What Does a Chief Learning Officer Do?

3 min read · Updated July 8, 2026

By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants

The short answerA Chief Learning Officer (CLO) leads a business's learning and development — the strategy and programmes that build the skills, capabilities, and knowledge its people and the organisation need. As capability increasingly drives competitiveness, it is a strategic role, connecting the development of people to the business's needs and future, well beyond running training.

The Chief Learning Officer leads how a business develops its people's skills and capabilities. Here is what the role involves and why it matters.

What the role owns

A Chief Learning Officer owns how a business develops its people — the learning and development (L&D) strategy, programmes, and capabilities that build the skills, knowledge, and capabilities the organisation needs. This spans everything from leadership development to functional and technical skills, and increasingly reskilling for change. The role ensures the business is building the human capability it depends on, connecting people development to strategy, distinct from the broader people function it often sits within.

Strategic, not just training

A strong CLO operates strategically, not just administering training. The role connects capability-building to the business's strategy and future needs — identifying the capabilities the business will need and building them, supporting transformation and change, and treating people's development as a strategic investment. As the pace of change and the importance of skills grow, this strategic dimension matters more. Leaders who connect learning to genuine business strategy and needs, rather than running disconnected training, deliver far more value.

Building capability for the future

Much of the CLO's value is in building the capabilities the business will need, not just the ones it needs today — anticipating how skill needs are shifting, and reskilling and developing the workforce accordingly. As industries and roles change, this forward-looking capability-building becomes increasingly important. A CLO who helps the business stay ahead of its evolving capability needs, building the skills for where it is heading, plays a genuinely strategic role in its future competitiveness and adaptability.

Culture of learning

Beyond programmes, a strong CLO helps build a culture of learning — where developing and growing is embedded in how the organisation operates, not confined to formal training. A genuine learning culture helps a business adapt, improve, and retain people. Fostering this culture, alongside delivering effective learning strategy and programmes, is part of what strong learning leadership involves. This connects to leadership development and building organisational capability over time.

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