
The Company Road Podcast E80 Breaking the broken model: How to fix corporate learning and development
"Actually 90% of the change you're trying to create comes through systemic changes to the environment rather than training." - Charlie Kneen
Charlie Kneen is the founder of Solvd Together, a learning and development transformation consultancy that reimagines how global brands approach their people strategy. Formerly the L&D lead at BP in the UK, Charlie brings together expertise in marketing, coaching, leadership, and human-centred design.
If you're tired of engagement surveys and hoping for the best, this episode offers tangible alternatives that focus on business performance rather than content delivery.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- The broken model of corporate learning
- Human-centred design in L&D
- How to handle difficult conversations when research reveals uncomfortable truths about leadership and systems
- Moving from order-takers to strategic partners
- Using nudges and contextual cues to drive behaviour change without formal training
- Setting up proper research methodologies with control groups to prove ROI and business impact
Key links
- Solvd Together Website
- Charlie Kneen LinkedIn
- Solvd Together LinkedIn
- How People Learn: Designing Education and Training that Works to Improve Performance
- "The Empty Brain" article by Robert Epstein (former editor of Psychology Today)
- Nick Shackleton-Jones
- Bp Website
About our guest
Charlie Kneen is the founder of Solvd Together, a Learning & Development and Transformation consultancy that partners with global brands to reimagine how organisations engage, retain, and upskill their people.
Drawing on a background in marketing, coaching, and leadership roles across both in-house teams and start-ups, Charlie brings a unique perspective on the psychology of work. His passion lies in applying human-centred design to learning and change, helping businesses achieve real impact and commercial value while creating better experiences for their people.
About our host
Our host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneuship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road.
Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.
Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.
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