Learning Isn't a Box to Tick. It's a Culture to Build.
Ask Jerome Won what he does for a living and he won't say "training." He'll say he's in the business of change — and he means it in every sense. As L&D Manager at YCH Group, one of Asia's leading supply chain and logistics companies, Jerome has spent his career quietly dismantling the assumption that learning is something that happens in a classroom, on a schedule, and then stops. His version of L&D is something far more ambitious: weaving growth into the fabric of everyday work, until learning stops being a programme and starts being a reflex.
"To me, L&D is about driving real change in organisations. It's not just about ticking boxes or delivering training. It's about empowering people to lead and adapt. I want to create a culture where learning is part of the DNA."
On Breaking the Mould
Jerome's instinct to question convention showed up early. When others were building traditional training catalogues, he was thinking about friction — specifically, how to remove it. His answer was to abandon the stand-alone programme model and embed short, bite-sized learning modules directly into people's daily workflows.
The results were hard to argue with. Engagement climbed. More importantly, people actually started applying what they learned. "It was unconventional," he acknowledges, "but it worked."
That conviction — that L&D professionals belong at the strategy table, not in the back room — was forged through hard experience. Early in his career, Jerome watched a well-designed programme fall flat simply because the business hadn't been brought along for the ride. Low participation. No stakeholder ownership. A lesson in how even the best learning solution fails without the relationships to support it.
"It hit me badly. L&D isn't just about learning. It's about influencing and partnering with the business."
"L&D isn't just about learning. It's about influencing and partnering with the business. We're strategic partners — not just trainers."
From Data to Decision
Jerome's most striking contribution may be his ability to translate learning data into language that moves executives. In one pivotal moment, he presented a skills gap analysis to his organisation's C-suite — and instead of leading with spreadsheets, he led with consequence. He connected skills gaps directly to the company's strategic priorities, used metrics like time-to-productivity to quantify the cost of inaction, and made the case for what closing those gaps could unlock.
"The outcome: secured buy-in for a targeted upskilling programme aligned to critical business objectives. The C-suite didn't just understand the data — they acted on it."
A similar philosophy shaped his leadership development work. Rather than running conventional classroom programmes, Jerome designed an action-learning model where leaders worked on real projects tied directly to the company's strategic agenda. Stakeholders were invested because the outcomes actually mattered to the business. Leaders developed real capabilities under real conditions.
"It was a win-win. Our leaders developed valuable skills and the business got innovative solutions to pressing challenges."
On the Future — and the Warning
Jerome is unambiguous about where the profession needs to go. AI and data analytics, in his view, aren't optional add-ons — they're the infrastructure of modern L&D, enabling organisations to personalise learning at scale and anticipate skills needs before they become gaps. The profession's failure to move fast enough on this, he believes, will be the defining criticism of this era.
"We'll probably be criticised for not leveraging AI and data analytics enough to personalise learning and predict skills needs. We need to move faster on tech-driven solutions."
“AI and flexible learning are here to stay — and we must embrace them. Not because it's fashionable, but because the work demands it.”
For Jerome, the benchmark is always the same: does it align with strategy? Does it solve a real problem? If yes, explore it relentlessly. If not, set it aside. Clarity of purpose, not novelty, is what separates meaningful innovation from noise.
It is, in many ways, the same filter he applies to everything — a reminder that the most important thing in L&D has never changed, even as the tools around it do. Change doesn't happen because a training was delivered. It happens because someone cared enough to make it stick.
Jerome Won is one of those people.
Jerome Won is one of Asia's featured voices in the aTalent × Docebo Trailblazer Campaign — spotlighting the region's most influential L&D leaders. Learn more at trailblazer.atalent.com
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