New Possible’s British Training Awards sets out to discover and celebrate the organisations that are truly passionate about L&Ds role in building a thriving workforce.
In our ‘Sharing Success’ series, we interview British Training Awards Winners to shine a light on the inspiring projects that are improving workplaces across the UK and beyond. In this article we talk to Helen Marshall at Thrive, Winner of the 2024 ‘Leader of the Year’ category.
Introducing Helen Marshall
Helen Marshall, Chief Learning Officer at Thrive, has had an extraordinary year since stepping into her role over 18 months ago. Under her leadership, Helen has significantly impacted both Thrive and the wider learning and development community. Embodying her 2023 motto, "Embrace as many opportunities as possible," Helen has showcased her commitment through a series of notable achievements and initiatives.
When asked what motivated Helen to move into the role of Chief Learning Officer, Helen commented “The role of CLO was new to the business at the time, so it was a great opportunity to embrace a challenge and lean into being the 'face of learning at Thrive'. We have a huge focus on internal mobility and giving people the opportunity to stretch into roles, and that's exactly what happened with me, too. The first few months back in 2023 were about determining what the role is/could be, and how I'd help shape it for the business, and it's continued to evolve to the point where I'm now leading Talent Development and enablement internally alongside our core teams. All those learning design skills are irreplaceable for a role like this, and I'm glad I took that route to get here”.
One of Helen's standout accomplishments is the launch of the "Diary of a CLO" podcast in March 2023. This podcast has gained over 14,000 unique listens and established a following of more than 500 people. Known for creating authentic and safe spaces for guests, Helen has enabled honest and vulnerable discussions, making the podcast a valuable resource for diverse perspectives within L&D and beyond.
Helen commented on the inspiration behind the Diary of a CLO podcast: “As you may have guessed, I like a challenge. I'd recorded a few podcasts for our Content offering when I was Head of Learning and enjoyed it, and Thrive had tried launching a podcast but had no one to lead it consistently until now. I came up with the title and away we went. The first few months I learnt how to record, edit, produce and release episodes and it was great to be doing something new. But I wasn't great at the post-production side of things so quickly roped in help for that. Luckily Thrive's founder and CEO knows quite a few well-known people, like Stuart Broad, Alex Hales and Dan Murray Serter, so he pulled a few favours and they've all been guests. That's really helped with the success. But I think the other side of that is the conversations I have are very genuine, and I set people up so they feel safe to share. It's hands down the best part of my job. I've learnt so much from every single one of my guests.”
Additionally, Helen founded the WomenIn community in February 2023, which has become a pivotal platform for women across L&D, HR, and other sectors. The community, now a robust network of over 650 members with 11 subgroups, facilitates connections, learning, and sharing, fostering professional growth and opportunities. The high engagement and success of both in-person and virtual events attest to the community's impact.
Internally at Thrive, Helen's influence is equally profound. She has been instrumental in driving new business, contributing to product development, and onboarding new team members into the L&D vendor landscape. Helen's role as a communicator of good learning practices and a bridge between product development and community feedback has strengthened trust and innovation within Thrive.
Helen's extensive public engagement includes appearances on BBC Radio 4's "The Bottom Line," interviewing an England cricketer live on stage, and delivering 47 live and virtual sessions. She also hosted a full-day event at The Science Museum, engaging with 400 attendees. These efforts have solidified her position as a leading voice in L&D.
When asked what Helen’s goals are for the next 12 months as CLO at Thrive, Helen mentioned: “I’m throwing myself headfirst into the world of talent development. There are a lot of opportunities to have a real impact on our business as a whole and I'm so excited to get going. Ultimately to be able to link learning initiatives to business impact and ultimately revenue is my big personal goal - but I'm aiming for that before Christmas, not over 12 months. Outside of that I want to see the podcast continue to grow, and the WomenIn community I founded continue to flourish. We are at 650 members and if we could get to 1,000 by the end of the year that would be brilliant. I'll be finishing off the CLO100 programme over the rest of 2024, and will gain a CMI 7 qualification as a result (all being well)”.
What advice would Helen give to someone who is transitioning into a Chief Learning Officer role or a similar leadership position within the L&D field?
“My advice is simple. Ask yourself: Can I answer these questions?
- What objectives are you feeding into?
- What data do you have to prove impact?
- What stories can you tell as a result?
If you can't answer these, get yourself into a position where you can and then make sure people listen to your stories.”
Overall, Judges praised how Helen's initiatives ‘positively impacted the wider L&D community’.
About New Possible
New Possible is the people insight platform that’s committed to your success. We work across a range of sectors to provide clear, actionable, and benchmarkable insights across the employee lifecycle.
Read about our mission, or book a demo to learn more.
