Long before customer experience emerged as a defining business strategy, Sean McDade was charting new ground. As founder and chief executive officer of PeopleMetrics, he envisioned a future where companies could use feedback not as a formality, but as a force for meaningful change. His early insight into the power of listening, paired with a technology-forward mindset, laid the groundwork for a company that has revolutionized how businesses understand their customers. In 2025, McDade joins the rank of Titan 100 Honorees, recognized for redefining what it means to lead with both vision and values.
In the past three years, McDade has reshaped PeopleMetrics into a leaner, more efficient and more customer-centric organization. Profitability climbed, operations were streamlined and the company deepened its role as a strategic partner. More than a tech solution, PeopleMetrics has become a driver of outcomes, aligning internal culture with external success.
McDade believes the future of work belongs to organizations that act as learning ecosystems. He has guided the team to build digital dexterity while encouraging continuous development in data storytelling and customer intelligence. Through AI-powered tools and collaborative training, PeopleMetrics equips its workforce to meet the evolving demands of experience management with confidence and clarity.
For McDade, staying passionate is not a matter of luck—it’s a discipline. He keeps a direct connection with clients, embracing their challenges as fuel for innovation. He shares this mindset across the company, embedding a spirit of curiosity and gratitude into the everyday culture. That sense of shared purpose inspires others to see each task not as a checkbox, but as a chance to contribute something lasting.
If McDade could master one skill instantly, it would be advanced AI development—specifically, designing and deploying responsible, human-centered systems that elevate decision-making in customer experience and market research. Already utilizing AI to analyze sentiment and detect trends, he sees the opportunity to go further: predictive insights, automated interventions and personalized experiences at scale. For McDade, AI mastery is not about novelty—it’s about intention, ethical design and empowering his team to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
His entrepreneurial journey began with a bold premise: the internet would forever change how businesses and customers interact. Seeing a gap in how feedback was gathered and used, McDade founded PeopleMetrics to close it. His aim wasn’t just to collect opinions, but to drive behavior change, enabling companies to act with purpose and urgency.
In five years, McDade envisions PeopleMetrics leading the next generation of experience intelligence. With responsible AI embedded throughout the platform, clients will gain even faster, more accurate and more actionable insights. The company will serve not just as a provider of data, but as a partner in transformation.
McDade’s distinction as a Titan in his industry stems from his pioneering spirit, his deep technological intuition and his commitment to building systems that improve both business outcomes and human lives. Among the accomplishments he values most is building a business that continues to evolve—because evolution, for him, is the truest form of impact.
