strategy that motivates her direct reports to consistently deliver their best. A particular strength has been her ability to communicate how the work of each individual contributes to the goals of the team and the wider function, providing us with the platform to develop our own leadership skills while delivering against business imperatives. She is detail-oriented and has fantastic in-depth knowledge of a wide variety of sustainability topics including financial inclusion, SDR, SDGs, vulnerable customers, digital inclusion, gender equality, and entrepreneurship. At the same time, she trusts and empowers her team to deliver and never strays into micro-management - a tough balance that demonstrates her deep-seated commitment to people development and a collaborative "one team" mentality, while delivering consistently excellent, high-quality outputs.
Megan is also a joy to be around and she has created a fantastic team dynamic that has enabled us to grow personally and professionally, while delivering an ambitious and complex agenda of work. From a personal perspective, I have developed my skillset and professional career immensely under Megan's leadership, and am grateful for the mentorship and opportunity she has provided, as well as proud of the work we achieved together. The camaraderie, passion, and joy in our team is a reflection of the leader that brought us together, and I look forward to following Megan's impressive trajectory and exceptional career wherever she next decides to deploy her many talents.
Oct 17, 2024
Julianne Elliott
Workplace Performance Lead, Phoenix Group
“Megan’s leadership has left a lasting impact on my professional growth. My fondest memories with Megan are the times in front of a whiteboard, pen in hand and excited by the opportunity to shape and deliver a strategy from the ground up. Megan’s creative and innovative mindset is one of her defining strengths as a leader. She is willing to take bold and brave steps that push beyond conventional thinking and this quality has been a distinguishing factor in a space where change can often be challenging. Her inspired leadership not only opens up possibilities, but also creates a culture of empowerment for those around her.
As a people-manager, Megan has been exceptional in fostering a sense of empowerment within her team. She has given me the confidence to lead myself, make decisions and contribute ideas, always knowing that I have her full support. This trust has allowed me to take ownership of my work and execute plans with confidence. Her leadership style not only encourages independent thinking but also creates a culture where innovation thrives. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work under her guidance and highly recommend her as a leader who inspires, supports, and drives meaningful change.
“Megan assisted on a go-to-market assessment project for a US asset manager across both their wealth and institutional channels. Her foundational knowledge and expertise in asset management, especially institutional knowledge from the UK, helped her quickly understand US operations. During this engagement I evaluated her for future GTM work with us by placing her in situations where she had to work directly with clients, collaborate with teammates, independently frame our analytical results and recommendations, and, most importantly, act as my thought partner for this client. Megan is a quick learner who asks many questions, follows up very diligently, very collaborative, and easy to work with. Our clients liked working with her too. Long story short, I will hire again!
September 2026
A bit about me.
I am an independent customer strategy and customer operations consultant for regulated financial services (insurers, banks, pensions and wealth). I was previously Head of Customer Sustainability at Standard Life (FTSE 100). I work on customer experience and operations, proposition and go-to-market, and embedding AI into journeys and operating models so firms automate what should be automated, keep what must stay human, and protect outcomes. I take consulting, contractor and interim engagements Outside IR35.
I started out in financial services, working across roles in proposition design, marketing and customer strategy, and stepping up to Head of Customer Sustainability at a FTSE 100, responsible for leading and managing a team of 40 colleagues (6 direct reports). I created and launched customer experiences and propositions from scratch, increasing customer engagement by 84%, and worked across financial inclusion, customer vulnerability and Consumer Duty. During COVID, I defined the strategy that moved a 1,000-strong customer operations department, and 3,000 colleagues more broadly, to remote working.
After spending 8+ years building a career in financial services, I decided to explore ways to make an impact on my own terms. This led me around the world, consulting remotely as a fractional leader on customer experience and product design for companies like a UK bank, a UK life insurer and pensions providers, as well as launching and running in-person experiences across two areas I care deeply about: women's health/femtech and the African tech ecosystem.
The reason my work now focusses on helping purpose-led companies create meaningful products and customer experiences is because I believe this is the best way to continue to compete, and future-proof your business in an AI-driven world. As digital outputs become easy to replicate, what will set companies apart, and be the difference between success and failure, is how they make their customers feel.
NOW· Customer Experience & Operations Leader
PREVIOUSLY· Head of Customer Sustainability, Standard Life (FTSE 100) · earlier roles in proposition design & customer strategy
EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS· University of Edinburgh (Law) · Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership · PRINCE2 Agile
Customer strategy, experience and operations are connected through the proposition customers actually receive. A decision about product, price, service or a digital journey has consequences across the firm.
I work inside leadership teams to join those decisions up, connect the customer promise to delivery, and use evidence from experience and outcomes so the whole proposition keeps improving.
Regulation and Consumer Duty set expectations and safeguards, evidenced through ongoing review and improvement of customer experience and outcomes. AI and automation enable delivery with human oversight: joining the dots, learning and adapting more quickly, and delivering efficiencies.
The proposition
The customer promise is made real by each component part: product (what it does and who it serves), price (what customers pay), service and operations (support and delivery), digital offer (what customers can do digitally), and connected channels (how access and support work together).
Guidance and advice help with decisions. Fair value assessment considers benefits alongside cost. Together they form the supporting base within the proposition.
Customer journeys
How customers access, use and move through the proposition.
Customer experience and outcomes
How it works and feels, and what the customer achieves.
Learn and adapt
The proposition evolves as the firm learns from its customers. Evidence from experience and outcomes informs changes to the proposition. Review. Adjust. Deliver. Learn again.
The landscape.
5–25×
more expensive to acquire a new customer than retain one
Harvard Business Review
32%
will leave a brand they love after just one bad experience
PwC, Future of CX
80%
of enterprises plan to adopt AI for customer retention by 2026