Many digital capability programmes build a content library and call it a learning strategy. North Highland gave Haleon something different: a fully integrated, self-sustaining learning ecosystem, built on over 10,000 pages of research and designed around the people doing the work.
The Situation
Haleon had clear ambitions. A world leader in consumer health, the company's R&D division was determined to build a strong competitive position in the digital and AI era.
But the conditions weren't there to support that ambition. Workforce development was fragmented, with teams working in silos and digital fluency uneven across the function. In a sector where AI capability is fast becoming a competitive differentiator, the pace of change demanded action.
Building digital capability at scale requires more than content. It requires the right infrastructure, the right people architecture, and a learning model designed to last beyond the project itself.
What Haleon needed was not a generic training programme. It needed a more evidence-based and integrated approach to developing its people that was grounded in the realities of the business, designed around the people it served and built on the right technology infrastructure.
Our Approach
North Highland treated technology and skills as one decision. Starting with evidence, not assumptions, we developed a Skills Taxonomy and framework at the intersection of capability and technology. Analysing over 10,000 pages of internal and external research, alongside listening to stakeholders from senior leaders to frontline scientists, we gave the team the foundation to make both dimensions work together and a platform for the talent work that follows.
The evidence base gave Haleon a compass reading, accurate and precise, pointing at the gap. The learning architecture gave it a map: a structured route from where its people were to where they needed to be.
Learning Architecture Grounded in Research
Rather than applying a generic framework, North Highland worked with Haleon’s teams to develop proficiency-based learning pathways tailored to distinct R&D personas, the company’s governance structures, language, and ways of working. Every design decision was built on the evidence base, ensuring the programme addressed real-world needs rather than assumed ones.
70/20/10 Model, Not a Content Library
Building on Haleon's established commitment to the 70/20/10 framework, North Highland partnered with them to bring it fully to life, shifting from a static content library to a dynamic, research-backed hybrid model rooted in in adult learning and behavioural science. Practitioners were empowered to generate their own use-cases, making learning directly relevant to daily work. Measurement frameworks and change metrics were embedded from the outset, giving leadership real-time visibility and the ability to intervene early.
Technology Built for the People Using It
The R&D team, partnered with North Highland, acted as first adopters on Haleon’s new Learning Management System (LMS). Working closely with the LMS team to design the all-important landing pages, the team made up an integral part of the LMS ‘Change Champions’ team and acted as support for go-live. AI-enabled learning interventions were introduced to ensure content resonated with diverse audiences. The result was a learning architecture that was purpose-built and immediately usable, accelerating adoption across the organisation from day one.
Capability Built from Within, Not Imported
A network of change champions was activated across the R&D function. Line managers and internal facilitators were upskilled to cascade change to their teams. North Highland transferred full ownership of the learning architecture, measurement framework and change network methodology to Haleon’s teams, with documentation, drop-in sessions, and train-the-trainer support. As a result, future programme evolution at Haleon does not depend on external support.
Value Delivered
The programme delivered across three dimensions: capability, infrastructure and culture.
Capability
Digital fluency and AI skills, applied problem-solving, impactful collaboration and strategic leadership are now core competencies within Haleon’s R&D function. These are strengthened by a structured learning model and actively reinforced by trained internal facilitators and line managers.
Infrastructure
A complete, proficiency-based learning model was designed, developed and fully integrated with Haleon’s new LMS. Weekly reporting gave leadership real-time adoption visibility throughout the programme. Executive sponsors now have the fluency to interpret data and design their own interventions, meaning the technology infrastructure is owned internally, not managed externally.
Culture
The programme has shifted something more fundamental than knowledge. Haleon's R&D function now has a shared language for digital capability and a change network that operates beyond the project lifecycle, building towards an organisation that approaches disruption with confidence. The foundations are in place for Haleon's R&D to take a leading position on digital capability within the wider enterprise.
This is what the integration of technology and talent makes possible: a programme designed not to end, but to embed, leaving Haleon's R&D with the infrastructure and people to lead their own transformation.
“North Highland brought a strong research-led perspective, helping us define what future-ready digital and AI capability truly meant for our R&D organisation, while grounding every decision in our existing governance, language, and ways of working. The train-the-trainer model and change network have empowered our people to lead, not just follow, change.” - Research & Development Capability Lead, Haleon
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