#86 How Daikin scaled Customer Experience across Europe - CX Leadership insights with Nicoline Valk

How do you scale Customer Experience across 17 European affiliates when you cannot lead CX from headquarters alone?

In this episode of CX Leadership Talks, Nienke Bloem speaks with Nicoline Valk, Department Manager Customer Experience at Daikin Europe. Nicoline shares how Daikin moved from a B2B focus towards a B2B2C approach and how she developed a centralized CX program that allows countries to take local ownership.

At the heart of their conversation is omotenashi: the Japanese philosophy of genuinely taking care of customers, paying close attention and anticipating their needs. Translating that philosophy into a European CX approach requires a different kind of leadership. Nicoline explains how she shifted from steering operations to influencing, connecting and building bridges across countries, cultures and departments.

Nienke experienced the strength of this network firsthand when she spoke at Daikin Europe’s CX Seminar Seminar. She was impressed by the energy, openness and genuine sense of community Nicoline and her team have created across the different affiliates.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How to shift from operational leadership to leading through influence.

Why a strong internal network is essential when scaling CX across countries and cultures.

How consistent visibility keeps Customer Experience on the agenda and encourages others to take ownership.

How Daikin combines a centralized European framework with local customer insights and action.

You’ll also hear how newsletters, monthly calls, affiliate meetings, customer visits and shared action plans help Daikin turn CX into an ongoing way of working. Nicoline reflects on her own leadership growth, the value of learning from other industries and the achievement she is proudest of: seeing countries embrace CX and move from customer feedback to action.

If you are scaling CX, strengthening your internal network or wondering whether you are visible enough as a CX leader, this conversation offers plenty of practical insights and inspiration.

A small heads-up before you press play: you may notice a few minor audio hiccups along the way. Luckily, the conversation is far too valuable to let those get in the way.