• Event: Learning Technologies UK 25
• Date: 23 April 2025
• Speakers:
  • Simon Gibson, Head of Talent, Center Parcs UK & Ireland
  • Karen Wilson, Global Director of Learning and Talent Development, Booking.com
• Chair: Donald H Taylor, Chair, Learning Technologies
• Estimated read time: 8 minutes

 

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Quick read summary

This session explored why many learning functions struggle to deliver meaningful organisational change, even as expectations on L&D continue to rise. Through a candid dialogue, the speakers examined how operating models, mindset, commercial understanding and stakeholder relationships shape whether learning teams are seen as order takers or strategic partners.

The conversation matters now because skills gaps, workforce volatility and accelerating change are exposing the limits of traditional L&D approaches. The session challenged leaders to rethink where learning adds value, what it should stop doing, and how it earns credibility inside the business.

Readers will gain practical insight into how to reposition learning around business outcomes, capability priorities and decision making, rather than delivery volume or tools.

 

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Why learning must change, even if it feels uncomfortable

The starting point of the discussion was simple but confronting. Learning teams are operating in an environment of rapid skills change, shifting workforce expectations and increasing pressure to demonstrate impact. Yet many organisations still rely on operating models designed for slower, more predictable conditions.

The speakers argued that this mismatch creates a growing credibility gap. Learning teams invest significant time and budget, but the underlying skills gap continues to widen. That tension forces a fundamental question. If the investment is real, why is the problem getting worse.

Simon Gibson framed this as a long running issue rather than a new one. He pointed to macro level forces, including skills scarcity and economic disruption, that have been visible for over a decade. From his perspective, the problem is not a lack of activity, but a lack of focus on the capabilities that genuinely matter to organisational performance.

Karen Wilson added that learner expectations have also shifted. Employees have limited time, reduced attention spans and higher expectations of relevance and personalisation. Generic programmes and slow delivery cycles no longer fit how people work or learn.

Together, these pressures mean learning functions cannot continue to operate as they have done. Change is no longer optional, even if it disrupts established ways of working.

 

From delivery mindset to value mindset

A recurring theme in the session was the danger of defining learning by what it delivers rather than the value it creates.

Simon Gibson challenged the idea that content, platforms or learning systems are the primary problem. In his view, those are symptoms of a deeper issue. If learning exists mainly to push content, it will inevitably be overtaken by technology and automation.

Instead, he argued that learning must define its purpose in terms of value added to the business. That requires understanding how the organisation makes money, what drives performance and where capability gaps directly affect outcomes.

Karen Wilson echoed this shift in mindset. She described how learning functions often fall into people pleasing behaviours, responding to every request and diluting their impact. Over time, this leads to an overloaded function that appears busy but struggles to demonstrate value.

Moving away from this pattern requires being explicit about priorities and, critically, about what learning will no longer do.

“If we are not relevant, we will be redundant.” Karen Wilson, Global Director of Learning and Talent Development, Booking.com

 

Balancing top down and bottom up capability needs

One of the most practical frameworks discussed was the tension between top down and bottom up learning demand.

Karen Wilson described this as an inverted hourglass. At the top sits business strategy, where learning must identify the skills, knowledge and behaviours that will enable strategic goals. At the bottom sit individual employees, with their role requirements and career aspirations.

Focusing only on top down priorities risks disengaging large parts of the workforce. Focusing only on bottom up demand turns learning into a service desk, overwhelmed by requests and lacking strategic impact.

Her experience suggests that most learning functions need to rebalance decisively towards the top down. Strategic capability priorities should guide where time, budget and senior attention are spent, while technology and automation can support more individualised, bottom up needs.

This balance is not static. It shifts as business priorities change, which reinforces the need for shorter planning cycles and regular reassessment.

 

Getting closer to the business, not closer to the tools

Both speakers emphasised that learning teams often talk about getting closer to the business without fully understanding what that means in practice.

For Simon Gibson, commercial curiosity is non negotiable. He described deliberately learning how each organisation he works in generates value, from pricing models to operational metrics. At Center Parcs, this includes measures such as average daily rate and service scores that reflect guest experience.

By understanding these metrics, learning can ask sharper questions. Does this activity influence outcomes that matter, or is it simply noise in the system.

This approach also requires confidence. Simon described openly challenging existing spend and activity when it does not connect to business impact, even when that creates discomfort.

Karen Wilson added that commercial acumen is an underdeveloped skill within the learning profession itself. Without it, learning leaders struggle to earn a seat at the table where strategic decisions are made.

“If I looked at your L&D spend and didn’t know your company, would I be able to tell what your business does?” Simon Gibson, Head of Talent, Center Parcs UK & Ireland

 

Stakeholder relationships as an operating capability

The session treated stakeholder management not as a soft skill, but as a core operating capability.

Karen Wilson outlined a simple but disciplined approach. Identify the stakeholders who have the greatest influence on business outcomes, assess the strength of existing relationships, and actively invest where gaps exist. This includes moving beyond traditional HR networks to build relationships with finance, technology and transformation leaders.

She stressed that learning earns influence by solving real problems quickly and well. Delivering visible wins for critical teams builds credibility that opens doors to larger conversations.

Importantly, she also highlighted the value of business sponsorship. When initiatives are owned and championed by business leaders, rather than branded as L&D projects, learning shifts from provider to partner.

 

Practical application: translating insight into action

Questions leaders should be asking

• Which three capability gaps most directly affect our ability to deliver strategy
• If we stopped this learning activity tomorrow, what would actually change
• Who in the business owns the problem we are trying to solve

Signals to watch in the organisation

• High volumes of ad hoc learning requests with limited strategic alignment
• Learning success measured mainly through participation rather than outcomes
• Senior leaders describing learning as support, not partnership

Common pitfalls

• Treating capability as a universal catalogue rather than a focused investment
• Over engineering skills frameworks without business ownership
• Avoiding difficult conversations about what learning will no longer do

What good looks like in practice

• A small number of clearly sponsored capability priorities
• Learning plans visibly linked to business metrics and decisions
• Learning teams known for solving problems, not just delivering programmes

 

Key takeaways

• Learning functions must redefine their purpose around value, not delivery
• Strategic capability priorities should drive focus and investment
• Commercial understanding is essential to earning credibility
• Stakeholder relationships are built through impact, not advocacy
• Saying no is a necessary part of becoming a strategic partner

 

Quote of the session

“If the purpose is to serve stuff, you will be obsolete.”

Simon Gibson, Head of Talent, Center Parcs UK & Ireland

 

Final thoughts

This dialogue made clear that transformation in learning is not primarily about tools, platforms or frameworks. It is about choices. Choices about focus, relevance and courage.

For learning leaders, the challenge is not simply to adapt to change, but to shape it. That means engaging with the business as it is, understanding what truly matters, and being willing to let go of work that no longer adds value. In doing so, learning has the opportunity not just to survive the next wave of change, but to lead through it.

 

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Speakers

Simon Gibson, Head of Talent, Center Parcs UK & Ireland. Leads talent and capability strategy, with experience across multiple sectors and organisational transformations.

Karen Wilson, Global Director of Learning and Talent Development, Booking.com. Leads global learning transformation with a focus on capability, business alignment and organisational impact.

 

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Watch full session