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L&D Leaders Podcast

Honest conversations with influential voices in L&D about how to make learning collaborative, continuous, and strategic.

 

Social learning as your ultimate trust builder with Sotos Poulimenos, Dynatrace

In episode #8 with Sotos Poulimenos, Head of Global Learning and Leadership Development at Dynatrace, we challenge the traditional view of corporate learning as a series of isolated events or polished courses. Tune in to discover how to design cohort-based programs that prioritize peer connection, drive behavioral change, and strengthen organizational trust.

Connecting competence to strategy with Kati Järvinen, Wärtsilä

In episode #07 Kati Järvinen, Talent and Organization Development Lead at Wärtsilä, explores how to connect capability building directly to strategy execution, talent management, and business performance. Kati shares her experience from Wärtsilä's transformation, offering a practical framework for embedding competences into the core of the organization.

Making L&D a strategic driver with Frida Monsén, Vattenfall

In episode #05 Frida Monsén, Global Head of L&D Strategy and Portfolio at Vattenfall, joins us to explore how to scale learning in a 20,000-employee organization by moving beyond traditional training. We discuss the critical role of social learning in navigating the AI transformation and why psychological safety is essential for fostering a culture of continuous improvement, especially in an engineering-heavy environment.

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One-on-one conversations with influential voices in L&D about making learning collaborative, strategic, and embedded in the flow of work.

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Meet the people behind L&D Leaders

Hanna Liimatainen profile picture

Hanna Liimatainen

Hanna, host of the L&D Leaders Podcast, draws on her background in communications, systemic thinking and digital facilitation to help organizations reimagine how people work, lead, and learn.

With her warm yet thought-provoking style, she sparks conversations that reveal not just what works in learning, but why, and how others can put it into practice.

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Emilia Åström

Emilia is a learning experience designer, facilitator and community builder who helps L&D leaders turn learning into living, social systems.

Rooted in design thinking, digital transformation, and collaborative learning, she inspires organizations to make learning more participatory, human, and impactful.

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What is L&D Leaders Podcast about

The L&D Leaders Podcast, hosted by Hanna Liimatainen, brings together experienced voices in learning and development to share real stories about how people and organizations learn and grow.

Each guest offers their own perspective on making learning more collaborative, strategic, and connected to everyday work. Together, these conversations uncover what helps learning truly make an impact.

Known for her warmth and curiosity, Hanna creates space for honest dialogue that helps guests open up and listeners see learning from new angles. Her conversations leave audiences with both inspiration and practical ideas to apply in their own work.

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Building future capabilities through social learning with Katarina Noén, Ericsson

In our very first episode Katarina Noén, Head of Learning at Ericsson, shares how she helps people learn and grow inside a global, fast-moving tech organization. What it takes to build future capabilities at scale, why social learning matters, and how to keep learning connected to real business needs? Katarina talks about working across functions and industries, and creating spaces where people learn from each other through real projects, mentoring, and communities.

Executing strategy through learning and culture with Domenico Dargenio, Fortum

In episode #3, we discuss how leadership, learning, and culture come together when organizations go through massive transformation. We explore why psychological safety is the foundation for learning and change, and how Fortum is bringing capability development to where the problem is – embedding learning into real work rather than isolating it in training rooms. Domenico also walks us through how they're using Cultural Ambassadors and social learning to make the change stick.

 Want to do more than just listen? Join the L&D Leaders community. 

A free community for L&D leaders driving growth through collaborative learning.

Why we started L&D Leaders Podcast

Learning and development has become one of the most business-critical functions in organizations.

The challenge isn’t finding more content, but helping people learn together: reflecting, sharing, and making sense of change.

Through open, honest conversations with learning leaders across Europe, Hanna and her guests talk about what it really takes to make learning collaborative and meaningful: the experiments, uncertainty, and lessons learned along the way that help L&D leaders move learning closer to everyday work.

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Human connection as a leadership enabler with Dr. Eerika Hedman-Phillips

In episode #4 Dr. Eerika Hedman-Phillips explores how leadership development must evolve to truly support organizational transformation. We discuss the biological necessity of human empathy in the age of AI and why "social sense-making" is the secret to making learning stick far beyond the classroom. Drawing on her experience leading Talent Management for a global sports media giant, Eerika shares how she bridges the gap between deep academic theory and the pragmatic, non-linear reality of human behavior.

L&D must lead AI adoption with Patrik Hedljung, Scania

In episode #2, Patrik Hedljung, Manager AI Adoption at Scania, dives into how L&D’s mandate is shifting as organizations race to keep pace with new technology. We discuss the friction between slow-moving internal processes and the rapid speed of tech, and why successful AI adoption requires breaking down silos between IT, HR, and Legal. Having spent over 25 years in L&D before transitioning into IT, Patrik brings a rare, practitioner-first perspective to the digital transformation conversation.

Leadership development as a daily practise with David Goddard, Successify

In episode #6 David Goddard, a Leadership Coach and Founder of Successify, explores how to shift leadership development from a series of isolated programs into a continuous, energizing practice. We discuss what it takes to build organizations where learning isn't just about training, but about fueling performance, clarity, and wellbeing in an era of permanent complexity.

What makes L&D Leaders Podcast stand out

We noticed that while everyone was talking about "the future of learning", few were figuring out how to actually make collaborative learning work in practice.

As conversations among L&D professionals grew, and our L&D Leaders community took off, it became clear that people were hungry for real-life examples and stories, not just theory.

The podcast was born from that realization: a space where learning leaders share how collaborative learning can be scaled to support business goals and navigate uncertainty together.

Hannna Liimatainen