Cecile Latimore
Cecile Latimore is a seasoned customer experience leader with over two decades of professional experience spanning the financial services and property and casualty insurance industries. Currently serving as Director of Customer Experience & Advocacy at Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, she has built a reputation for driving customer-centric transformation within complex, highly regulated environments. Her career began in wealth management and banking, where she spent more than ten years developing expertise in client relations, investment services, and operational leadership before transitioning into the insurance sector.
At Citizens, Latimore has progressed through multiple leadership roles, including Customer Care Supervisor, Consumer Services Manager, and Assistant Director, before stepping into her current directorship. She has been instrumental in designing and implementing enterprise-wide customer experience strategies, including launching and managing a comprehensive voice-of-the-customer program. Her leadership extends across call center operations, research and fulfillment teams, and executive-level communications, where she is known for her ability to translate customer insights into actionable business improvements. Her work consistently emphasizes operational excellence, transparency, and advocacy, ensuring that customer needs remain at the forefront of organizational decision-making.
Guided by a servant leadership philosophy, Latimore is deeply committed to empowering teams and fostering a culture of engagement and continuous improvement. She is recognized for her strong communication skills and her ability to inspire both individuals and organizations to strive for higher standards of service. Her personal mission centers on helping others see the good in themselves and those around them, with the goal of creating a more positive and empowered future. Through her leadership, she continues to influence the evolution of customer experience practices while mentoring others to lead with purpose and authenticity.
• Certified Firearm Instructor
• Certified COPC Implementation Leader
• 2-20 General Lines, Property and Casualty License
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
• MegaMap Certified
• Certified Customer Experience Professional
• University of Phoenix- B.S.
• University of Phoenix- Associate's
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my long-standing passion for customer service, making bold decisions when necessary, and continuously learning and applying my skills across industries.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was to not be overly tenacious. Sometimes when you're thinking you're being ambitious or trying to make a name for yourself, you don't know when to stop making the point or when to stop standing out. Sometimes you have to lead with grace and know when to stop and let the data or let the situation speak for itself, instead of always needing to speak up so frequently. I learned that at a very young age, and it has helped me throughout my career to be able to be passionate, but not always have to speak in the room. It's also helped me coach and develop upcoming leadership to be the ones to speak, instead of me always being the one to speak.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women to grow outside of the land you're planted in, because for me, that's been a constant theme in my life. Even going from banking to insurance was the best decision ever, and I was very scared when I left the bank. Even at the insurance company during the pandemic, one of the new skills I picked up was becoming a certified firearm instructor, and I'm afraid of firearms. But I found myself in a situation where my family dynamics changed, I went through a divorce and became a single mom, so I felt like I needed to protect my child and myself. I went and trained, hired an instructor, studied, and passed the exam. Now during the day I'm a customer experience director, but on weekends and evenings I teach concealed weapon permit classes to women who are afraid to even hold a firearm. Always look at when you grow outside of that land that you originally planted in, how can you use any additional skills that you've gained from your new ground and apply it to the ground you were planted in initially. Even as a firearm instructor, I learned how to aim at a target, identify which one of my eyes are dominant, and how to focus, but I use that same skill in my work every day in customer experience to look at a problem from a different angle or a different lens, to not be closed off to change, and to be open to different perspectives. Everything you learn in one area can be applied to another, as long as you don't stay in one spot.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest opportunities in my field is leveraging diverse, cross-disciplinary skills to approach customer challenges in new and more effective ways. At the same time, a key challenge is navigating organizational instability and constant change, including shifts in operations and workforce uncertainty.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are customer service, helping others, continuous growth, and leading with grace.