UK 
United States
Senior learning and development professionals from Dishoom, CLO100 and Radical OD reflect on the year in L&D to reveal their 2025 highlights.
Thomas Stroppel, Head of L&D, Dishoom – ‘AI offers an opportunity to go deeper, be more creative’
Looking back at 2025, it feels like L&D has been doing a bit of soul-searching. The world of work has changed so quickly this year. Sometimes it’s exciting, other times it feels (a bit) out of control. There’s a real push from businesses to move faster and aim higher, which is exciting. But at the same time, many frontline team members are just starting their working lives and figuring out, well, how work … works. And the managers leading them often were promoted only a few years ago and are now looking after teams whose experience and confidence levels vary widely.
Across the sector, team members are expecting more from their workplaces - not just guidance on performance, but support that sees them as a whole person. They want day-to-day coaching, emotional safety, wellbeing (in and out of work), and a place where they can be themselves.
For newer managers, this creates a real challenge: they’re trying to keep the operation running well and support their teams. This has pushed L&D to adapt how we support and develop people - finding ways to bring real challenges from the floor into learning, so team members can practise and grow their confidence before they step back into the busy day.
