New head of learning and development for DRPG

Beginning her career in the internal training field over a decade ago in the telecommunications brand BT, Elaine has progressed through a multitude of training delivery and in-house education roles with her latest position in DRPG’s senior leadership team as Head of Learning and Development.

The group look to enhance its established ‘Academy’ training programme in it’s accessibility and flexibility to accommodate the team members with specific needs and those in locations outside of the headquarters in Hartlebury. The group has gone through nearly 50 per cent workforce growth in the past five years along with geographical expansion too with offices in London, Manchester, Germany, and the US.

Elaine commented, “From the moment I saw the potential change in people’s lives through advancing their professional development, both professionally and personally, I knew it was going to build the basis of my own career. The reward of empowering people within their passions and goals is unmatched and I’m pleased to be working in such a creative culture at DRPG where there’s a solid focus on the team members as individuals.

“One of the biggest challenges businesses have faced since The Great Resignation, post-COVID19 is employee retention and the value proposition being strong enough to keep talent in a super competitive market. With 41 per cent of exits down to a lack of career development compared to 31 per cent leaving due to inadequate compensation (based on a 2022 McKinsey report of 13,000 workers), it’s clear that L&D needs to be at the top of business’ agendas.

“My key to L&D success is to ensure learning is not just an isolated event that you log on to complete, it’s part of a longer term experience that is hyper-personalised and valuable. I’m really looking forward to supporting the DRPG team’s aspirations in our next phase of growth.”

Director of group services, Richard Parmenter commented, “It’s always in times of uncertainty that the investment in people can take a dive. Often, learning and development finds itself at the bottom of the budget, however, for us it was crucial to invest in what has always been our strongest asset, our people! We know a strong internal development programme is the key to futureproofing and it’s fantastic to welcome Elaine who is so passionate in this incredibly important part of the DRPG business.”