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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

The Difference Between Team Building and Team Learning

Large, global Learning and Talent teams are both a strategic advantage and a serious leadership challenge. They stretch across regions, time zones, and business units, and are expected to deliver transformation while operating in a constant state of change themselves. 

For many Chief Learning Officers, the only regular opportunity to bring their teams together is the annual offsite or occasional away day.

The result often defaults into “team building”. Although icebreakers, marshmallow toothpick towers, and trust falls are activities that might boost morale, they rarely help a learning professional facing the practical pressures of AI adoption, skills taxonomies, or strategic workforce planning. 

Global teams need more than a bonding experience. They need shared language, shared strategy, and shared confidence to deliver. 

They need knowledge transfer, not just camaraderie. 

They need team learning.

This is where the distinction matters, and this is exactly what our blog discusses. Read it now.

A Framework for Running L&D Events with Global Teams

Leading a global Learning and Development function is both a privilege and a puzzle. You have talent in every corner of the world—people who understand local markets, cultures, and business needs—who often work in silos, separated by time zones, priorities, and communication styles.

The irony is clear: the very people responsible for enabling learning across the business often struggle to learn from each other. When global L&D teams rarely connect, knowledge gets trapped, duplication creeps in, and alignment suffers.

That’s where a well-designed team event comes in. Whether virtual or in-person, a thoughtfully structured gathering can do more than boost morale—it can create alignment, build capability, and spark collaboration that carries through the rest of the year.

This blog offers a practical framework for running effective L&D events for global teams—one that transforms an annual offsite or virtual workshop into a shared learning experience with measurable business impact. Read it now.

Solving the Knowledge Silo in Global Learning Teams

In many large learning organisations, global L&D teams face a recurring challenge: knowledge silos. 

Why?

Regional groups or functional departments often operate in isolation, creating, developing, and executing learning programmes with little visibility into what their peers are doing elsewhere. That isolation leads to duplicated effort, inconsistent practices, and lost opportunities for synergy.

In this blog, we’ll explore how thoughtfully designed events—virtual or in-person—can break down silos, strengthen global L&D collaboration, and foster sustained knowledge sharing across your organisation. Read it now.

Designing Events for Knowledge Sharing: Practical Techniques

In today’s workplace, knowledge is your most valuable asset, but it’s also the easiest to lose. As staff turnover rises, careers become more fluid, and hybrid work scatters teams across time zones, keeping that knowledge alive and connected has never been harder. 

For anyone running a large global L&D operation, it can feel like trying to keep dozens of spinning plates in the air at once.

Yet when knowledge sharing breaks down, the costs are high: duplication of effort, inconsistent experiences, and ideas that never reach beyond the local team. The solution lies in intentionally designed knowledge sharing workshops and internal knowledge sharing events that make collaboration systematic, not accidental.

This blog explores how to design those events effectively, turning conversation into impact and connecting the dots across your global Learning organisation. Read it now.

Planning Corporate Events For Small Groups: A Complete Guide

When done right, events designed for small groups (typically between 20 and 50 participants) can lead to deeper connections, richer conversations, and more meaningful outcomes. In a world full of overstimulated conferences and overcrowded rooms, intimate gatherings offer a refreshing opportunity to slow down and engage in real dialogue.

In this guide, you’ll find out how to plan powerful small-group events with intention, from designing sessions that spark genuine collaboration, to nailing the logistics that make all the difference. Read more here.

Why Internal Events Often Fail, and How to Fix Them

Organising an internal corporate event should be straight forward. After all it’s just a room full of colleagues, some snacks and a bit of knowledge sharing. Until the caterers don’t show up, half the team forgets to RSVP, the chairs are double booked for another meeting, the facilitator veers wildly off topic, people scroll their phones and then slip out early. And something that was supposed to energise the team does quite the opposite. 

If you’ve ever experienced this, you’re not alone. Internal events often fall short – not because the intentions are wrong, but because the planning is. Here’s how to avoid the common traps and make your internal event one that people want to attend and actually benefit from. Read on.
 

How to Engage L&D Teams Through Events

Planning a corporate event might sound simple, but creating something truly engaging and impactful takes careful thought. For Learning & Development teams, particularly in large, global organisations, it’s easy for events to fall flat: too generic, too passive, and too disconnected from daily challenges.

This complete guide explores how to design internal events that do more than fill calendars – they foster collaboration, spark conversation, and drive change. Whether virtual, hybrid or in-person, the key lies in co-creation, clarity of purpose, and designing for participation.

Read about how you can create events your team won’t just attend, but will genuinely look forward to.

Change Ecosystems, Rapid Reskilling, and Leaders of the Future with Majid Al Futtaim

In this insightful interview, Jay Moore, former Chief Learning Officer at GE, and Jo O'Driscoll-Kearney, Global Head of Learning & Leadership Development at Majid Al Futtaim, delve into the strategies that organisations can adopt to stay competitive in a rapidly changing world.

In a conversation with iVentiv's Hannah Hoey ahead of Learning Futures Dubai Jo and Jay discuss how to create ecosystems that continuously re-qualify employees, the role of marketing in Learning & Development, and the importance of fostering a growth-oriented culture. 

 

Watch and read more here.

 

Mindfulness as a Core Executive Leadership Skill, with Matthias Birk

In today's fast-paced business environment, the importance of mindfulness in leadership cannot be overstated. As leaders navigate the complexities of decision-making and relationship-building, mindfulness serves as a crucial tool for maintaining focus, fostering empathy, and enhancing executive presence. In this blog, we explore the insights of Matthias Birk, Global Director of Partner Development at White & Case, on how mindfulness can transform leadership. With decades of experience in leadership development, Matthias shares practical strategies for integrating mindfulness into daily routines, its impact on organisational culture, and the vital role of community in sustaining these practices.

Join us as we delve into the power of mindfulness to elevate leadership effectiveness and create more compassionate, connected workplaces.

Tech, Talent and Transformation with Expedia and Microsoft

In today's rapidly evolving tech landscape, companies like Expedia and Microsoft are harnessing the power of new technologies to drive learning, talent, and business objectives. Leveraging AI, including generative AI and tools like Microsoft's Copilot, these companies personalise learning experiences, enhance performance management, and streamline operations. Led by iVentiv's Hannah Hoey, we interviewed Liz Moran (VP of Global Talent Management, Expedia), Manasi Joshi (Senior Director, Learning & Development, Expedia), and Brian Murphy (Senior Director, Employee Skilling, Microsoft), to talk about new and emerging tech, transformation, and the power of learning and talent partnerships.

Watch now to learn how new tech is transforming corporate learning, improving operational efficiency, and supporting Talent Management to meet business objectives.

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