Cultivating Critical Skills Through Segmented Journeys
Client: Pan-African Multinational Financial Services Group
Industry: Pan-African Financial Services Group
Focus: Talent Segmentation; Talent Pool Development ; Learning Journey Mapping; LMS Implementation; Learning Experience & Design; Retention Strategies; Succession Planning
What They Were Up Against
The client had just started shaping a talent segmentation strategy and needed to act fast to secure and grow critical skills. With 10,000+ employees spread across Africa and only a lean Talent team, their challenge was to design development opportunities that were:
- Scalable and easy to access.
- Tailored to different talent segments with unique needs, goals, and retention risks.
- Enabled by self-service tools, line managers, and HRBPs.
Without a structured approach, the risk was clear: uneven readiness in the talent pipeline and the loss of critical capability across the group.
Where We Chose to Focus
We centred the solution on the 70-20-10 learning model, ensuring a balanced mix of experiential, social, and formal learning. Our first step was to map personas and learning journeys for each talent segment, capturing:
Learning preferences and development goals
Key competencies and skills gaps
Strategic priorities and retention drivers
Persona “character traits” to make journeys relatable and human
These insights enabled us to create differentiated journeys, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach.
How We Partnered for Impact
We built the initiative through design, integration, and engagement:
Persona-Based Journeys
Developed talent personas and journey maps, later brought to life through videos and toolkits
Integrated Learning Mix
Audited existing learning resources, then blended Udemy content, internal programmes, and new interventions like reverse mentoring, stretch assignments, peer mentoring, line manager coaching, executive coaching, and knowledge-sharing forums
Practical Tools & Enablers
Created frameworks, policies, toolkits, reflection journals, and a digital self-assessment baseline tool to guide PDPs
Stakeholder Activation
Executives: One sponsor per segment, introducing each journey via video messages
Line Managers & HRBPs: Equipped with toolkits, tutorials, and train-the-trainer sessions to actively guide employees.
Engaging Theme
All outputs were designed around a unifying “career voyage” theme, inspiring employees to navigate their growth journey
What Shifted
The project transformed the employee development experience:
Strong Sponsorship
from executives positioned talent development as a business priority
Relatable Experience
The voyage theme and persona-based design made learning human, inspiring, and engaging
Targeted Journeys
gave each segment a clear, tailored pathway
Seamless Access
meant employees could engage with all learning through the LMS in one place
Empowered Enablers
Line managers and HRBPs became confident guides in supporting employees
Success Enablers
Integration-First Design
Mapping all content into the LMS reduced complexity and confusion
Consistent Branding & Theme
The voyage narrative and persona characters created visibility and recognition
Cross-Functional Collaboration
HR, L&D, Communications, and executives were involved from day one
Governance & Engagement
Structured check-ins ensured momentum and alignment throughout the project
