PRESS RELEASE

Ireland’s Learning & Development Leaders Celebrated at Excellence in Learning Awards 2026

Killashee Hotel, Naas | 2 October 2026

Learning & Development Institute honours outstanding achievement, innovation and impact across Ireland’s L&D profession

The Learning & Development Institute (L&DI) celebrated the very best of Ireland’s learning and development profession at its 28th annual Excellence in Learning Awards, held at Killashee Hotel, Naas.

Recognised as a flagship event for Ireland’s learning and talent community, the Excellence in Learning Awards celebrate organisations and individuals demonstrating innovation, measurable impact and best practice in workplace learning, talent development and organisational performance.

The awards brought together L&D professionals and leaders from across Ireland to recognise the people, teams and organisations helping to shape the future of workplace learning.

2026 Excellence in Learning Awards – Winners

Celebrating Excellence in Learning and Development

The evening was hosted by Brendan Courtney, who brought energy and humour to the celebrations. Throughout the event, he spoke with winners on stage about their award-winning initiatives and the impact their work is having within their organisations.

The evening concluded with a charity raffle in aid of the Rutland Centre, supporting its work with people affected by addiction.

Sinéad Heneghan, CEO of L&DI, said:
"There is such an amazing feel good factor out there. We’ve got so many fantastic people all celebrating their success.”

“Learning & development is such a important strategic pillar in its own right in organisations. So when they get an opportunity like this, to come together, particularly when its showcasing best practices and celebrating their successes, it really means so much to everybody who’s here.”

The evening also marked a significant moment for L&DI as Gay White concluded her term as President and Sinéad Kelly took up the role, with the occasion formally recognised during the ceremony.

Harvest Celebrates Continued Partnership with L&DI

Nicola O’Neill, Managing Director of Harvest, said:

“Harvest is delighted to once again sponsor the Excellence in Learning Awards. We’ve been proud to support the Awards since 2008, and the calibre of submissions for this year’s Pearse Walsh Award has been exceptional.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see how far the learning and development profession has come and the impact it continues to have across organisations. We’re proud to be part of that journey and look forward to celebrating with everyone again at next year’s Awards.”

Leonardo Hotels Named L&D Organisation of the Year

Leonardo Hotels was named Best Learning and Development Organisation of the Year, recognising its commitment to developing employees throughout their careers.

Accepting the award alongside his team, Ed Gallier of Leonardo Hotels said:

“Hotels are places where you can start with basic skills and may not be that confident, but through L&D and workplace experiences, we build you up.

“We have loads of examples of people starting on the frontline who are now leading and managing, and some are now general managers in their organisations. I’d like to think this award is recognition of taking people from the frontline and supporting them as they progress through the organisation.”

BAM Wins Best Talent Strategy & Development Initiative

Speaking after receiving the award, Pamela Walsh of BAM said:

“It’s the proudest moment of our careers. L&DI are such a prestigious organisation, and are the ones you aspire to impress. Certainly, because of the judges being impressed by our submission, it means so much and we are delighted to accept our award this evening.”

Thanks to Our Sponsors, Partners and Supporters

L&DI extends its sincere thanks to Harvest, the sponsor of the Excellence in Learning Awards, for its longstanding support of the Institute and Ireland’s learning and development profession.

L&DI also thanks its category partners Broadlake, Ibec Academy, Skillnet Ireland and Sheppard Moscow for their support in making this year’s awards possible.

Special thanks also go to Fastlane AV for its production services and to the team at Killashee Hotel for their hospitality and for ensuring guests were so well looked after throughout the evening.

Editor’s Notes – About L&DI

The Learning & Development Institute (L&DI), formerly the Irish Institute of Training & Development (IITD), is the professional body representing learning and development professionals in Ireland. Providing accredited professional education and training, networking opportunities and advocacy for L&D professionals across all sectors.

Head Office: Millennium Business Park, Naas, Co. Kildare.
Tel: 045 881166 | Web: www.landdi.ie

Sinéad Heneghan
CEO, L&DI
Tel: 045 881166
Email: sinead.heneghan@landdi.ie

Aaron Delahunt
Communications, L&DI
Tel: 045 881166 / 087 343 3114
Email: aaron.delahunt@landdi.ie

Excellence in Learning Awards

PRESS RELEASE – Excellence in Learning Awards

Celebrating the 26th year of the L&DI Excellence in Learning Awards, the winners were announced in a glamourous live evening event at the Killashee Hotel, Naas.

The Awards is recognised as the premier Learning & Development event for the industry. The purpose of the Awards is to promote excellence, best practice and innovation in training and Learning & Development, and to highlight the importance of this area in today’s business climate.

KPMG were the big winners on the night scooping the Learning & Development Organisation of the Year Award.

