When Gemma Glover joined LearnAmp, it was a 37-person employee experience platform. Following its acquisition by Cezanne HR, she transitioned into Head of L&D within a combined business of over 215 people across multiple global offices. Almost overnight, the tight-knit atmosphere of a small startup dissolved into a complex company filled with new management layers and separate team cultures.

Brigid McCormack talks with Gemma Glover, Head of L&D at Cezanne HR, about what happens to culture and credibility when an L&D leader guides their business through a major acquisition while navigating the uncertainty themselves.

Gemma’s early career in operations and HR started when she tackled company culture issues in cybersecurity, shaping her practical approach to training. When her company was acquired, she asked her L&D network for advice, landed quick wins like updating the LMS platform, and built trust with new leadership by being authentic instead of overly polished.

They also discuss how culture splits into micro-cultures as companies scale, why L&D leaders must be present with their teams on the change curve rather than forcing them through it, and the importance of over-communicating key messages. Gemma also highlights why L&D professionals must prioritise their own development and know their personal toolkit during times of high stress.

What you'll learn in this episode

• How to assess whether leadership views L&D as a cost centre, a compliance exercise, or a performance driver
• Practical first steps during an acquisition, from leveraging peer networks to tackling high-impact platform migrations
• How company culture changes when scaling from 37 to 215 people, and how to adapt when you can no longer know everyone individually
• How casual leadership coffee chats and showing personality in company syncs build cross-functional credibility
• Why employees move through the change curve at different speeds and require compassionate, repeated communication
• Why L&D professionals need to protect their own development and personal toolkit during organisational change

🔗 Connect with Gemma via LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmaglover/

📮 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. https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xWSjW0

👋 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/

Brigid McCormack - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brigidmccormack/

More from The Assembly & Assemble You

Learning that feels more like great content than training. Explore podcast-style lessons, video shorts, and series designed for real work, plus the AI Confidence Method, a workforce AI change programme that measures what your people really think about AI and then changes it. https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xWSkk0

Privacy & Data

This podcast is hosted by Transistor. For more information on how your data is handled, please visit: https://www.transistor.fm/privacy/

At Merlin Entertainments, local L&D teams handled everything from seasonal onboarding and safety training to leadership development. Urgent work came first, so longer-term priorities were often pushed aside. Merlin responded by creating global specialist teams to give those priorities more focus. But how could those teams stay connected to what each attraction needed?

For L&D leaders supporting multiple sites, countries or business units, this episode offers a practical look at how to divide work between global specialists and local teams.

Adam Lacey talks with Rob Peacock, Director of Leadership and Development at Merlin Entertainments. Rob’s global team supports more than 30,000 colleagues across 130 attractions, including LEGOLAND parks, SEA LIFE, Alton Towers and the London Eye.

Rob explains how Merlin reorganised L&D around learning academies. Instead of organising the work by geography, each academy builds expertise in one priority area. Regional learning partners connect the academies with attractions and leaders across the business, bringing in local and commercial needs.

The new model was introduced in stages, so essential training could continue. Onboarding and safety remained local. That matters in a seasonal business where a single attraction can grow from 200 or 300 employees to 1,500 within two months.

Rob also explains why L&D cannot own learning at this scale. The central team can set the direction and provide content and systems, but local managers must bring the learning into everyday work. Merlin also uses a platform where subject matter experts can create and share their knowledge.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How Merlin decides which L&D responsibilities should be global and which need to remain local
• How learning academies and regional partners connect specialist expertise with business needs
• Why managers and subject matter experts must help L&D reach more than 30,000 colleagues
• How storytelling and great conversations can build skills that remain useful throughout a career
• Why performance programmes cannot succeed when pay, incentives, systems and working practices create a low-performance environment

🔗 Connect with Rob via LinkedIn – https://uk.linkedin.com/in/robpeacockuyl

📮 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. https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xWSjW0

👋 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/

Brigid McCormack – https://www.linkedin.com/in/brigidmccormack/

More from The Assembly & Assemble You

Learning that feels more like great content than training. Explore podcast-style lessons, video shorts, and series designed for real work, plus the AI Confidence Method, a workforce AI change programme that measures what your people really think about AI and then changes it. https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xWSkk0

Privacy & Data

This podcast is hosted by Transistor. For more information on how your data is handled, please visit: https://www.transistor.fm/privacy/

When Gina joined Flat Iron three years ago, it had nine restaurants and around 540 employees. It now has 23 locations and more than 1,300 people. The informal ways of working that worked for a small company no longer fit. Managers needed clearer processes, more support and the confidence to handle tough conversations early.

Adam Lacey talks with Gina Knight, who leads all things people at Flat Iron, about how her team is helping managers grow without making things more complicated than they need to be.

Gina shares why development should keep going after someone becomes a manager. Her team looks at people data to see how talent moves through the company and spots where people get stuck. Then, they create simple tools to help managers handle these challenges.

One of these tools is a decision tree for performance issues. It guides managers to check things like probation status, working hours, health and other underlying issues before deciding what kind of conversation to have. The tool doesn't give a final answer, but it helps managers think through the problem, make fairer decisions and feel more confident when talking with their team.

Gina also talks about how Flat Iron builds these tools into induction, development programmes and operational reviews. About 70% of employees now say they've had a review with their manager in the last three months, up from 54%. Hardly anyone appeals disciplinary decisions anymore.

They also discuss using AI to find better insights without replacing human judgement, why polished presentations can fall apart when candidates cannot explain the thinking behind them, and how broadening your perspective, creating access and taking action can shape your career.

What you'll learn in this episode

• Why managers need ongoing development, even after they get promoted
• How simple decision trees can help managers have fairer and more confident conversations about performance
• How people data can show where problems come up in hiring, development, promotion and retention
• How Flat Iron makes management tools part of daily work, not just a one-time rollout
• Why AI should support people's judgement rather than do their thinking for them
• How broadening your perspective, creating access and taking action can open up more career opportunities

🔗 Connect with Gina via LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/ginamarieknight

📮 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. https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xWSjW0

👋 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/

Brigid McCormack - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brigidmccormack/

More from The Assembly & Assemble You

Learning that feels more like great content than training. Explore podcast-style lessons, video shorts, and series designed for real work, plus the AI Confidence Method, a workforce AI change programme that measures what your people really think about AI and then changes it. https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xWSkk0

Privacy & Data

This podcast is hosted by Transistor. For more information on how your data is handled, please visit: https://www.transistor.fm/privacy/