The National Learning &
Development Conference

November 19 2025 | Croke Park

2024 Conference Brochure

Sponsored By

In a world shaped by automation, shifting work models, and rapid change, learning has never been more vital to organisational success. The L&DI National Conference 2025 will explore how Learning Leaders can equip their people, and their organisations, to adapt, grow, and thrive.

We are delighted to welcome Daniel Susskind as one of our keynote speaker. Daniel is an economist and bestselling author, whose most recent book Growth: A Reckoning (2024) was short listed for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year.

Daniel will tell the story of growth, the challenges it creates and how we might reimagine it in an age of inequality, technological disruption, and climate crisis. He will focus on how organisations can redefine growth to reflect human and societal value, sharing his insights on:

Redefining growth & resilience – good growth, automation, and future jobs
Human skills & future-proofing – complementing machines, key talent skills
Learning culture – cultural shifts for continuous development

We are also delighted to welcome Tom Kelley, he is Chairman of D4V Design for Venture, a venture capital firm with IDEO. He fosters a culture of creativity in the companies he works with has made him one of the most beloved figures in innovation.

Tom’s current book, Creative Confidence, is an out-ofthe-box success; in its first week, it was already among the best-selling business books in the country, leading the field in motivational leadership and problem-solving.

This is your opportunity to connect with industry peers, uncover strategies for continuous learning, resilience, and unlocking human potential, preparing your workforce not just for the jobs of today, but for the opportunities of tomorrow.

Stay tuned as more announcements are made.

Early bird registration is now open — secure your place today.

Speakers

Conference Speaker Images (1)

Daniel Susskind

Dr. Daniel Susskind is a bestselling author. He is the Mercers’ School Memorial Professor of Business at Gresham College. He is also a Research Professor at King’s College London, and a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University, a Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, and an Associate Member of the Economics Department at Oxford University. He explores the impact of economic growth and technology — particularly artificial intelligence (AI) — on work and society

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Conference Speaker Images (2)

Tom Kelley

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7.45am - Registration, Networking & Exhibition

Opportunity to meet our exhibitors and your L&D colleagues

8.45am - Welcome Address

Richard Curran - MC

Sinead Heneghan - CEO L&DI

Kevin Hannigan - Client Director Hpc

Julie Drybrough - Fuchsia Blue

9.00am - The Economic Skills Landscape: How Learning & Development can Contribute to Ireland’s Competitive Advantage

Although the disruptive effects of the post-pandemic era have gradually diminished, there has been an acceleration in the evolution of technologies, strategies and ways of working. In this dynamic environment, Learning and Development has been instrumental in shaping the workforce's future readiness and L&D teams too have had to adapt, demonstrating creativity, agility, and resourcefulness to effectively meet the evolving demands of the workplace.

Speaker - Danny McCoy, IBEC

9.40am - Keynote Address: The Skill Code, Professor Matt Beane

Matt Beane is one of the world’s top researchers on work and technology. His research focuses on building skills in a world filled with intelligent technologies. His latest research, The Skill Code: How to Save Human Ability in an Age of Intelligent Machines, looks at how technologies such as robots and AI can interfere with old ways of learning, with potentially devastating consequence — and how people can build skills today, including making intelligent technologies part of the solution.

10.25am - Networking - Coffee & Exhibition

11.10am - Panel Discussion AI & Skills Development in the 21st Century

Richard Curran will lead a conversation with business leaders from different sectors around building skills.

Panel:-

Matt Beane

Sinead Kelly, William Fry

John O'Shaughnessy, Clancy Construction

Mark Melia, Enovation

12.00pm - Growing and Nurturing your Professional Community and Personal Network

In this session we want to offer everyone in the room a chance for connection, pragmatic conversation and reflection.

Led by Julie Drybrough, founder of fuchsiablue Ltd this session is designed to slow down, take stock and think about your own development and growth.

12.45pm - Lunch & Exhibition

2.00pm - Learning & Development Insights with the Josh Bersin Academy

Josh Bersin in a pre-recorded introduction which will be followed by a live virtual session led by Kathi Enderes to address “The L&D Culture of the Future”

3.00pm - Panel discussion – Creating Great Learning Organisations: Influencing Upwards & Building Learner Engagement

It has been almost 25 years since the concept of the learning organisation was coined by Peter Senge's article, "The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organisation." We all know that the incredible strides we have made to cultivate cultures of learning, collaboration and innovation. But as we strive towards excellence, let's pause to consider....are we really there yet?

Facilitated by Kevin Hannigan, Hpc

Bernadette White, Citco

Annette Byrne, Central Bank of Ireland

Kevin Fitzgerald, Sunlife

Michele Holly, Morgan McKinley

3.40pm - Growing our Community of Practice

Follow up from our earlier sessions - Fuchsia Blue Julie Drybrough

3.50pm - Closing Remarks

Gay White - L&DI President

Morning

7.45am - Registration, Networking & Exhibition

Opportunity to meet our exhibitors and your L&D colleagues

8.45am - Welcome Address

Richard Curran - MC

Sinead Heneghan - CEO L&DI

Kevin Hannigan - Client Director - Hpc

Julie Drybrough - Fuchsia Blue

9.00am - rePositioning in the New Context

David will share an appreciation for the changing landscape in our world and an understanding of the key disruptive change drivers. We will gain an insight into the importance of context in shaping the leadership conversation, agenda and response and what might be the lasting legacy of the disruption that we have lived through. We will understand what do we need to rethink and unlearn, and how to build adaptability into our systems so we can deal with whatever disrupts us next.

9.35am - Amy Edmondson - Keynote Address

Professor Amy Edmondson is the world’s leading organisational psychologist and is renowned around the globe for her pioneering work on psychological safety. Now, Amy is bringing her work to the wider world, upending our entire cultural notion of failure with this guide to the science of failing well, which actualises the potential of psychological safety for both individuals and organizations alike.

10.20am - Networking - Coffee & Exhibition

11.00am - Psychological Safety - Panel Discussion

Richard Curran will lead a conversation with business leaders from different sectors around psychological safety.

Afternoon

11.50am - AI: Revolutionising Learning & Development

In this session David Kerrigan will give a pragmatic 'bite-sized' talk that cuts through the AI hysteria and offers a grounded perspective on the potential of AI in organisational learning and performance support. This session will steer clear of overhyped predictions, instead providing an overview of the current landscape and a forward-looking yet measured forecast of the road ahead. We'll guide attendees through the tangible impacts and realistic prospects of integrating AI into L&D without losing sight of AI's role as a tool, not a destination.

12.40am - Lunch & Exhibition

2.00pm - The Emerging Landscape for L&D Professionals In Ireland

This report shares the findings from the Learning & Development Institute (L&DI) 2023 Member survey. It provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving landscape of the Learning and Development profession in Ireland, offering valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing our community. The survey provides a wealth of statistics and key findings that offer a nuanced understanding of the L&D profession’s current state and its future direction.

2.30pm - reLearning When Life Doesn't Give You a Choice

3.15pm - Career Evolution - Panel Discussion

Panel discussion facilitated by Justin Kinnear of Hpc

4.00pm - Closing Remarks

Gay White, L&DI President will reflect on the day.