What are the biggest priorities for Chief Learning and Talent officers in 2024?

What are the priorities driving global Heads of Learning, Talent, and Leadership? Before every iVentiv event, we ask you to tell us what areas you’re focusing on, and what questions you want to ask your fellow participants.

In the iVentiv Pulse Report we’ve brought together the views of 824 Global Heads of L&D, Talent, and Executive Development to understand the key trends and priorities that are driving Learning and Talent in 2024.

The iVentiv Pulse Report 2024, featuring Sachin Jain, Citi

Learning and Talent leaders are grappling with creating learning cultures, adapting to AI, and developing leaders who can manage the changes and challenges that their businesses face. Above all, what this data shows, is that Learning teams are prepared to be at the forefront of the change. As one Head of Learning at a major airline put it, “I’d like to discuss everything.”

The report also pulls in exclusive insights from leading experts including: 

  • Jonathan Donner, Former Unilever, UN World Food Programme, Amazon
  • Gary Kildare, Former CHRO, IBM
  • David Watkins, SVP, Group Talent, Transformation & Engagement, Oerlikon
  • Charles Jennings, Co-Founder, 70:20:10 Institute
  • Jay Moore, Chief Learning Officer, GE

Who was surveyed for the iVentiv Pulse?

A total of 824 respondents completed the surveys from 594 companies, ahead of events in 17 cities around the world and online. 

Each one of those respondents is a Global Head, VP/Director or equivalent, working in Learning and Development, Talent Management, or Executive Development. That means every viewpoint in this report is that of a senior decision maker.

What topics are Global Heads of L&D, Talent and Leadership focusing on?

Across all territories and job functions, the topics that the most leaders in HR said they were prioritising were:

  • Leadership and executive development:    56% 
  • Reskilling and Upskilling: 45% 
  • Learning Culture: 39% 
  • Learning platforms (LMS/LXP) & tech (VR, AR, AI): 27% 
  • People data/insights, measurement & ROI: 27% 

The full report delves into the quantitative and qualitative data to suggest why those themes have predominated, how the different areas interact, and what businesses are doing to address them. It includes insights around coaching, hybrid working, and learning culture, with commentary from experts and examples of the challenges that C-suite executives have raised.

Read the full report for free.

More Insights

Speaking to iVentiv Content Director Temi Bamgboye, Alison Shea, the Former VP of Global Talent Development & Learning at State Street, shared her insights on the pivotal role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and belonging in organisations. Shea brings a wealth of experience, including her tenure at Thomson Reuters, not to mention a genuine passion for talent development and learning. In a wide-ranging conversation, Alison discussed DEIB and how it isn’t a problem you’re trying to solve, it’s a key driver of success. She spoke about how not all diversity is visible and how “invisible” traits such as neurodiversity can be truly impactful. Businesses, she says, should support all voices that don’t get heard enough by traditional means and leaders and DEIB champions should encourage everyone to learn from their mistakes. Watch the full interview and read more here.

Leadership is more than just a job title. Leadership is about the behaviours a person displays and the actions they inspire. Often, the most effective leaders – certainly from the perspective of L&D teams – are those who are always seeking to learn, develop and grow themselves. In this blog, we explore some of the key questions that Chief Learning Officers are asking about leadership, and highlight some of the methods L&D leaders have adopted to help develop better leadership skills across the organisation. Read more here.

Marianne Schenk, Global Head of Leadership Development at Julius Baer, shares her insights on the importance of adaptability and reflection in effective leadership. Marianne discussed the idea being on a "dance floor" versus viewing from the "balcony." Marianne Schenk is Managing Director, Senior Advisor, Global Head Leadership Development at Julius Baer and a Senior Organisational Change expert with a global portfolio. Read more and watch the full interview here.

Doug Scott, the former leader of Executive Leadership at GE, and Jay Moore, the Global Learning & Culture Leader at GE Crotonville, spoke with iVentiv about GE’s Corporate University campus at Crotonville, its history, and significance. The two experts shared their experiences and insights on leadership development, the role of emotional intelligence, and the importance of trust in building a culture of collaboration. Read more and watch the full interview here.

Jay Moore, Global Learning and Culture Leader, GE references the importance of coaching at GE, how the company ‘spends a great deal of time with our most senior leaders for them to be better coaches’ and how it ‘continues to be a needed and necessary skill for leaders’. In essence, it is the tailored approach to development that coaching offers, that can help executives improve their leadership skills and achieve their goals, making it an attractive option for learning, talent, and leadership executives to invest in. Read more here.

Adeline Looi, Global Head of Integrated Leadership Development at Nestlé is responsible for helping 30,000 people leaders and 273,000 full-time employees in over 180 countries grow in leadership. Speaking to iVentiv’s Temi Bamgboye, Adeline discusses about the Nestlé Leadership Framework, her own philosophy on leadership, and why it is that fewer people now want to be leaders. Watch the full interview.

Employees should be more than satisfied, they should thrive. Increasingly, CxOs see their success with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) as key to achieving that. In 2022, 21% of the Global Heads of L&D, Talent Management, and Executive Development who attended iVentiv events selected DEIB as one of their priorities. This is one part of HR’s wide range of priorities, but more and more leaders in learning and talent are looking to make DEIB a key part of what makes them successful going forward. Read more about why and how leaders are incorporating DEIB into their HR strategies here.

Phil Rhodes is the Head of Learning and Leadership Development at WM, the largest environmental services company in North America, and is a frequent conference keynote speaker on topics ranging from organizational effectiveness, leadership development, change management, and learning trends. He has specific expertise in crafting dynamic Learning and Development (L&D) solutions that enable data-driven decision-making and help employees reach their full potential. Ahead of his breakout session at Learning Futures New York, Phil blogged for iVentiv sharing his perspectives on the trends shaping L&D. Phil writes about skills, partnering with business functions, making the most of AI, and measuring the impact of L&D on business outcomes. .Read the full blog here.

What are the priorities driving global Heads of Learning, Talent, and Leadership? Before every iVentiv event, we ask you to tell us what areas you’re focusing on, and what questions you want to ask your fellow participants. We’ve pulled together those responses into a report summarising the big themes and key questions driving HR as we head into 2023. This blog summarises the key takeaways, and the full report includes commentary from experts in learning, talent, and leadership.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, corporations have taken a range of steps to support Ukrainian employees and customers. Speaking to iVentiv ahead of her session at Talent Management Zurich in October 2022, Nataliia Gorbenko, Global Head of Talent, Performance and Rewards Management at Luxoft, spoke about how businesses have the opportunity to support Ukrainian talent with real benefits to both parties. Read more and watch the full interview here.

Pages