Organisations that embrace squiggly careers give people the freedom and flexibility to develop in different directions, creating more reasons for people to learn, grow and stay.

In this session, Helen Tupper, CEO and co-founder of Amazing If will share how to create a squiggly career culture. Helen will talk about the skills to invest in, the support to provide and the structures to put in place. She'll also share insights from working with over 100 global organisations on career development and what actions you can take straight away.

Lauren joins us to share how Continuous Improvement strategies have helped her move beyond quick fixes and deliver sustainable learning outcomes that truly benefit employees and the organization. She’ll also share a practical example of using CI to create a smarter request form that not only streamlined the intake process but also helped filter requests to focus on the most impactful solutions.

By applying these principles, Lauren has been able to tackle common challenges in L&D with solutions that save time, reduce waste, and align better with business goals. Whether you’re looking to create lasting impact or just reduce the daily headaches, this talk is packed with actionable insights to help you rethink and reshape your approach to L&D.

In this talk, Sam offers a hands-on guide to launching and scaling a skills-focused L&D strategy. You’ll see how Ideagen’s home-grown skills taxonomy evolved through ongoing feedback from peers, and how that momentum led to new processes for aligning learning with real business needs.

He’ll detail the role of technology in making resources available anytime, anywhere—along with the reporting systems that capture everything from skill acquisition to career progression. Walk away with practical insights into the nuts and bolts of building, measuring, and refining a dynamic capability framework that empowers employees and delivers strategic results.

Success stories are great, but what about the programs that flop, the stakeholders who never buy-in, or the career moves that miss the mark?

Nick Bilotta (LX Manager, Discord) shares the toughest 18 months of his career—missteps, frustrations, and hard-won lessons. From late stakeholder engagement to misaligned programs, he unpacks why L&D initiatives fail—and how to build better ones. This session isn’t about just accepting failure, it’s about embracing and learning from it. Walk away with strategies for treating learning as a product, leveraging LLMs, and adapting when plans go sideways. Because trust me, we’ve all been there.