Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Following four years leading Telekom Malaysia’s customer experience arm, Lolitta Suffian has recently made the move to Bank Simpanan Nasional as its senior vice president for customer experience. In a LinkedIn post, Lolitta said that joining BSN aligns with her goal to help make financial inclusion a lived experience, not just a policy line.
“What drew me to BSN isn’t just its size or legacy, it is their promise. A promise that no Malaysian is left behind. BSN stretches far beyond the glass towers of city centers. It builds agent networks in rural towns, drives digital access for those who’ve never set foot in a branch, and teaches financial literacy from classrooms to communities,” she said.
She also added, “At BSN, the mission is the same spirit in a new form – using CX thinking to ensure banking isn’t just efficient for the already connected, but enabling for the underserved. My goal is simple: to help make financial inclusion a lived experience, not just a policy line. At its best, customer experience doesn’t just serve customers, it empowers them.”
Speaking to MARKETECH APAC regarding her move, Lolitta noted that the goal of joining BSN is still the same for her: the same fight in a new arena–ensuring that customer experience is a tool for inclusion, not exclusion.
“At TM, we fought digital divides in connectivity. At BSN, the mission is to fight financial divides – making banking not just efficient for the connected, but accessible and empowering for the underserved. CX isn’t about call centres and apps; it’s about whether people feel included, respected, and supported. That’s the frontier I’m excited to explore,” she said.
Reflections on her previous CX milestones
Prior to joining BSN, Lolitta served as the vice president of customer experience at Telekom Malaysia (TM), where she led the charge in crafting its customer journeys, from product conception to B2C after-sales care.
Moreover, during her 4-year stint with TM, she spearheaded the development and execution of impactful customer experience (CX) strategies, ensuring seamless integration across product development, customer service, and all customer-facing interactions.
Looking back at her previous stint, Lolitta highlighted three key milestones during her previous leadership: building a true customer-first culture at scale, AI-powered transformation, and turning pain points into pride points.
“From proactive outage notifications and powering our operations with AI tools to handle and manage customers expectations, we shifted customer engagement into the digital-first world while still keeping the human touch,” she said.
Some of those initiatives include the telco’s “24 Hour Service Restoration Gurantee” and the “Elite Crew” model, where they flipped the script–what was once a complaint became a differentiator. For her, that shift didn’t just improve metrics; it rebuilt trust with Malaysians.
Inspirations and advice on CX leadership
When asked what inspired her in her seasoned leadership, most recently with TM, she stated that it was the people, both their customers and her team.
“From the customer side, it was hearing raw stories: the student stuck during online class because of poor connectivity, or the business owner losing revenue from downtime. Those voices lit a fire in me to fix things that weren’t “just processes” but lifelines,” she said.
Lolitta added, “From the team side, it was about proving that Malaysians could build world class CX. At TM, we had an 18,000-strong workforce of “CX warriors,” many of whom were underestimated. Watching them transform into Elite Crews, NPS champions, and proactive problem solvers within their own divisions, that was my inspiration to keep pushing through resistance, bureaucracy, and the inevitable “it can’t be done” chorus.”
Moreover, Lolitta advised the next generation of CX leaders to don’t get comfortable in their own playbook–and that the moment someone thinks they have “mastered” CX or leadership, they are already behind.
“Keep your ears close to the ground. The best ideas won’t come from your dashboards – they’ll come from that customer WhatsApp chat you ignored or the junior exec who sees the world differently,” she said.
Lolitta concluded, “And never forget: CX is not one department’s KPI. It’s the mirror that reflects whether your entire company is keeping its promises. If you can’t look into that mirror honestly, no strategy, no AI, no transformation buzzword will save you.”
