Strategic learning & workforce transformation · Zürich · working globally

Most organisations don't have a learning problem. They have performance problems.

I build learning functions that move business numbers — for multinationals rethinking capability in the age of AI. Twenty-plus years across pharma, banking and healthcare.

Let's talk See how I work
Fractional CLO AI capability Learning strategy
−50%
learning development effort, via AI-augmented production
−80%
localisation cost — a pilot that became an enterprise service
18,000+
employees served across 30+ sites and global functions
20+ yrs
in learning that ships — pharma, banking, healthcare, government
WHERE I'VE DONE IT Takeda · Credit Suisse · Samsung · Novartis · Westpac · Coca-Cola Amatil · Cochlear · Royal Australasian College of Physicians
What I do

Four ways to work with me

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Fractional / interim CLO
Senior learning leadership without the twelve-month hiring cycle. Strategy, team, governance — running in weeks.
AI capability building
From tool tourism to daily practice — workshops and programmes that make AI part of how work gets done.
Digital learning strategy
An LMS is not a learning ecosystem. Neither is an LXP. I design the system around the tools.
E-learning design & delivery
Courses with a pulse, not a pulse-check. Award-winning design, measured at Kirkpatrick Level 4.
David Swaddle
About

Most learning functions measure activity. I measure impact.

Learning and people-development leadership at Takeda and Credit Suisse; consulting for Samsung, Novartis, Westpac and Cochlear; CPD for 33,000 physicians. AITD L&D Professional of the Year. Based in Zürich, working globally.

More about me →
What colleagues say

"Dave has a unique ability to translate business needs into engaging, practical learning solutions that actually drive behavior change — not just course completions."

David Barone
Head of Global Digital Learning, Takeda

"David is both a highly skilled technical designer and resourceful collaborator. Any forward-looking team would be lucky to have his expertise and drive on board."

Roseann Chu
Senior Director, Head of Digital Innovation and AI, Takeda
Writing

Recent thinking

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AI IN L&D · JUN 2025
A tale of two prompts
I experimented with the same prompt about L&D in two different AI chats. The results were eye-opening — and say more about us than about the models.
COACHING · JUN 2024
Digital and AI are transforming coaching: a guide for L&D professionals
Coaching has emerged from L&D as a distinct industry, accelerated by the pandemic. What the platforms and the AI layer mean for your people strategy.
AI IN PRACTICE · AUG 2023
A meeting-design AI coaching prompt
Fed up with inefficient meetings? A working prompt from my ongoing quest to use generative AI for learning and performance.

Tell me the performance problem.

I'll tell you whether learning is the answer — and what to do if it isn't.

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Hiring, or just thinking about it?

Full-time, interim or fractional — if you need someone who's done this at enterprise scale, let's have a conversation. CV and references on request.

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Get the thinking first

One email when I publish. No digest padding, no "5 trends" listicles.