GBG and QA: Driving innovation through strategic workforce upskilling
Meet our client: GBG
GBG is the leading expert in global identity and location. In an increasingly digital world, GBG helps businesses grow by giving them intelligence to make the best decisions about their customers, when it matters most. Founded in 1989, GBG’s global data, agile technology and expert teams, power over 20,000 of the world’s best-known organisations to reach and trust their customers.
As an industry leader, GBG continuously invests in developing its workforce to meet the ever-evolving demands of the digital landscape.
Challenge
In the face of rapid technological evolution, GBG recognises the importance of continuously upskilling its technology teams to maintain a competitive edge, as well as providing structured opportunities for personal and career development and identify key talent across its global business.
Prior to collaborating with QA, training was conducted in regional hubs, which presented challenges in achieving global alignment and was impacting team engagement.
GBG needed a solution that could scale across regions and ensure consistent development in key areas like cybersecurity, AI, and regulatory compliance, especially with the impact of regulations like ISO 27001 and the EU AI Act on the horizon.
Additionally, their leadership identified an opportunity for broader development, including leadership skills, to foster innovation and improve retention.
The challenge was clear: GBG needed a streamlined, flexible, and scalable solution to support both technical proficiency and leadership development, turning these obstacles into opportunities for growth and innovation.
Solution
QA Skills License
That comprehensive solution came in the form of a QA Skills License, offering flexible, discounted access to a wide variety of training resources, along with strategic consultation.
The programme covered the company’s diverse requirements with training available for highly technical skills in AI, Kubernetes, and cyber security as well as leadership and management development.
GBG implemented a structured and consistent approach for its team members by aligning all learning and training activities with personal development plans (PDPs) and the company's broader objectives.
Critically, this partnership enabled GBG to consolidate its learning initiatives globally on one platform and align training with its long-term business strategy.
Don’t just take our word for it. Director of Talent Development at GBG, Sam Jamieson, highlights that “Investing wisely in our teams’ growth is a key priority for us at GBG, because we know that we grow when our team grows.
“With the QA Skills License we empower our team members across the globe to access the training they need to meet our ambitious business goals in a rapidly evolving industry.”
Strategic consultancy
Strategic consultancy played a critical role in the partnership. To identify future skills requirements and inform GBG’s training roadmap, QA conducted in-depth interviews with the company’s Chief Technology Officers.
In Sam’s words, “Collaborating with QA has allowed us to take a much more intentional approach to training. We now have a clear strategy that aligns skills development with our long-term business objectives.”
QA’s expert consultants also played a key role in GBG’s first AI hackathon. By developing and running enablement workshops throughout the hackathon, QA ensured GBG’s teams were not only passive learners but active contributors to technological innovation. As a result, six new AI prototypes are now being developed internally by GBG.
Result
The partnership between GBG and QA has delivered measurable improvements. According to Sam, “Working with QA has been more than training; it’s been about co-creating solutions that drive innovation and meet our strategic goals. We’ve seen a direct correlation between learning engagement and performance outcomes, reinforcing the value of our investment.”
The results speak for themselves – GBG reported a significant rise in employee engagement scores. This translated into higher performance outcomes, with those undergoing QA training being 17% more likely to achieve the highest performance ratings.
So, what does this mean to leaders at GBG? Heather Coulson, Talent Development Partner at GBG explained, “These employee engagement metrics demonstrate that when our teams feel supported in their development, they perform at their best.
Our exceptional tech talent has also been recognised within the wider industry. Two of our team members, Patricia McCulla, Head of Security Risk & Governance and Caroline Saunders, Governance and Compliance Manager, who both completed a Masters in Cybersecurity with QA, have been selected as finalists for the Women in Tech Excellence Awards’ Security Professional of the Year category.”
GBG also experienced increased retention rates, with over 95% of staff remaining with the company in Q1 2024, partly attributed to the enriched learning culture fostered by its partnership with QA.
GBG continues to evolve its workforce capabilities, positioning the company as a forward-thinking leader in the tech space. Its strategic alignment between skills development and business goals not only equips GBG to navigate future regulatory challenges but also strengthens internal innovation, ensuring they remain at the forefront of technological advancements.
As far as what’s next, Heather told us “QA’s insights into emerging technologies and regulatory changes ensures our workforce is not only skilled but future-ready,” and we look forward to our continued collaboration.
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