Can you tell us a bit about your career journey and how you found your passion for Learning and Development (L&D)? What initially attracted you to the world of L&D and how did you end up in a leadership role?

My journey into the world of L&D has been one of continuous growth and discovery. But, like many L&D professionals, I fell into it initially. I was managing a team in a flagship retail store, and hired and trained a photolab team. The training was technical, and I really enjoyed supporting the team to work together and run a busy department. 

After returning to Melbourne from studying abroad, I worked for a real estate company in what became an L&D Manager role, which grew to oversee a team of trainers across Australia. During this time, I trained as a facilitator and learning designer, specialising in adult learning in the workplace and leadership development. 

From there, I joined Specsavers, and had accountability for the learning design and development team, which supported over 300 retail stores across Australia and New Zealand, training teams in soft skills, like customer service, and technical skills, like taking optical measurements and dispensing glasses. 

I joined G4S in 2020 as the Head of L&D. The ability to empower individuals and teams through learning, to witness their growth and see the tangible impact this has on the organisation is truly what continues to fuel my enthusiasm for the field.  
    
Could you provide an overview of your current role as the Head of Learning and Development at G4S ANZ, including your key responsibilities and priorities?
 
As the Head of Learning and Development at G4S ANZ, my role is multifaceted and dynamic. I am responsible for shaping the overall L&D strategy, ensuring it aligns with the Company's broader objectives. This involves overseeing the L&D function, managing the team, allocating resources, and monitoring the progress of various initiatives like ITC development, month in focus training, leadership development and talent assessment. 

Over the past 18 months, the team has partnered with the business to drive a huge shift towards competency-based training, fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development. I’m particularly excited about our current exploration of virtual reality (VR) for situational awareness training. 

Could you share a couple of career highlights since you started at G4S?

I'm proud of several accomplishments during my time at G4S. Developing and embedding an L&D strategy to govern and improve training across the business has provided us with a clear roadmap for our initiatives. Implementing programs focused on safety and well being has fostered a positive and secure environment for our entire team.

The transition from lecture-style to competency-based training has significantly enhanced the practical relevance and effectiveness of our learning programs. Through the redevelopment of initial training programs, and the review and update of existing programs of learning, we’ve optimised learning efficiency and empowered our employees to excel in their roles.

Another career highlight was winning the platinum award for the best onboarding program at the LearnX Awards in 2023  - which is a prestigious event that recognises excellence in learning and development.

What aspects of your role do you find most rewarding or fulfilling? Conversely, what are some of the challenges you face in your role as the Head of L&D?

The most rewarding aspect of my role is undoubtedly witnessing the positive impact of L&D initiatives on individuals and teams. Seeing employees grow, develop new skills, and contribute more effectively to G4S is incredibly fulfilling. The opportunity to drive innovation and explore new technologies is also very exciting, and being able to shape the L&D strategy and influence our overall success provides a profound sense of purpose in my role.

Of course, challenges exist as well. Keeping pace with the rapidly evolving L&D landscape and staying across new trends and technologies requires constant learning and adaptation. Measuring the Return on Investment (ROI) of L&D initiatives and securing ongoing investment can also be challenging; and catering to the diverse learning needs of a large and varied workforce presents its own complexities too. 

Finally, what advice would you offer to someone who is looking to pursue a career in Learning and Development? 

For those aspiring to a career in L&D, I would offer the following advice:

Embrace technology - tech is revolutionising how adults learn, consume and synthesise information. Be curious and embrace technology. 

Cultivate adaptability and innovation - the ability to roll with change, find solutions, and come up with new ways of doing things is critical in such a dynamic and evolving field.

Hone your communication and interpersonal skills - effective communication is essential for collaborating with stakeholders, facilitating training, and building trust.

Commit to continuous learning - never stop seeking out new knowledge and skills, spend time understanding how adults learn and what is impactful and memorable to them.

Bring joy (and resilience!) - L&D is an exciting field, where you get the opportunity to help people grow and develop their skills, but change is hard, and you’ve got to be able to meet people where they’re at.