KPMG’s learning initiatives are designed to support growth at all stages, from the graduate Accelerator Program to high-potential leadership programme. The firm also focuses on succession planning, with programs aimed at cultivating future leaders, particularly with a focus on gender balance in senior roles. The firm’s innovative programs, such as their initiative promoting digital literacy, and support the organisation’s expansion into new business lines.

KPMG’s investment in training, including exam preparation for accounting qualifications, has consistently yielded top-tier results, surpassing national averages. Additionally, employee satisfaction is high and contributed to a revenue increase. This submission underscores KPMG’s dedication to empowering its workforce through strategic learning initiatives, driving business success and employee growth.

Elaine McGleenan, Director of Learning and Organisational Development at KPMG, accepted the Award on behalf of the KPMG Business School: “Our role within KPMG is to help the firm develop their people and the leaders of the future. KPMG put that people development front and centre of the organisation. They put huge resources into L&D, training and coaching, and this Award is a very solid endorsement of KPMG’s commitment to people development.

“Winning this Award put us under external scrutiny – we were assessed by our peers and those who know about L&D and people development, so to be recognised by them and L&DI really means we are conducting beneficial work.

“KPMG take training seriously and this Award reflects that commitment and the energy that we put into it.

“As a team, we, in the KPMG Business School, are totally delighted to win this Award and we’re walking tall into work every day since!”

RTE’s Marty Whelan was the compere on the night, and he announced the 2024 winners at Killashee Hotel, Naas, Co Kildare in a room of approximately 500 learning & development professionals from a wide range of industries.

Sinéad Heneghan, CEO of L&DI, who host the Awards, said: “This year's Excellence in Learning Awards entries displayed a prominent focus on the future. Several categories highlighted key trends, particularly how companies are developing skills, fostering talent progression, adapting to the changing nature of jobs and the shifting of core skills.

“Research has shown that the nature of jobs is continuing to evolve, driven along by technological advancements as well as market demands. Organisations are recognising the need to equip their workforce with the skills required for the future. This shift goes beyond simply teaching employees how to use new tools or technologies; it involves a broader approach to skill development that prepares employees for roles that may not yet exist.

“The use of AI remains a key enabler, which, if used in a positive way, can only support learning and development. Despite initial fears, the L&D community are embracing this new technology more than ever, and that trend will continue.

“The Equality, Diversity & Inclusion agenda is front and centre within organisations today with the majority of organisations having a policy in place, or working on its development. One prominent trend we are noticing is the proactive approach to increasing gender diversity in traditionally male-dominated fields by developing strategies to boost female participation where women have been historically underrepresented.”

Awards sponsors Harvest present the Pearse Walsh Award, named after the company’s late founder, presented this year’s award for the Best Learning and Development Team to Citco.

Harvest MD Nicola O’Neill said: “Citco won the Pearse Walsh Award 2024 for Outstanding Learning & Development Team with their “Standing Out in a Crowded Inbox” project. This passionate and focussed team certainly stood out for the judging panel with a marketing approach to their L&D initiative where creating ‘learner personas’ gives the L&D function a greater understanding of their learners’ expectations, challenges and desired outcomes. Projects like this offer L&DI members real insight.

“We also commend Almac and Eli Lilly who were both shortlisted as finalists.”

Ms O’Neill continued: “Harvest was thrilled to sponsor the 2024 L&DI Excellence in Learning Awards. We thank Learning & Development Institute for hosting this great event for colleagues and clients to catch up each year.

“The learning and development field has rapidly evolved in recent years, embracing creativity and innovation in design and delivery. Upskilling in our field is essential to meet the demands of the ever-changing work landscape. These awards highlight organisations progress and underscore the critical role L&D plays in driving both individual and organisational success.”

O’Neill concluded: “Thanks to all of you that applied for the Pearse Walsh Award 2024. We look forward to seeing your progress in 2025 as we continue our sponsorship.”

This year, the Excellence in Learning Awards category partners are Enovation, Ibec Academy, Invisio, Irish Management Institute, Learnovate, Roffey Park Institute, and Skillnet Ireland.

Editor’s Notes - About L&DI

• Learning and Development Institute (L&DI), formerly known as the Irish Institute of Training & Development (IITD) is the professional body representing learning and development professionals in Ireland.
• Founded in 1969, the Institute’s goal is to uphold best practice and international standards in people development in Ireland.
• L&DI provides accredited professional education and training, networking, policy development and advocacy for professionals in all learning and development roles across all sectors.
• L&DI’s offices are based in Millennium Business Park, Naas, Co. Kildare. Tel: 045 881166. See landdi.ie for more.

 Contacts

For more information, quotes or photos of the winners, please contact:

Sinead Heneghan

CEO, L&DI

Tel: 045 881166

Email: sinead.heneghan@landdi.ie

Joe Finegan

L&DI Communications

Tel: 045 881166/085 148 1447

Email: joe.finegan@landdi.ie

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