3 min reading time
Building Impact Through Learning: Meet Aisling MacNamara, Director of Learning, Enablement & Inclusion
As Director of Learning, Enablement, and Inclusion at LearnUpon, Aisling MacNamra leads with a strategic vision that balances driving business impact and empowering her team.
From launching skill-building programs to promoting a culture of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, she shares how her career evolved from building the L&D function from scratch to becoming a trusted leader. In this interview, she reflects on the importance of authentic storytelling in inclusion initiatives, and shares a powerful life lesson that continues to inspire her leadership approach every day.
What does a typical day look like for you in your current role as Director, and how do you balance strategic leadership with staying connected to your team?
As Director of Learning, Enablement, and Inclusion (LEI), everyday is pretty varied! I usually start my day by checking in on key initiatives. On the learning front, that could mean launching a new skills journey on our LMS or partnering with teams to embed our competency framework. On the enablement side, we’re focused on programs that directly impact revenue outcomes — such as sales onboarding or ongoing training for go-to-market teams. For Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (DIB), this could involve meeting with our internal Inclusion & Belonging Council for feedback on our quarterly themes.
I try to empower the team to lead their own projects and provide support when needed — this allows me to focus on partnering with our leaders to understand which business priorities can be positively impacted through learning. I also spend time reviewing the impact of our programs to ensure they are delivering positive improvements to business metrics.
Your career journey has taken you from Learning & Development Manager to Director level. Can you share what that progression has looked like for you, and what key experiences or decisions helped shape your path?
I joined LearnUpon in early 2021 with the exciting opportunity to build the L&D function from the ground up. At the time, I was a team of one, laying the foundation for learning to become a strategic business partner. Initiatives like developing our competency framework and designing our sales onboarding program not only accelerated my own growth, but also demonstrated the tangible value learning could bring to the business. As the impact of our work grew, so did our team, with an expanded remit that includes Enablement and DIB.
A key part of my progression has also come from engaging with our customers. As the learning team within an LMS company, we’ve always seen ourselves as customer zero. Being able to present at conferences and host webinars has been amazing to deepen my expertise and connect with other learning leaders.
You’ve taken on a significant focus in Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging. What inspired that shift, and what impact are you most proud of so far in this space?
Our focus on DIB grew out of the passion and initiative of team members who were already driving important conversations at LearnUpon. While that grassroots energy was powerful, we recognized that the responsibility shouldn’t fall disproportionately on underrepresented groups. Bringing DIB into the scope of our team reflects our commitment to embedding diversity as a core business priority.
What I’m most proud of is how we’ve avoided a one-size-fits-all or “tick-the-box” approach by designing themes that are centred on storytelling and vulnerability. We have had team members share very personal stories around parenthood, illness, and sexuality which has helped create empathy and understanding of our differences. Our key goal is to celebrate individuality while also connecting on the topics that impact everyone.
What’s a piece of advice or feedback you received early in your career that stuck with you — and how has it influenced your approach?
A piece of advice that I was lucky enough to receive came in the form of 5 life lessons that were shared by Dermot Costello, who was Managing Director in my first job.
Dermot had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2016. When he decided to stop treatment, he brought the company together to share these lessons with us. They were a wonderful mix of practical, humorous and inspirational. His main message was that living everyday does involve working hard, but if you know your purpose and meaning in life, then you can be authentic to yourself and others. It had a huge influence on my outlook on work and life. Also, the generosity that Dermot demonstrated while coming towards the end of his life was truly inspiring. I go back and watch it on Youtube every few months as a reminder of what’s important.
Interested in joining the team?
We’re always looking for people who love to collaborate and make an impact through learning. Check out our open roles at LearnUpon and see if there’s a fit for you!