OUR STORY
25 years.
10 experience centers.
8 countries.
One conviction.
"When people feel seen, supported, and valued, performance follows. Everything GEMBA does starts here."
MEET ANDRES
If you're here, it's because
your people actually matter to you.
I've spent 25+ years inside Fortune 500 organizations, standing up experience centers across the globe, and watching what happens when organizations treat people, customers and employees, as the strategy, not the afterthought. The results were remarkable every time.
But the most transformative lessons didn't come from corporate reviews. They came from being a father. From watching my son, diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum at 18 months, navigate a world that wasn't designed for how he experiences it. And from realizing that if we built organizations that worked for the most complex human experiences, we'd build something that worked better for everyone.
Experience isn't soft. It's strategic. It's human. And it matters.
Andres Zapata
Founder & Principal Strategist
25+
Years CX + EX Leadership
10
Experience Centers Established
8
Countries Served
MEET MYLES 'THE LLAMA'
"I know what it feels like to not feel understood. That's why I helped create GEMBA."
Hi. I'm Myles. I'm the GEMBA llama. I'm autistic, and that means my brain works a little different. Loud noises and bright lights can feel like too much for me. Sometimes I stim when I'm really happy or when I'm trying to calm my body down. It helps me feel okay again.
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I know what it feels like to wonder if I belong. And I also know how parents and brothers and sisters feel when they just want their person to be accepted.
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At GEMBA, we help businesses treat people better. All people. Because when people feel loved and accepted, they do their best.
— Myles 'the Llama'
OUR GEMBA STORY
Three chapters. One mission.
01
The Career
For 25 years, Andres led customer and employee experience inside a Fortune 500 environment, building 10 experience centers across 8 countries and leading teams of up to 650 people. He learned what most organizations never discover: exceptional results follow when you put the human experience at the center of everything, not as an add-on to the strategy.
02
The Calling
When his son was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum at 18 months old, Andres' understanding of experience deepened in ways no career could have taught. Watching his son, now 11, show daily resilience and courage in a world not built for how he experiences it reshaped everything. Andres found himself at a crossroads: global career or family presence. Through reflection and prayer, a third path appeared.
03
The Company
GEMBA LLC was created to intertwine two lifelong passions: a deep advocacy for autism awareness and inclusion, and a love for Customer and Employee Experience that transforms organizations from the inside out. Today, GEMBA partners with leaders to design experiences where people don't just perform, but they belong, grow, and fulfill their purpose. We believe differences are not deficits. They are strengths that, when understood and supported, create stronger teams, healthier cultures, and more innovative organizations.
COMPANY OVERVIEW
What makes GEMBA different.
Most CX and EX firms deliver slideshows. GEMBA delivers change. Here's how we're built differently.
25+
Years of Fortune 500 experience and global leadership
10
Customer & Employee experience centers developed, globally
650
Team members led, globally
Human-centered, not theory-driven
Built from 25 years of real-world experience, not academic frameworks
Operational, not slideware
We implement at the Gemba, where the work actually happens
Voice-to-value focused
We listen to customers and employees, then turn insight into action
Inclusive and neuro-aware
The A.C.E. Framework puts autism-informed design at the core
Built for execution
We don't leave until the change is real, not just reported
OUR GEMBA CORE VALUES
Five values. Inspired by the llama. Lived by our team.
Our core values were inspired by a family conversation about what makes llamas remarkable. They became the foundation of everything GEMBA stands for.
Community
Llamas are herd animals. They thrive together and protect one another.
At GEMBA, we believe everyone has a place. Our work creates environments where customers, employees, and families feel like they genuinely belong.
In practice: We design for belonging, not just inclusion.
Endurance
Llamas carry heavy loads across difficult terrain, without complaint, without quitting.
Transformation is hard. Culture change is a long road. GEMBA stays the course alongside our clients through the difficulty, not just the easy parts.
In practice: We persist through difficulty to deliver real, lasting change.
Gentle Strength
Llamas are quiet powerhouses. Calm, deliberate, and capable without needing to dominate.
We bring conviction and capability to every engagement, but always with care, patience, and humility. We lead by earning trust, not demanding it.
In practice: We lead with conviction and care. Never with force. Never with arrogance.
Curiosity
Llamas investigate everything with wide-eyed interest.
At GEMBA, we never assume we already know the answer. We ask before we advise. We listen before we design. Curiosity is what keeps us honest and keeps our solutions from becoming templates.
In practice: We ask better questions than we give quick answers.
Adaptability
Llamas thrive in mountain altitudes, arid deserts, and dense rainforests alike.
No two GEMBA clients are the same, and no solution should be either. We flex our approach to fit your context without compromising the integrity of the framework or the quality of the outcome.
In practice: We meet every organization where they are, not where we expect them to be.
"We named our company after a practice of going where the work really happens. We named our values after an animal that carries weight gracefully, protects its herd, and never stops moving forward. That wasn't an accident."
— Andres Zapata, Founder, GEMBA LLC
Work with an organization that's been where you are.
25+ years of real-world experience. A personal commitment to inclusion. A process that actually works. Let's talk about what that looks like for your team.