The June edition of EFMD Corporate Services’ Sharing Best Practice webinar focused on how learning functions can create a measurable impact for their organisations, their learners, and even society at large.

The session featured two organisations certified by EFMD’s LIFT (Learning Impact for Today and Tomorrow) framework: AIA, Asia’s largest insurance group, and the UEFA Academy, the education arm of the Union of European Football Associations.

Gyan Nagpal, Head of Group Learning at AIA, and Joël Pinson, Programme & Management Expert at the UEFA Academy, shared how their teams approach learning impact to ensure their initiatives deliver meaningful results for all stakeholders.

With 45 registered participants from 25 organisations across 21 countries, the session—hosted by Steven Smith, responsible for EFMD’s LIFT certification—began with a critical reflection: while executives increasingly demand evidence of learning impact, learning functions often struggle to provide it. The common explanation? A lack of resources and funding.

Steven challenged this perception, arguing that when learning impact is embedded into the value chain from the outset, it becomes not an added burden but a strategic mindset—one that positions learning as a driver of business outcomes rather than merely a support function.

Two Organisations, Two Distinct Approaches to Impact

This principle came to life through the examples of AIA and the UEFA Academy—two very different organisations operating in vastly different contexts, yet each able to demonstrate clear learning impact.

AIA benefits from a well-defined group strategy. While implementation may vary across markets due to differing regulations, the learning team has built a strong partnership with AIA’s executive committee. By aligning learning solutions closely to corporate strategy and linking them directly to the results the organisation aims to achieve, AIA ensures its learning investments are strategic, measurable, and impactful.

The UEFA Academy, by contrast, operates within a more decentralised structure. As an association of associations, each member organisation defines its own strategy. This has required the Academy to adopt a more entrepreneurial and consultative approach—co-creating learning solutions that add value to both individual members and their learners, while still aligning with UEFA’s overarching mission and ambitions.

A Common Thread: Business Partnership and Measurable Results

Despite these differences, both organisations share a critical belief: that learning can only create impact when it is tightly linked to business priorities.

They each focus on:

• Partnering with the business to define how learning will support strategic goals;
• Agreeing on how success and impact will be measured; and
• Communicating outcomes in a way that resonates with key stakeholders.

By doing this, learning becomes more than a support activity—it becomes a strategic enabler, embedded within the organisation’s value chain.

Watch the Recording

Exceptionally, this insightful session was recorded and is available for EFMD members to replay.

👉 Watch the recording here

Interested in Exploring Your Own Learning Impact?

If you would like to understand how your own learning function is delivering impact to its stakeholders, we invite you to explore EFMD’s LIFT learning impact certification. It’s an opportunity to assess, benchmark, and elevate your learning function’s impact in a structured, evidence-based way.

📩 Contact us to find out more about how to get started.

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Highlights and materials from this workshop are available in the Corporate Digital Library.

EFMD company members can request free access to this library if they have not yet done so. Guests from other companies can ask for temporary access by contacting Natalie Altincizme.

Save the date! Our next Sharing Best Practice Workshop for corporate members and invited guests will take place on 14 November.

For additional insights, announcements and perspectives about other aspects of LIFT Certification, visit the conversation here.