Learning Pool was founded in 2006 to bring online learning to organisations in a collaborative way. Since the early days, we’ve always had a healthy obsession with delivering practical innovations to customers, not just technology for technology’s sake.
Today Learning Pool offers everything organisations need to build, manage, and deliver workplace learning. That includes a flexible platform, essential content and smart data.
The heart of our DNA is the pursuit of ‘extraordinary’ learning experiences. I have a firm belief that the only investment a business can make that has truly limitless returns is an investment in its people. Learning Pool uses technology to make it easier for companies to invest in more learning opportunities, for more people. In doing that, we make it just a little bit easier for extraordinary outcomes to happen.
We realise it is our people who make this possible and we put our team and our customers at the centre of everything we do. This approach has paid dividends – we have a long track record of growth and we’re now one of the largest private learning technology companies in the space.
Tell us about your role as CEO and what you did before Learning Pool
Before Learning Pool, I helped to build HT2 Labs into a globally recognised innovator in workplace digital learning. When Learning Pool acquired the company in 2019, I became Learning Pool’s first Chief Product Officer, where I worked to develop our next generation of workplace digital learning platforms.
As CEO, I’m now responsible for the wider business. I still help to drive our innovation agenda through the company, but I’m working equally hard to sustain the unique culture we’ve built at Learning Pool, while continuing to develop great relationships with clients old and new.
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How has the company evolved during the pandemic?
Learning Pool has generally been one step ahead of government advice throughout the pandemic. We moved to work entirely remotely early and we’ve been doing everything we could to support ‘business as usual’ for our clients.
We know organisations around the globe are turning to digital to support new ways of working; learning is no exception here. The ability to leverage digital learning solutions has evolved dramatically, accelerated by the pandemic. But this proliferation of digital learning options has left a trail of distinctly average learning experiences in its wake.
Knowing where your money is having the most impact is central to making extraordinary things happen. This is where innovations in analytics have had a huge role to play in enhancing the learning experience. That’s why we partnered with Sisense, the experts in AI-powered Business Intelligence.
Data and learning analytics are a big part of both our heritage and our future. This collaboration means our learning suite now includes best-in-class BI-powered learning data analysis, powered by AI to help us join the dots on what’s working, and what’s not.
What is the key to Learning Pool’s long-standing success and what can we hope to see from it in the future?
I would say that client focus, the commitment of our talented team and our long-term vision to embed practical innovations in our platform have been fundamental to our success. We focus on the wants and needs of our customers and always think about what we can do next to stay ahead of the curve. Staying close to them means we can do this successfully. AI-based analytics is exactly this. It is here and delivering value now, in a hugely noisy world where everyone is piling in to deliver learning online.
Our core values centre around innovation, integrity and commitment and these guide us to follow through on our word, so we always stay consistent. Sometimes the best strategies are just to do the right thing, and we have experienced that over and again.
In terms of what’s next, Learning Pool has made four acquisitions in four years, most recently acquiring Remote-Learner, which enhanced the company’s presence in the US market. In 2021 we agreed to a new investment from Marlin Equity Partners. We’re delighted to have found the right partner to help us continue our momentum and grow our brand globally, driven by unwavering ambition and a passion to help our customers reach sometimes extraordinarily tricky goals.
