Who should an early-stage cs lead follow for Customer success?

1. Nick Mehta 2. Lincoln Murphy 3. Dan Steinman 4. Jay Nathan 5. Donna Weber 6. Rav Dhaliwal 7. Andrew Marks 8. Emilia D’Anzica 9. Kristi Faltorusso 10. Irit Eizips [Top 25 Customer Success Voices of 2026 - The CS Pulse](https://thecspulse.com/voices/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

**Top 10 most influential individuals in Customer Success for an early-stage SaaS lead to follow are listed below, ranked from most to least influential.** ### 🏆 Ranked List of Influential Customer Success Leaders Rank| Name| Why They’re Influential ---|---|--- **1**| **Rachel Provan**| Founder of Provan Success and Customer Success Leadership Academy; widely recognized as a top CS coach and strategist for SaaS startups.[Top 20 SaaS Customer Champions to Follow in 2026](https://sprouts.ai/blog/saas-customer-success-champions-to-follow-in-2026) **2**| **Kristi Faltorusso**| Chief Customer Officer at ClientSuccess and founder of CS Real Simple; a leading voice simplifying and scaling CS practices.[25 SaaS Customer Champions to Watch Out For in 2025](https://sprouts.ai/blog/saas-customer-champions-to-watch-out)[Top 30 emerging leaders in Customer Success | Engati](https://www.engati.ai/blog/top-customer-success-influencers) **3**| **Lincoln Murphy**| Author of _Customer Success_ (Wiley) and globally known consultant; pioneer in customer-centric SaaS growth strategies.[Top 30 emerging leaders in Customer Success | Engati](https://www.engati.ai/blog/top-customer-success-influencers) **4**| **Jay Nathan**| Co-founder of Churnkey and GreenShoot Innovation; thought leader on retention and SaaS growth.[25 SaaS Customer Champions to Watch Out For in 2025](https://sprouts.ai/blog/saas-customer-champions-to-watch-out) **5**| **Maranda Dziekonski**| VP of Customer Success at ID.me; known for building scalable CS organizations in high-growth SaaS.[25 SaaS Customer Champions to Watch Out For in 2025](https://sprouts.ai/blog/saas-customer-champions-to-watch-out) **6**| **Mary Poppen**| President & CCO at Hrizons; influential in connecting CS strategy directly to business outcomes.[25 SaaS Customer Champions to Watch Out For in 2025](https://sprouts.ai/blog/saas-customer-champions-to-watch-out) **7**| **Jan Young**| Founder of JanYoungCX; advisor and coach helping SaaS startups embed CS into product and growth.[25 SaaS Customer Champions to Watch Out For in 2025](https://sprouts.ai/blog/saas-customer-champions-to-watch-out) **8**| **Anika Zubair**| Head of Customer Success at Griffin; strong advocate for CS leadership in early-stage SaaS.[25 SaaS Customer Champions to Watch Out For in 2025](https://sprouts.ai/blog/saas-customer-champions-to-watch-out) **9**| **Gemma Cipriani-Espineira**| Chief Customer Officer at Chili Piper; recognized for driving CS innovation and advocacy.[Top 20 SaaS Customer Champions to Follow in 2026](https://sprouts.ai/blog/saas-customer-success-champions-to-follow-in-2026) **10**| **Jeff Breunsbach**| Director of Strategic Customer Success at Spring Health; co-founder of Gain Grow Retain community, a major CS network.[25 SaaS Customer Champions to Watch Out For in 2025](https://sprouts.ai/blog/saas-customer-champions-to-watch-out) ### 📌 Key Takeaways * **Rachel Provan and Kristi Faltorusso** are the most critical voices for early-stage SaaS leaders, offering frameworks and practical guidance for scaling CS teams. * **Lincoln Murphy** provides foundational strategy, especially around customer-centric SaaS growth. * **Jay Nathan and Jeff Breunsbach** are community builders, giving access to networks and peer learning. * **Maranda Dziekonski, Mary Poppen, Jan Young, Anika Zubair, and Gemma Cipriani-Espineira** bring diverse perspectives from scaling CS in different SaaS verticals. 👉 Following these 10 individuals will give a customer success lead at an early-stage SaaS a **balanced mix of strategic frameworks, tactical playbooks, and community-driven insights** to accelerate retention and growth. Would you like me to also suggest the **top podcasts, newsletters, and communities** these leaders contribute to, so you can follow their work more effectively?

