The iVentiv Pulse: What Are The Top Priorities for Heads of Learning and Talent in 2025?

As we step into 2025, the landscape of Learning and Talent Development is evolving at an unprecedented pace. 

The 2025 iVentiv Pulse report sheds light on the key priorities and challenges that Heads of Learning, Talent, and Executive Development are grappling with. This comprehensive report, based on iVentiv pre-event questionnaire responses from 563 leaders across 448 companies, offers a unique glimpse into the future of work and the strategies that will shape it.

You can download the full report here, or read on for a summary of the top five topics:

 

A graph showing Leadership Development (60%), Reskilling and Upskilling (53%), Artificial Intelligence (41%), Learning Culture (40%), and Change Management (32%) under the heading 'What are the Biggest Priorities for Your Function at the Moment? (with % change since last year)'

1. Leadership and Executive Development 

Selected by: 60% of Respondents (+4% compared to 2024)

Leadership and Executive Development continues to be the most selected topic overall, reflecting the onus that L&D leaders are placing on leaders when it comes to navigating the complexities of today's business environment. Leaders are not only expected to steer their organisations through economic uncertainties and technological disruptions, but also to foster a culture of curiosity and continuous learning. 

2. Reskilling and Upskilling: Building the Skills-Based Organisation

Selected by: 53% (+8%)

The rise of Reskilling and Upskilling as a top priority underscores the urgency organisations and Learning teams feel to equip their employees with the skills required to adapt to new technologies and ways of working. The shift towards skills-based organisations is another key factor, with leaders emphasising the importance of flexible and inclusive talent practices that can meet the demands of a dynamic workforce.

3. Artificial Intelligence: Can L&D Lead?

Selected by: 41% (+41%)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking a lot of the headlines and Learning & Development is clearly no different. The report reveals a growing interest in leveraging AI to augment learning experiences, provide personalised learning, and support workforce transformation. 

4. Learning Culture: Curiosity, Continuous Improvement, and Change

Selected by: 40% (+1%)

Learning Culture was the fourth most popular topic among respondents this year, with Learning Executives concerned about remaining competitive and innovative. The report highlights the perceived importance of leaders in setting the tone for a learning culture that encourages self-led, on-the-job learning. For Heads of Learning and Talent, this approach is particularly vital in times of upheaval and change, where the ability to adapt and learn quickly can make the difference between success and failure.

5. Change Management: Underpinning Everything?

Selected by: 32% (+9%)

The rapid changes impacting businesses and Learning teams are everywhere, with some level of change underlining the focus on each of the other top topics detailed in this report. Whether it’s technology, a restructured learning team, or political disruption, L&D leaders clearly feel that navigating and driving change will be a big priority for them in 2025. 

The iVentiv Pulse 2025 report provides a rare insight into the priorities and challenges facing Learning and Talent leaders today. As organisations navigate the complexities of the modern business landscape, the focus from L&D executives on leadership, skills development, AI integration, learning culture, performance management, and employee engagement. By embracing these priorities, organizations can build a resilient and adaptable workforce ready to meet the demands of the future.

Read the full report for a detailed analysis of the data, with expert reflections from Nigel Paine, Stefaan van Hooydonk, Vidya Krishnan, Jay Moore, Brian Murphy, and Gary Kildare.

Download here.
 

Thumbnail: 
News category: 
Latest Trends in Learning

More Insights

iVentiv events are all about community and collaboration. By bringing together senior executives from global companies to share knowledge, iVentiv provides the platform for you to connect with peers in the same roles and take away new ideas that make a real business impact. Over the years, we have been very fortunate to bring that conversation to some of the world's most iconic corporate venues.

Corporate hosts enhance the iVentiv experience by providing inspiring spaces to connect and develop. A fresh environment and a different business culture helps participants think about their challenges in new ways. In short, hosts inspire the iVentiv community to experiment, innovate, and do more. Find out more about hosting iVentiv here.

Events, conferences, expos, seminars. Whatever you want to call them. Attending is one of the best ways to meet decision-makers in big companies and do some networking, whether that's Chief Learning Officers, Heads of Talent, or Executive Development leaders.

But there are a lot of events out there, and making the most of them is tough. To get started, read iVentiv's top ten tips for networking with decision-makers at events and conferences.

Leadership is about so much more than KPIs and performance.

Derek Bruce has recently joined DSM as Global Lead, Performance Management and Learning Strategy. In this interview with iVentiv, he talks about the skills that leaders need in 2022 to make sure they can support individuals in the way they bring themselves to work. He talks about mindfulness, succession development, and especially purpose. These are the skills that Derek says are going to be especially important going forward, and in the full interview he gives his advice on how to go about it.

On 1 December 2021, Theresa Cook, EMEA Talent Development Head for TikTok and ByteDance, and her team attended a Town Hall where they were told that the talent development global function was being made redundant. "Now, in any organisation that is quite a shock," Theresa recalls, "however, in a startup organisation, which I did sign up for, I also knew that these are the kind of things that might potentially happen." Find out more about how Theresa lept into action.

Skills, reskilling and upskilling are high on the CLO agenda right now. Peter Sheppard is Head of Global L&D Ecosystem at Ericsson. In this video, he talks about how to demonstrate the value of skills in your organisation and how to tie your reskilling efforts to key business goals. Watch and read the full interview here.

In the first of iVentiv's 'Five minutes with' series, Charles Jennings, Co-Founder of the 70:20:10 Institute and a member of the iVentiv Advisory Board, spoke about the key skills and challenges that CLOs need to focus on right now. Charles shares his insights and ideas on how CLOs can build communities to manage change. Watch the full video to find out more.

Gorana Sandric is the former Head of Group Talent Development for the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company and a HR Leadership Development Consultant and Executive Coach. In this blog, she reflects on some of her main takeaways from iVentiv's Talent Management Europe Virtual Knowledge Exchange. Read the full blog to find out more.

Pages