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What are the Top Priorities for Global Heads of Learning, Talent, and Executive Development in 2026?

Learning, Talent, and Executive Development, and the businesses they serve, are undergoing rapid change. AI is changing the way that employees work and learn. External disruption means that the markets businesses operate in are nothing like they were ten years ago. And the expectations on Learning and Talent leaders are enormous.

As a leader in L&D and Talent, what should you prioritise? iVentiv has surveyed almost 500 Global Heads of Learning, Talent, and Executive Development from 394 companies in 16 cities across 8 countries on three continents to find out what they are focusing on in their work. Together, their views provide a unique perspective on the state of Learning and Talent in 2026.

Read the full report for a detailed breakdown of the top topics, with expert comment from some of the leading thinkers in Learning and Talent Development. In this blog, we share some of the headline takeaways.

2026 L&D Trends: Skills-Based Organisations, AI Governance, and Learning Culture

In this conversation, iVentiv’s Richard Parfitt (Marketing Director), Hannah Hoey (Content Director), and Kristy Kitson (L&D Strategist) share three key learning and development trends that they predict could shape the 2026 agenda for Chief Learning Officers.

Drawing on insights from conversations with Global Heads of Learning, Talent, and Executive Development across industries, they explore how L&D is moving into organisational design, why skills-based approaches are becoming standard practice, and how the AI conversation is evolving from experimentation to responsible, human-centred integration. 

Informed by conversations with Heads of Learning and Talent at hundreds of companies, this conversation is a unique perspective on what might be in store in 2026 for Learning leaders navigating the future of work. Read the blog now.

AI Fluency vs AI Skills: What Udemy’s Global Trends Report Reveals About the Future of Work

Artificial intelligence is no longer a project, an initiative, or a phase of digital transformation. It is fast becoming the environment in which modern organisations operate. 

That is the central message of the Udemy Business Global Learning & Skills Trends Report; a data-rich analysis built from more than 17,000 global enterprises and 85,000 instructors and brought to life in a recent iVentiv interview with Gráinne Wafer, Global Head of Field Enablement at Udemy Business.

For senior executives, the implications are becoming impossible to ignore: AI fluency, not just AI skills, is emerging as the defining strategic capability for the years ahead.

Watch our interview now and read Udemy’s report here.

AI in Learning & Development Report

The topic of Artificial Intelligence has been impossible to escape in L&D over the past few years. For some, it stands to displace the entire function and render most of its skills and roles obsolete. For others, it represents an opportunity for Learning to reach more employees in more meaningful ways than ever before.

In this blog and report, we look in more detail at what Heads of Learning say they are really doing about AI. 

Skill Forward: How Comcast is Redefining Learning in the Age of AI

In a world where the shelf life of skills is shrinking from years to mere months, the question facing every Learning leader is no longer if we move to a skills-based model, but how fast. For Comcast, the answer has been a bold, enterprise-wide journey called Skill Forward.

Spearheaded by Sara Dionne, Chief Learning Officer at Comcast, Skill Forward is a data-driven approach that redefines how the business identifies, develops, and embeds skills. What began with conversations with just over 1,000 business leaders has grown into an integrated system shaped by more than 3,000 voices, weaving skills into hiring, strategy, and day-to-day operations.

But transformation at this scale is never simple. How do you balance enterprise-wide consistency with the needs of individual business units, or even individual learners? How do you make assessment meaningful at volume? And how do you keep pace when skills are being redefined almost quarterly by technologies like AI?

In this blog, we explore Sara’s insights from leading Comcast through this transformation, and what every L&D leader can learn about scaling skills, converging human and digital capabilities, and preparing the workforce for constant change. Read it now.

Delivering ROI: Skills and Learning and Development Strategy at Boehringer Ingelheim

At Boehringer Ingelheim, the “university” concept has been reimagined as a global ecosystem serving every one of the company’s 54,000 employees.

In conversation with iVentiv, Martin Hess, Chief Learning Officer at Boehringer Ingelheim, outlined how his team has created a federated model that unites more than 500 contributors worldwide, built a skills-based approach that directly connects capability to business goals, and implemented a vendor management system that reframes L&D as a value creator rather than a cost centre. The impact, he says, is measurable in both euros saved and credibility gained.

This blog explores Martin’s perspective and Boehringer Ingelheim’s journey, offering insights on skills, ROI, and personalisation that are directly relevant to anyone leading learning at scale. Read it now.

From Experimentation to Transformation: The Future of Learning and AI

In August, iVentiv brought together a group of Chief Learning Officers and senior learning leaders in Foster City, California. Against the backdrop of Silicon Valley—arguably the global epicentre of technological disruption—the group explored a central question:

How can learning enable organisations to move from AI experimentation to enterprise-wide impact?

Over two days of candid dialogue, Collaborative Cafés, and breakout sessions, CLOs reflected on what it really takes to scale AI, reimagine skills strategies, foster learning cultures, and prepare leaders for disruption. What follows is a synthesis of their key insights, designed to help CLOs worldwide think about the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Read more.

The ROI of a Great Place to Work: How Engagement Drives Performance

For Michelle Agnew, Global Head of Learning, Engagement, and Culture at CNH Industrial, the work of L&D goes far beyond delivering skills training. It’s about creating an environment where “people want to come to work, and they’re excited about that and giving it back.”

With more than 20 years of experience in HR and Talent Development which includes senior roles at the American Red Cross, Michelle has built a career around connecting learning to culture, engagement, and ultimately, business performance. 

In this conversation, Michelle shares her views on where L&D is headed, how to link learning to ROI, and why human connection may become the ultimate differentiator in the age of AI. Read it now.

Leading in the Age of AI: The Future of Learning, Talent, and Leadership

As we cross the halfway mark of 2025, one thing amongst Heads of Learning, Talent, and Leadership is abundantly clear: the pace of change in their organisations is no longer incremental, it’s exponential. 

At iVentiv’s recent Executive Knowledge Exchanges, C-suite leaders from global enterprises gathered to explore how Learning, Talent, and Leadership strategies must evolve to remain relevant in an AI-driven, skills-first world. The discussions weren’t just future-focused, they were grounded in urgent, present-day challenges.

From the iVentiv community across the USA and Europe, several recurring themes emerged. This blog unpacks the top insights and imperatives every CLO, and Head of Talent should consider when building a future-fit workforce. Read all about what's top of your mind for your peers here. 

The Top Priorities for Chief Learning and Talent Officers So Far in 2025

The role of Global Learning and Talent leaders is changing. Shaped by rapid advances in technology, shifting workforce demands, and wider societal change, L&D in some cases is expected to drive the change. In others its role is being challenged. In many cases it’s both.  

Based on iVentiv survey responses from 248 senior L&D and Talent executives, we’ve identified the top five priorities for Global Heads of Learning and Talent so far in 2025, along with two key themes still shaping the conversation: DEIB and change management. If you provide services to this audience, these are the issues your clients care about right now. Read now.

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