The Assembly

In this excellent interview, Adam sits down with Jez Light of Ground Control. Jez is an award-winning learning leader, known for his transformational approach to L&D. He is Head of Learning and a member of the executive team at Ground Control, a national maintenance and construction company operating across the UK. Jez previously led learning for global brands including Phones4U and Superdry,...

In this debut episode of L&D 101 , host Brigid McCormack welcomes the inimitable John Helmer —podcast host, writer, and long-time learning industry figure—for a no-nonsense exploration of how the world of L&D has evolved over the past two decades. Drawing on his deep experience as a marketer, buyer, and thought leader, John shares practical advice on how to navigate the complex, often mess...

In this excellent interview, Adam sits down with Ross Garner and Paul Buller of Mind Tools to explore one of the most pressing topics in L&D today: the role of AI in content creation and the future of learning. Ross is Chief Learning Officer at Mind Tools and a former Learning Designer of the Year. He’s also a long-time podcast host and co-author of the L&D Dispatch newsletter. Paul is Hea...

Welcome to the very first episode of The Assembly – the new voice of Assemble You. Formerly known as L&D Challenges , our rebranded podcast reflects a more inclusive, optimistic, and forward-thinking take on learning and development. In this episode, co-founders Richard Ward and Adam Lacey are joined by new co-host Brigid McCormack to walk you through what’s changing—and why. What’s new? We're...

Remember 'performance support'? Amid all the talk of AI, adaptive learning, and skills, it's kind of been forgotten. But not by us! Or by respondents to Don Taylor's Global Sentiment Survey , who ranked it 11th hottest trend this year (up two from last year). In the first of a two-part series of crossover episodes with our partner MindTools, Adam sits down with Ross G and Paul to discuss: What mak...

In this excellent interview, Adam chats with Director of Learning, Leadership, & Inclusion at Marston's, a leading UK pub operator with over 1,300 pubs and over 10,000 workers.  With over 20 years of experience in the hospitality sector, she is recognised as a senior L&D thought leader and a strong believer in fostering high-impact cultures where individuals feel deeply aligned with their...

In this fantastic interview, Adam chats with the Head of Learning Experience at Greene King Pub Company, Simon Cox. Si is a dynamic leader specialising in employee engagement and learning innovation, with over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry. As Head of Learning Experience at Greene King Pub Company, Si oversees the design and delivery of impactful learning strategies for over 4...

In this exciting interview, Adam speaks with Natalie Newton the Early Careers Lead at Together Money.  Beginning her career in recruitment advertising, Natalie developed a passion for talent development and creating impactful early career experiences. She has over 25 years of experience in talent development and has been leading the early career strategy at Together Financial Services for the past...

In this insightful interview, Adam chats with the digital learning partner at River Island, Cameo Bondy.  Cameo is a passionate Learning and Development specialist with a strong track record in designing inclusive and engaging training programs. With experience in both retail and healthcare settings, Cameo is dedicated to fostering accessible learning experiences, championing neurodivergent educat...

Using Skill Sprints to Drive Individual-Lead Learning with Russell Woods In this excellent interview, Adam sits down with Russel Woods from Aster Group UK. Russell is the Learning and Development Partner for Aster Group. He has taken his experience from leading and developing organisations in the sports and social housing sectors into L&D and is now designing and delivering learning journeys w...

This episode features former professional athlete and mental health coach Aaron Ridley of Tribox & OPTIEDGE. Aaron is a former professional athlete who has spent years learning, improving, and gaining qualifications to switch from the ring to developing businesses in the corporate mental health arena. In this powerful Mental Fitness Masterclass, we go beyond stress management and the normal ex...

In this fantastic interview, Adam chats with Learning Manager at River Island Tom Kirk. Tom has nearly 15 years of experience in various learning formats, including sports and business coaching, and university lecturing, and is a qualified Science teacher and former Head of Year.  Since transitioning to Learning & Development post-COVID, he has trained thousands in leadership, skills developme...

In this fantastic interview, Dr Kinga Petrovai chats with Adam about her unique approach to workplace learning, The Learning Hive.  Dr Kinga Petrovai is a workplace learning consultant and podcaster with a doctorate in learning technologies from Oxford University and an M.Ed. from Harvard University. With a background as an electrical engineer, Kinga works at the intersection of research and pract...

