Itziar Pobes
Principal Service Designer at Zurich Insurance
Itziar Pobes is a design leader with extensive experience establishing and scaling service design practices in public and private organisations, and is the developer and lead tutor of the Customer Journey Management Training Program at Service Design College. She has a strong track record of embedding customer lifecycles as strategic principles for cross-functional alignment, ensuring long-term organisational success. Currently, she leads the development of customer experience design capabilities at Zurich Insurance Group, focusing on journey management and innovative engagement strategies that enhance customer lifetime value and strengthen competitiveness in today’s market.
With a long yet early professional background in service design, Itziar crossed to the dark side of participatory approaches and intangible value through design thinking in 2012. After completing an MBA in Service Innovation and Design in Finland, she went on to teach service prototyping, service design, and business design in the Master’s in Design Management and Innovation at BAU Design College, as well as serving as a visiting lecturer at other design, business, and government schools, such as Politecnico di Milano and IED. She is now pioneering the world’s first Customer Journey Management Advanced course, launching in February 2026.
Itziar Pobes
Principal Service Designer at Zurich Insurance
Itziar Pobes is a design leader with extensive experience establishing and scaling service design practices in public and private organisations, and is the developer and lead tutor of the Customer Journey Management Training Program at Service Design College. She has a strong track record of embedding customer lifecycles as strategic principles for cross-functional alignment, ensuring long-term organisational success. Currently, she leads the development of customer experience design capabilities at Zurich Insurance Group, focusing on journey management and innovative engagement strategies that enhance customer lifetime value and strengthen competitiveness in today’s market.
With a long yet early professional background in service design, Itziar crossed to the dark side of participatory approaches and intangible value through design thinking in 2012. After completing an MBA in Service Innovation and Design in Finland, she went on to teach service prototyping, service design, and business design in the Master’s in Design Management and Innovation at BAU Design College, as well as serving as a visiting lecturer at other design, business, and government schools, such as Politecnico di Milano and IED. She is now pioneering the world’s first Customer Journey Management Advanced course, launching in February 2026.
Sessions
From “So what?” to “Now what?”: Turning journey mapping into real business impact
Too often, journey mapping ends up as decoration on a wall. This workshop shows you how to flip that “so what?” moment into tangible results. Using examples from decentralized global organizations, we’ll explore how everyday requests—like reviewing customer journeys across multiple markets—can be turned into opportunities that uncover inefficiencies, hidden costs, and risks leaders can’t ignore. Through hands-on exercises, you’ll identify the right first use case, map only what matters, and connect journey stages to existing business metrics. Together, we’ll design a quick win pilot and craft the one powerful stakeholder question that sparks momentum. You’ll leave with the confidence to kickstart journey management that delivers measurable impact.
For who
Designers & CX Practitioners ready to transition from being a contributor to being an organizational pioneer.
Individuals who want to lead the charge in establishing a customer-centric culture, regardless of their current environment.
Aspiring Leaders who need a clear, proactive strategy to build a foundation for journey management that drives genuine business value.
Key takeaways
By the end of the session, participants will:
Know how to turn a “so what?” request into a “now what?” opportunity leaders actually care about.
Learn to spot the right first use case that creates traction inside a decentralised organisation.
Practice a minimalist mapping approach that avoids overwork and focuses only on what drives results.
Be able to link journey stages to existing business metrics instead of inventing new ones.
Leave with the confidence to secure momentum by delivering one quick win and asking the right stakeholder question.
Journeys & ecosystems