In this employee spotlight, we chatted with Suzi Wear, Managing Director of Learning & Development at Xenium HR, about her journey, role, and vision for the future of L&D.
Please share a bit about your current role and how it has evolved.
My current role is Managing Director of Learning and Development Services, a position that started at the beginning of this year, January 2024. This marks my 23rd year at Xenium HR. My journey began in HR management before joining Xenium HR, where I became an HR account manager, similar to our HR business partner role now. I held that position for about six years, then moved into a director role, working in a job share with a colleague, covering HR services and some training for nine years. I then transitioned to overseeing our internal HR, becoming a VP of People Development and Culture, and served on the senior leadership team for about seven years. In my current role, I have the opportunity to solely focus on developing our Learning and Development (L&D) products and services.
How do you collaborate with our other HR teams as you are building our L&D programs and training clients?
I’ve always felt connected with the internal HR group since that’s where I started. We collaborate a lot, and I often serve as a resource for the team. The HR business partners form close client relationships, understand workplace cultures, and provide regular coaching. This visibility helps them identify learning and performance opportunities with their clients and their employees, allowing them to recommend our training and development services effectively.
When you think about your journey, what pivotal moments have shaped your trajectory and landed you in the L&D space?
I’ve always been passionate about learning and teaching. When I learn something new that is helpful to me, I feel compelled to share it with others. Even in my previous role in a large public company in the automotive industry, I took the initiative to create training programs because I saw the opportunity to help make people’s jobs easier and improve workplace culture. Similarly, at Xenium, I started developing our own curriculum in addition to my HR business partner work, gradually building out our training offerings as our business grew.
How does our new L&D service and subscription offering fit with our other offerings and mission to transform workplaces?
Our purpose is to transform workplaces, and L&D plays a crucial role in that by helping people develop personally and professionally. Our training and development services complement our outsourced HR work. HR business partners learn about their client’s goals, culture, and needs, and they see opportunities to recommend our various learning and development offerings. This rounds out our services to help employers develop organizational capabilities to achieve their mission and vision and to provide their employees with opportunities to further engage and grow. I like to think we have created a learning community through our live, virtual workshops, webinars, and cohorts – as well as resources such as on-demand courses and Xenium’s podcast.
Over the years, how have you seen the L&D field change, and how have you adjusted our offerings to keep up with those changes?
I’m constantly researching business and workplace trends. With dispersed workforces, blended learning environments have become crucial. We now provide flexible training options, including in-person, live virtual, and on-demand learning. Technology, especially AI, has also made content development more accessible. We’re not ready for VR training, but we’re keeping an eye on industry trends to ensure our offerings remain flexible, accessible, and high quality.
What are some of the significant challenges facing L&D in the future?
Employers struggle to keep up with the pace of change and build adaptability and resilience. Critical thinking, social and emotional intelligence, and behavioral-based skills are increasingly crucial. These skills require a growth mindset, regular practice, and coaching to stick. Employers need to look ahead to identify future skills and deliver timely training to meet those needs.
Can you share a project or accomplishment in your career, either in L&D or something else, that you’re really proud of?
I’m proud of the curriculum I’ve created, which includes a body of proprietary content for Xenium. Clients have provided positive feedback about the curriculum and our delivery approach. One accomplishment is transferring our live workshop content to on-demand formats, making it more accessible. Additionally, I’ve seen sustainable results from leadership development programs, where client feedback indicated improved engagement and performance.
What advice do you have for HR professionals that are interested in getting into L&D?
The field has grown, offering various roles. Depending on your strengths and interests, there are opportunities in course development, instruction and facilitation, coaching, and organizational development. I recommend interviewing people in the field to learn about different jobs and steps to qualify for entry-level opportunities. For example, we have an employee working towards her master’s in organizational learning and development, and I’m providing mentorship as she develops training for our team and clients.
How would you describe the culture at Xenium HR, and why are you still here over two decades later?
Our culture is built on positive and lasting relationships. As a self-starter who enjoys creating and being trusted, I’ve appreciated the flexibility and autonomy at Xenium HR. This has included designing my job to align with my strengths and providing value to our clients. These aspects have made my long tenure here enjoyable and fulfilling.