In this fantastic interview, Adam chats with Tom Newman, the Group Head of Talent Development at Together Money. Tom is passionate about talent development and creating an environment for people to realise their full potential. He believes that talent development done well empowers others to define their own success and allows organisations to thrive by building an ongoing culture of learning.  In...

In this excellent interview, Adam discusses the tips and tricks of retaining great employees with Kelly Pirotte. Kelly is the Group Head of Learning and Development for the Keys Group, a national multi-site business in the care sector. She holds an MSc in Management, which sparked her interest in Learning and Development and has completed the CIPD Advanced Diploma, earning Fellow status.  Kelly's...

In this fantastic interview, Adam chats with head of talent management, learning and DEI at travel agency Love Holidays, Clodagh Beatty. Clodagh has spent over 20 years shaping Talent Management and Learning and Development across various industries worldwide, with a focus on financial services and tech scale-ups.  Throughout her career, Clodagh has supported elite athletes transitioning into new...

This bonus episode features Emma Ewing With a leading trainer provider and founder of Big Fish Training, Emma chats with Adam on how individuals can make the most of life at work, grow in their careers, and build up their professional confidence and happiness.  Emma and Adam walk through the six ways to take control of your career: Building Your Career, Building Success, Building Relationships, Bu...

In this great episode of L&D Challenges, Adam chats with Nicki Finnigan, Director of Learning and Development at financial advisory company St. James Place, about SJP’s new learning experiences they’ve created recently. Leading a number of transformative L&D projects, Nicki launched a new platform and app that delivers a learning programme to the SJP partnership and employees. Combining th...

In this incredible episode, Alison Armstrong walks us through the importance of trauma-informed training and the essential skills of intervention when having conversations around challenging topic of suicide.  Alison is a best-selling author and training specialist with a wealth of experience in the areas of alcohol, drug and suicide prevention. She has developed training across these topics to va...

In this exciting interview, Adam speaks with Harry Chapman-Walker, CEO of Kallidus . Harry Chapman-Walker studied Politics and International Relations at the University of Bath and later earned a Master’s in International Business Law and joined Kallidus in 2013. After completing an Executive MBA in 2020, Harry moved to the US in 2021 as Executive Vice President of Sapling, driving Kallidus' North...

In the second podcast episode recorded at the Learning Futures event by iVentiv, Adam chats with Charles Jennings, Sina Melder, Leon Jacob about embracing collaboration and different learning cultures to foster learning development. Topics include:  Demonstrating value to the organisation through L&D with Charles Jennings AI beyond content creation with Sina Melder Transforming soft skills int...

In this special podcast episode, Adam interviews Sam Zalcman of ST Microelectronics, Priyakumar Nair of Roche, and Peter Fischer of HEC Paris at the Learning Futures event in Basel, Switzerland, hosted by iVentiv. Adam dives into data-driven decision-making, personalisation, and measuring impact to enhance learner engagement with Sam Zalcman, Priyakumar Nair, and Peter Fischer. Topics include: Lev...

This episode features Ket Patel, the founder of Change Agitators and a Change Management Institute Accredited Master Change Practitioner. With over 20 years of experience helping organisations as they scale, grow and modernise, Ket chats with Adam on how to support others through change and how to not be victim to organisational change.  Adam and Ket discuss how to build the capacity to handle the...

In this excellent interview, Adam sits down with John Hinchliffe of Emirates NBD. John is a digital learning expert recognised as a Top 30 thought leader in the eLearning Industry in 2022 and 2023 and was the youngest recipient of the LPI Colin Corder award for outstanding contribution to learning. John is the Digital Learning Experience Manager at the banking group Emirates NBD.  John founded the...

In this fantastic episode, Adam chats with Wali Rahman of the Forestry Commission.  Wali is the Diversity and Wellbeing Manager at the Forestry Commission, with over 18 years of experience in higher education, Local Government, and the Civil Service.  Wali has pioneered diversity initiatives, including Wiltshire’s first Prevent Officer role and diversity training for over 700 individuals across mu...