Adam sits down with Simon Gibson, the Talent Director at Center Parcs and former Group Head of L&D at M&S, to get brutally honest about what's holding L&D back and what high-performing teams do differently.

With a career spanning banking, retail, nuclear decommissioning and hospitality, Simon has a rare cross-industry perspective: if you don't understand how your business makes money, you're probably doing nice things that don't matter.

They cover how to diagnose the right problems, build a commercial business case, and tell stories that earn influence which includes a standout M&S example where fixing a policy search issue saved 5,000 managers 30 minutes a month and unlocked a multi-million pound productivity win. They also tackle the deskless workforce problem: most L&D solutions are built for people with desks and diaries, and frontline teams deserve better.

If you want to sharpen your commercial edge and prove your worth - this one's for you.

🔗Connect with Simon
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/simongibsonlearning/

📮 The Assembly Debrief
A short, practical email unpacking the best ideas from each episode, designed for modern learning leaders who want insight without the noise.

👋 Come and connect with us
We’re always keen to hear what’s resonating or what you’re seeing in your world.
Adam Lacey - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamlacey/
Richard Ward - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardpward/

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