Zendesk CLO Shana Simmons: Empathy is the new superpower for AI leaders
Shana Simmons, the Chief Legal Officer of Zendesk, emphasizes the importance of empathy in AI leadership. She argues that cultural compliance and authenticity are essential for effective governance in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Simmons believes that governance has become a more significant barrier to AI adoption than data quality, highlighting the need for a cultural approach to compliance.
- ▪Simmons discusses the role of empathy and culture in AI leadership during Zendesk's annual Relate customer conference.
- ▪She identifies governance as a major blocker to enterprise AI adoption, surpassing data quality concerns.
- ▪Simmons frames governance as a cultural issue, expecting product managers and engineers to integrate compliance into their work.
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Pro Zendesk CLO Shana Simmons: Empathy is the new superpower for AI leaders Features By Craig Hale published 25 May 2026 Empathy, character, and cultural compliance are key to AI leadership, Zendesk CLO says When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Zendesk) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Conversations about AI governance rarely drift toward children’s soccer games, meditation routines or the pressure of representation in corporate leadership, but then again, Zendesk Chief Legal Officer Shana Simmons isn’t your typical C-suite exec.Opening up…
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