Introducing Paul, a dynamic entrepreneur with a rich background in technology and training. His journey began when his business partner approached him with the idea of starting an eLearning company, a venture that aligned perfectly with his expertise and passion. Together, they co-founded XpertLearning in 2003, pioneering eLearning solutions in a market where LMS was still a novel concept.
Over the years, Paul has steered XpertLearning to become a leading consultancy, specializing in learning, talent, and performance solutions for corporate, academic, and government sectors. With a vision to provide top-notch digital learning solutions and exceptional service, Paul has led XpertLearning to great success, earning a reputation for innovation and excellence in the industry. His leadership style emphasizes open communication, fostering a motivated and effective team that drives the company forward.
Here’s a detailed interview held between Paul and CIOWorld
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at XpertLearning. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?
My background was in Tech and also Training, so when my business partner came to me and said she was looking to start an eLearning company, it seemed like the perfect fit for me, and we had complimentary skillsets that would set us on the right path.
When co-founding the company in 2003, it was all about educating the market. E-learning was new and LMS was unheard of in our region, slowly introducing trials and demos, and showing ROI, we were able to convince a few early adopters and they became our reference sites and influencers before Influencers were even a thing!
Tell us something more about XpertLearning and its mission and vision.
We founded XpertLearning in 2003 to be a consultancy focused on providing learning, talent, and performance solutions to the corporate, academic, and government sectors.
It was always our vision to provide the best of digital learning, talent, and performance solutions from global providers to organizations in the region to help them with their digital transformation strategies and organizational performance, all while ensuring excellent quality of service, support, and thought leadership.
It’s clear with our amazing customer base we have achieved this, and will look to future tech and innovation to ensure we are always at the forefront to continue to help our customers.
How do you build and manage a motivated and effective team?
We have been fortunate to have so many of our team stay with us for many years. I often joke with them, “What are you still doing here?”, so we must be doing something right. To be honest, I think it boils down to constant and open communication. Everyone knows where we are in our business regardless of whether it is a high or a low period. A healthy balance of hierarchy is established so that it’s not too flat but not too triangular either. It’s cliché to say we have an open-door policy but our culture is practically a no-door policy, so everyone feels comfortable to approach us when they need. Obviously, as we have grown, it’s not as easy, however, if the culture and DNA feed down to our managers and leaders, then the trend continues.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for XpertLearning?
I believe there is a right time for founders and entrepreneurs to exit, and a myriad of variables inform those decisions. For many, this is traditionally at the point where growth through expansion needs to accelerate beyond the current capabilities, I would like there to be a legacy for our continued brand recognition in the region as a leader, and for that, one needs to choose the right strategy for future sustainability.
What change would you like to bring to the HR industry if given a chance?
I would love to see the HR community relax and embrace new technologies. AI is the current disrupter and is spreading fear among many. I’d like to help in embracing these changes and adapting to how we can add value to our organizations in more emotional, empathetic, and creative ways which will enable our community in HR to work alongside the future. Don’t forget artificial intelligence at the moment is still artificial, so let’s do our bit from our human intelligence perspective
How have you made an impact in the HR?
We have continually brought global best-of-breed digital HR and Learning technologies to our local markets and helped the digital transformational experience to be as seamless as possible. This has, indeed, helped the HR community to feel more comfortable knowing they are in good hands and embracing the best of future trends.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the HR sector?
HR has massive depth and breadth to offer. Everything from hire to retire is part of the remit and it seems to get bigger and bigger, requiring new skills and flexibility. Entrepreneurs must look to solve problems and innovate with simple solutions. It’s one thing to build and bring a product to market but something else to sell, support, and constantly evolve and improve it. At the end of the day service support and, above all, relationships are still at the core of business success, so although I’m an avid and staunch supporter of all new technologies, the human touch is still irreplaceable.
