TTC’s chief customer officer stepping down
Deputy CEO Chris Upfold, who is credited with improving customer service at the agency, said he is leaving to travel with his family.

thestar.com
By BEN SPURR
May 17, 2017

The TTC’s deputy CEO and chief customer officer is stepping down.

Chris Upfold, 43, told his staff Wednesday that he was leaving voluntarily after almost exactly six years on the job.

In an interview, he told the Star he and his wife, who works for Metrolinx, another GTA transit agency, are both resigning to travel with their two young children.

The TTC hired Upfold in 2011 as its first chief customer officer. Creating the post was among the 78 recommendations made by an advisory panel that was formed to find ways to improve service at the public transit agency, which was often criticized for being out of step with its passengers.

“I think we’ve gotten a lot better about how we talk to our customers and how we give them information. All of those things, I’m proud of,” Upfold said, adding that he feels “we’ve re-established the credibility of the TTC.

“Frankly, could you always do better? Sure. But I think where we were six years ago to where we are now is a very different place, so it feels like a good time to make this change.”

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said Upfold was responsible for many of the “customer-first” reforms at the agency, including making its call centre available between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. seven days a week, and launching the @TTChelps Twitter account. He also took over service planning for the agency and played a leading role in planning for the Pan Am Games in 2015.

“Chris saw the benefit of customer engagement online and really helped steer that,” said Ross, who is a friend of Upfold’s and appeared with him in some of the agency’s lighthearted public service videos.

“The TTC is going to miss him greatly, and I’m going to miss him personally.”

According to the 2016 Public Sector Salary Disclosure, Upfold earned a salary of $247,326.82 last year.

Prior to joining the TTC, he spent a decade working at Transport for London in the United Kingdom.

Upfold’s last day will be June 30. The agency has not announced a replacement.