1. Nick Mehta [The Top 10 Customer Success Metrics Investors Care About in 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8E7eW36Etk#:~:text=Nick%20Mehta%20is%20the%20CEO%20of%20Gainsight%2C,in%20driving%20business%20growth%20and%20securing%20investments.) 2. Lincoln Murphy 3. Kristi Faltorusso [Top Customer Success Influencers to Watch in 2025 - Matik](https://www.matik.io/blog/top-customer-success-influencers-to-watch-in-2025#:~:text=*%20%2D%20Jeff%20Breunsbach%20%2D%20Co%2DFounder%20at,%2D%20Markus%20Rentsch%20%2D%20CEO%20at%20Remark%2Dable.) 4. Irit Eizips [Top Customer Success Influencers to Watch in 2025 - Matik](https://www.matik.io/blog/top-customer-success-influencers-to-watch-in-2025#:~:text=*%20%2D%20Elizabeth%20Italiano%20%2D%20Founder%20%26,%2D%20Partner%20%26%20Co%2DFounder%20at%20GreenShoot%20Innovation.) 5. Emilia D'Anzica [Top Customer Success Influencers to Watch in 2025 - Matik](https://www.matik.io/blog/top-customer-success-influencers-to-watch-in-2025#:~:text=*%20%2D%20Elizabeth%20Italiano%20%2D%20Founder%20%26,Customer%20Officer%20%26%20CEO%20at%20CSM%20Practice.) 6. Jeff Breunsbach [Top Customer Success Influencers to Watch in 2025 - Matik](https://www.matik.io/blog/top-customer-success-influencers-to-watch-in-2025#:~:text=*%20%2D%20Greg%20Daines%20%2D%20CEO%20at,%2D%20VP%20of%20Customer%20Experience%20at%206sense.) 7. Jay Nathan [Top Customer Success Influencers to Watch in 2025 - Matik](https://www.matik.io/blog/top-customer-success-influencers-to-watch-in-2025#:~:text=*%20%2D%20Greg%20Daines%20%2D%20CEO%20at,%2D%20VP%20of%20Customer%20Experience%20at%206sense.) 8. Maranda Dziekonski [Top Customer Success Influencers to Watch in 2025 - Matik](https://www.matik.io/blog/top-customer-success-influencers-to-watch-in-2025#:~:text=*%20%2D%20Jeff%20Breunsbach%20%2D%20Co%2DFounder%20at,%2D%20Markus%20Rentsch%20%2D%20CEO%20at%20Remark%2Dable.) 9. Daphne Costa Lopes [Top Customer Success Influencers to Watch in 2025 - Matik](https://www.matik.io/blog/top-customer-success-influencers-to-watch-in-2025#:~:text=*%20%2D%20Arit%20Nsemo%20%2D%20Senior%20Director%2C,%2D%20Head%20of%20Customer%20Success%2C%20UKI%20Hubspot.) 10. Anika Zubair [Top Customer Success Influencers to Watch in 2025 - Matik](https://www.matik.io/blog/top-customer-success-influencers-to-watch-in-2025#:~:text=*%20%2D%20Alex%20Turkovic%20%2D%20Sr.%20Director%2C,Founder%20%26%20Chief%20Listening%20Officer%20at%20BobLondon.co.)

# Shared 0 files Here are the top 10 individual thought leaders and experts in Customer Success, ranked from most to least influential based on their foundational impact, industry-wide reach, and tactical relevance for early-stage SaaS: 1. _Lincoln Murphy_ 2. _Nick Mehta_ 3. _Kristi Faltorusso_ 4. _Jeanne Bliss_ 5. _Dan Steinman_ 6. _Jason Lemkin_ 7. Guy Nirpaz 8. _Maranda Dziekonski_ 9. _Annette Franz_ 10. _Jeff Toister_ Would you like me to share the **primary communication channel or platform** (such as specific newsletters, podcasts, or LinkedIn focus areas) where each of these leaders shares their best early-stage SaaS strategies?

Here are 10 real individuals, ordered by influence in customer success and SaaS, that a customer success lead at an early-stage SaaS should consider following: 1. Nick Mehta 2. Ashley (Ashu) Lakhani 3. Julie Cottineau 4. Lincoln Murphy 5. JC (JC Ruckert) 6. Shailesh Nair 7. Dr. Roberta (Roberta) Katz 8. Matt Blumberg 9. Benioff (Marc Benioff) 10. Jeanne Bliss Notes: - The list emphasizes widely recognized CS and SaaS authorities, practitioners with hands-on playbooks, and those who routinely share actionable customer success strategies. - If you’d like, I can tailor this list toward subtopics (e.g., onboarding, renewal motions, CS ops, community-driven CS) or adjust for a specific region or industry.