From Facilitation to Business Strategy: The Evolution of a Learning Leader with Ian Stevens of Publicis Sapient
Ian Stevens, Director of Learning and Talent Development of Publicis Sapient, shares his 15-year journey across education and corporate learning, offering a grounded perspective on how L&D continues to evolve amid rapid change. Drawing from experie...
Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with corporate L&D leaders · Leigh Anne Lankford
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Show Notes
Ian Stevens, Director of Learning and Talent Development of Publicis Sapient, shares his 15-year journey across education and corporate learning, offering a grounded perspective on how L&D continues to evolve amid rapid change. Drawing from experience as a former teacher, facilitator and learning strategist, Ian reflects on what it takes to build resilient, business-aligned L&D functions that balance human connection, adaptability and real-world impact.
Key Takeaways:
00:00 Introduction.
03:05 Facilitation and coaching skills transfer effectively across learning environments.
05:00 Corporate learning shifts focus from content delivery to learner outcomes.
07:57 Disruption accelerates changes in how learning is delivered.
08:58 Digital-first approaches create fatigue without human connection.
14:11 Learning functions increasingly align more closely with business needs.
25:11 Resiliency supports adaptability during ongoing change.
31:58 Purpose-driven leadership helps guide future learning strategies.
Resources Mentioned:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-p-stevens/
Publicis Sapient | LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/publicissapient/
Publicis Sapient | Website
https://publicissapient.com/
https://hbr.org
Association for Talent Development
https://www.td.org/
“Start With Why” by Simon Sinek
https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/
“Leaders Make the Future” by Bob Johansen, Jeremy Kirshbaum and Gabe Cervantes
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DH9DBNCB
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