10 Learning and Development Leaders in Brisbane

Learning and development work is often hard to see from the outside. The people in this Brisbane list help organisations build clearer leaders, stronger teams and better ways of working. Their roles connect with learning, leadership, capability, coaching or professional development.

A strong learning culture gives people more than access to courses. It helps them make better decisions, have better conversations and build the skills their organisation needs next. In Brisbane, that work appears across professional services, education, health, design and large Queensland organisations.

Why this work matters.

Learning can be strategic, practical, academic, behavioural or closely connected to culture. The common thread is helping people learn and work better, then making that learning useful in real settings.

1. Brian Clohessy

Head of People and Character, BVN

Brian Clohessy is Head of People and Character at BVN, a design practice with a Brisbane studio. His role connects learning and development with talent, recruitment, retention and the wider people system.

That is a useful reminder that capability building is not separate from culture. When people work, values and development are considered together, learning has a better chance of showing up in everyday decisions.

2. Chris Ridler

Director: Leadership and Coaching, Performance Potential

Chris Ridler is Director: Leadership and Coaching at Performance Potential, a Queensland leadership and learning consultancy. His work sits across leadership development, coaching, facilitation and practical performance improvement.

Chris is worth following if you want development to stay close to the work people actually do. Coaching and facilitation can help leaders turn a useful idea into a habit that survives beyond the workshop.

3. Professor Deanne Gannaway

Academic Lead, Professional Learning, UQ Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation

Professor Deanne Gannaway is Academic Lead, Professional Learning at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation. Her work connects teaching practice, professional learning and curriculum change.

Her role shows how learning leaders can support professional communities while keeping development connected to the learner experience. That is relevant wherever capability grows through shared practice.

4. Giorgia Morini

Head of Education, Engagement Institute

Giorgia Morini is Head of Education at the Engagement Institute. She leads the development and delivery of the organisation’s education program, with experience across learning and development, legal practice and project leadership.

Her work is a useful prompt for anyone designing learning for professionals who need to apply it quickly. Good learning needs a clear path from insight to action, not just a well-written session plan.

5. Associate Professor Hassan Khosravi

Academic Lead, Learning Analytics, UQ Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation

Associate Professor Hassan Khosravi is Academic Lead, Learning Analytics at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation. His work connects learning analytics, artificial intelligence and the improvement of education.

His focus raises a practical question for every learning team: what information helps people make better decisions, and what information simply creates more reporting? Useful analytics should support better learning without losing sight of the human experience.

6. Nadiene Van Gorp

People and capability leader, WorkCover Queensland

Nadiene Van Gorp is a people and capability leader associated with WorkCover Queensland in Brisbane. Her work has included learning and development leadership inside a large Queensland organisation.

Nadiene represents the operational side of learning and development. Capability work has to understand the organisation, its people and the work that needs to improve, then make learning usable in real settings.

7. Phil Sealy

CEO, Lead Facilitator and Principal Consultant, Pro Leaders Academy

Phil Sealy is CEO, Lead Facilitator and Principal Consultant at Pro Leaders Academy, which has a Brisbane training centre. His work spans leadership development, facilitation, consulting and coaching.

That mix matters because a workshop can create awareness, while coaching and application help a leader turn awareness into a better pattern of work. Phil’s role keeps learning connected to responsibility and follow-through.

8. Rupert Bryce

Leadership development and performance coach, Performance Strategies

Rupert Bryce leads Performance Strategies, a Brisbane-based leadership development and employee engagement company. His work includes designing and delivering leadership development programs, coaching and organisational change.

Rupert’s focus is a useful prompt to keep development close to culture, engagement and the everyday behaviour people experience from their leaders. Practical development should help people make better decisions in the work in front of them.

9. Thomas Ibbs

Design and Delivery, ink Learning Solutions

Thomas Ibbs works in design and delivery at ink Learning Solutions, a Brisbane learning consultancy offering leadership development, coaching, inclusion and team workshops.

Design and delivery are different skills, and strong learning work needs both. Thomas’s role is a reminder to make the experience clear, relevant and connected to the conversations teams need to have after the workshop.

10. Cat White

Associate, behavioural scientist and leadership coach, HRS Connect

Cat White is an Associate at HRS Connect, where she works as a behavioural scientist, leadership coach and workshop facilitator. Her work supports leaders and teams to build practical, evidence-based people capability.

Cat’s combination of behavioural science, coaching and facilitation brings learning closer to how people actually behave. Evidence becomes useful when leaders can apply it in conversations, decisions and team routines.

How should I use this list?

Use it as a starting point for finding ideas, people to learn from and organisations worth understanding. If you are building an internal capability plan, look for the pattern behind each person’s work and choose one small action to try this week.

Are all the people internal L&D leaders?

No. The list includes internal people leaders, consultants, coaches and higher education specialists. Their roles are different, but each connects with helping people or organisations learn and improve.

How can I suggest another person?

Send us their name, current role and the learning, leadership or capability work they are doing. That will help us keep growing this directory over time.

A practical next step.

If your leaders need a clearer way to build capability, write down one behaviour you want to see more often. Then ask what learning, practice or support would make that behaviour easier to use on Monday morning.

For practical leadership development, explore the Working Genius FAQ, the strategy and leadership consultant guide, or the team offsite enquiry page. Each gives leaders a written starting point for the next step.

Jonno White is a Brisbane-based leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and the author of Step Up or Step Out. He works with schools, organisations and leadership teams around the world. To enquire about a keynote, workshop or facilitated leadership session, email jonno@consultclarity.org.