David Kelly is widely regarded as a leading voice at the crossroads of learning and technology. Bringing more than two decades of experience in talent development, he supports L&D professionals in understanding emerging trends and turning them into actionable strategies. A regular keynote speaker at global conferences, David is a respected authority on AI, digital learning, and innovation. His work centres on empowering learning leaders with the mindset, tools, and frameworks they need to confidently manage change and disruption. 

As this year's Learning Technologies Conference Co-Chair, David shares his insights on where our industry is headed. In this interview, he gives his expertise on current trends in L&D, his experience working across international markets, and looks forward to our upcoming event in April.

 

Can you give us an intro about yourself and how you got into workplace learning?

I’ve spent my career at the intersection of learning, technology, and community. Like a lot of people in this field, I didn’t grow up saying, “I want to work in L&D”. I was very good at my job, and was asked to show others how to do it. I discovered I was fascinated with how people grow and how organisations perform.

Early in my career I saw firsthand that training alone doesn’t change performance, but the right learning ecosystem can. That realisation hooked me. Since then, I’ve been focused on helping organisations think beyond courses and approach learning and performance holistically. Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to build communities and conversations that push our industry forward.

 

If you had to distil today's world of digital learning into three words, what would they be and why?

Possibilities. Noisy. Transformational.

We have more tools, platforms, and content than ever before, creating more possibilities than we've ever seen; having options is no longer our problem. The challenge is all of these new options creates noise, and without clarity of purpose it’s easy to mistake activity for impact. But within that noise is real opportunity. When organisations focus less on how to use new tools to do what we do, and more on the new possibilities that new technologies are making available, our approaches to support learning and performance can become transformational rather than transactional.

 

What's a learning initiative you've seen a business implement recently that really impressed you?

I’m consistently impressed by organisations that stop launching “training programs” and start building performance ecosystems. Recently, I saw a company shift from a compliance-driven mindset to embedding performance support directly into the workflow with searchable resources, manager toolkits, peer communities, and just enough structured learning to support it all.

What impressed me wasn’t the technology; it was the restraint. They didn’t try to build everything. They focused on removing friction from real work. That shift from content creation to capability enablement is powerful. It’s not flashy, but it drives results.

 

What's the best bit of advice you can give to a business hoping to upgrade their learning initiatives?

Start with performance, not learning.

It sounds simple, but it changes everything. Before upgrading platforms or launching new programs, get crystal clear on what better performance actually looks like and how it will be measured. Too often we modernise the delivery method without questioning the underlying assumptions. If you anchor your strategy in business outcomes and build outward from there, the right learning solutions tend to reveal themselves. Technology should support the strategy, not define it.

 

Which highlights from this year's Learning Technologies Conference are you most looking forward to?

For me, it’s always about the conversations as much as the content. The formal sessions matter, of course, especially the discussions around AI, skills, and evolving workforce expectations. But what I’m really looking forward to are the hallway debates and the chance to pressure-test ideas with peers from across the industry.

Conferences are one of the few places where we can step out of our organisational bubble and challenge our assumptions. I’m also excited to see how the AI conversation matures beyond hype into practical application. That evolution will define much of our work over the next few years.

 

Obviously, AI has massively impacted the way all of us approach work. What's the biggest way it has impacted learning?

The obvious answer around impact is that AI has drastically lowered the barrier to creation. It's amazing. Now anyone can draft, prototype, or personalise learning experiences in minutes. That’s incredibly empowering, but I also find it a little dangerous.

The real impact isn’t in faster content creation; it’s the shift in expectations. If content is easy to create, then our value moves upstream to curation, context, and performance alignment. What excites me about AI isn't what AI can do; it's what it enables humans to do with time saved by AI. AI doesn’t replace learning professionals, but it absolutely changes where we add value.

 

You're someone who frequently sees both sides of the Atlantic. How does the US approach learning differently to the UK?

Broadly speaking, I see the U.S. market as slightly more scale-driven and vendor-oriented, while the UK often leans more toward pragmatism and integration. In the U.S., there can be a strong appetite for bold experimentation and rapid adoption. In the UK, I often see more emphasis on practical application and operational alignment. Of course, these are generalisations, and I hate to speak in generalisations.

There are innovative and conservative organisations in both regions. What’s encouraging is that the challenges are remarkably similar on both sides: proving impact, integrating AI responsibly, and aligning learning with business outcomes. The conversations are more alike than they are different.

 

What's something businesses need to stop doing when it comes to learning?

They need to stop equating learning activity with impact.

Launching programs, tracking completions, and celebrating attendance can create the illusion of progress. But if behaviour and performance aren’t changing, nothing meaningful has happened. We also need to stop treating learning as an event rather than a system enabling continuous process embedded in work. Shifting that mindset is one of the most important changes organisations can make.

 

What's your advice for getting teams more engaged in learning and training?

Make it relevant, make it safe, and make it easy to the point of being invisible.

Engagement isn’t about adding gamification or flashy design; it’s about answering the learner’s unspoken question: “Why should I care?”

When learning clearly connects to real challenges people are facing, engagement rises naturally. At the same time, teams need psychological safety to experiment, practice, and even fail. Managers play a critical role here; if they reinforce learning in the flow of work, it signals that growth is part of the job, not extra credit. Engagement follows relevance and reinforcement.

 

If you could master a new skill instantly, what would it be?

I’d love to instantly master a new language.

Not just for travel, but because language opens doors to perspective. The ability to think and communicate across cultures helps us learn in ways I'm not sure we fully understand. Not to be melodramatic, but I think the world would be a much better place if there was no friction limiting our ability to connect and share as humans. We're more alike than we are different, and the world would be a better place if we could see that easier.

And I think language affacts our work in a practical way too. So much of what we do is about understanding context and nuance. Mastering another language would deepen that understanding in ways that go beyond vocabulary. And it would make conference networking a lot more interesting.

 

Don't miss Europe's leading workplace learning conference

This is just a teaser for what awaits you on 29-30 April 2026 at Excel London! David will be joined by Co-Chair Donald H Taylor in delivering a world-class conference – with over 30 dynamic sessions led by more than 70 expert speakers, it's an unmissable event for all L&D professionals.

Secure your place today to join 800 like-minded professionals in shaping the future of learning and development. 

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