2027 Agenda

• Designing practical skills frameworks that align with business strategy
• Ensuring adoption across HR, talent, and learning functions
• Integrating skills architecture into talent marketplaces and development programs
• Overcoming organizational resistance and complexity
• Driving measurable workforce agility through skills-based thinking

• Aligning leadership development with digital and AI transformation
• Preparing executives to make strategic decisions in complex environments
• Incorporating new competencies such as data literacy and digital fluency
• Integrating real-world business challenges into leadership programs
• Measuring the impact of leadership development on strategic outcomes

In December 2025, Mars closed the largest packaged-food combination in a decade, bringing two companies with distinct operating rhythms, leadership frameworks, and learning infrastructures under one roof. Thirteen months in, the learning function sits at the center of a question no integration playbook fully answers: culture is what leadership decks promise will carry over, and learning is the only mechanism that actually moves it. This session is a candid account of what has worked, what hasn’t, and what a 115-year-old principles-based culture can and can’t teach to people who didn’t grow up in it.

Session Details

• Sequencing capability building against integration milestones when two organizations run on different cadences
• Distinguishing what transfers through formal learning, what only transfers through managers, and what doesn’t transfer at all
• Consolidating two learning architectures — competing frameworks, overlapping vendors, incompatible data — without stalling delivery
• Deciding what to standardize globally and where established local practice should be left intact
• What he would sequence differently starting over

• Applying experimentation frameworks to evaluate learning interventions
• Testing different content formats and delivery models
• Using data to continuously improve program effectiveness
• Balancing experimentation with operational scalability
• Building a culture of evidence-based learning design

• Leveraging AI to deliver adaptive, personalized learning journeys
• Using real-time skills data to guide employee development paths
• Integrating learning recommendations directly into the flow of work
• Balancing automation with human oversight and coaching
• Measuring engagement and capability improvement at scale

• Combining traditional executive coaching with AI-powered insights
• Expanding coaching access to mid-level managers and emerging leaders
• Leveraging digital tools to deliver continuous feedback and development
• Balancing technology with the human element of leadership growth
• Evaluating effectiveness through behavioral and performance outcomes

• Embedding learning directly within workflows and productivity tools
• Delivering just-in-time knowledge and support for employees
• Reducing time away from work while improving capability development
• Integrating performance support with learning ecosystems
• Measuring the impact on productivity and operational efficiency

Most analytics conversations assume a dedicated data team, mature tooling, and budget to match. For mid-sized organizations, the reality is leaner: scattered data, limited headcount, and the same pressure to prove impact. This panel brings together L&D leaders building credible, data-informed practices without enterprise-scale infrastructure — and shows what’s actually achievable with the data you already have.

• Identifying skill gaps and development needs without a formal people-analytics function
• Aligning learning investment with business priorities — and proving the link to leadership
• Starting small: the handful of metrics that genuinely move decisions
• Making use of existing sources (LMS, HRIS, performance data) before buying new tools
• Building executive confidence in L&D’s numbers when resources are tight

• Using workforce analytics and AI to identify emerging skills shortages
• Aligning learning investments with future business priorities
• Building proactive reskilling programs to mitigate workforce risk
• Collaborating with business leaders to anticipate capability needs
• Turning skills data into strategic workforce insights

• Equipping managers to become frontline enablers of learning and development
• Embedding development conversations into everyday management practices
• Providing tools and resources that support manager-led learning
• Overcoming common barriers to manager engagement in development programs
• Measuring the impact on team performance and employee growth

• Positioning learning as a strategic lever in enterprise transformation initiatives
• Aligning development programs with evolving business capabilities
• Partnering with business leaders to drive adoption and engagement
• Supporting workforce readiness during large-scale change efforts
• Demonstrating how learning accelerates transformation outcomes

• Designing dashboards that communicate insights clearly to senior leaders
• Translating complex learning data into actionable insights
• Highlighting capability readiness and workforce risk indicators
• Aligning reporting with enterprise strategic priorities
• Helping executives make informed investment decisions