Executive Highlight
Ryan Austin
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CEO, Cognota
- Industry: Information Technology
Business Founded: 2019
Phone: (800) 341-2823
Email: [email protected]
Address:
199 BAY ST
Toronto, ON, ON M5L 1A9
How long have you been in your industry?20 years
Why did you choose your industry?I chose my industry because I’m passionate about creating solutions that address real business challenges while driving meaningful change. Learning and development, in particular, has the power to transform individuals and organizations. By focusing on operational excellence and data-driven strategies, I saw an opportunity to redefine how L&D functions, making it a strategic enabler rather than a cost center. This industry allows me to combine innovation, impact, and my belief in lifelong learning to help businesses achieve their goals while empowering their people.
Who are your typical clients?Our typical clients are large enterprises with over 5,000 employees, spanning industries such as finance, insurance, technology, and healthcare. These organizations often have complex learning and development needs and are looking to optimize their operations, align training programs with business goals, and demonstrate ROI on their L&D investments.We work closely with learning and talent development leaders, as well as senior procurement and finance stakeholders, who are seeking scalable solutions to streamline workflows, improve efficiency, and drive measurable impact. Our clients value data-driven insights and strategic alignment, and they rely on our LearnOps platform to transform their L&D functions into catalysts for business growth.
What do you like best about being in this industry?What I like best about being in this industry is the ability to make a tangible, positive impact on both individuals and organizations. Learning and development is at the heart of growth—helping employees thrive, closing skill gaps, and driving organizational success. I enjoy the challenge of solving complex problems, especially around improving operational efficiency and aligning learning strategies with business goals.It’s also incredibly rewarding to collaborate with forward-thinking leaders and witness how our solutions empower them to achieve measurable results. The pace of innovation in this industry, particularly with advancements in AI and data analytics, keeps things exciting and provides endless opportunities to redefine what's possible.
What are common problems you see?Common problems in the learning and development (L&D) industry include:Siloed Operations: Many organizations struggle with fragmented systems and workflows, making it difficult to collaborate effectively and maintain a single source of truth for L&D activities.Lack of Strategic Alignment: Learning programs are often not directly aligned with business goals, leading to questions about their value and impact on organizational performance.Inefficient Processes: Manual, ad hoc processes—such as managing resources, schedules, and budgets—consume time and are prone to errors, slowing down time to market for training programs.Difficulty Measuring ROI: Demonstrating the return on learning investments remains a significant challenge, as many organizations lack the tools or frameworks to assess program effectiveness and business impact.Overwhelming Vendor Ecosystems: Managing multiple vendors without centralized systems leads to redundant spending and inefficiencies, making it hard to maintain quality and consistency in training solutions.Limited Use of Data: Many L&D teams struggle to leverage data for decision-making, whether it's for evaluating the impact of programs, forecasting resource needs, or identifying skills gaps.Perception as a Cost Center: Without clear metrics to show value, L&D is often seen as an expense rather than a strategic business enabler.These challenges highlight the need for operational transformation, better alignment with business priorities, and tools that provide actionable insights, which is exactly where LearnOps platforms like Cognota come in to solve these pain point
What advice/tips do you have for clients?Here are some key pieces of advice for clients in the learning and development (L&D) space:Align Learning with Business Goals: Start by ensuring your learning programs are directly tied to strategic business objectives. Clearly define what success looks like and prioritize initiatives that deliver measurable outcomes.Adopt an Operational Mindset: Treat learning operations like a business function. Invest in tools and processes that streamline workflows, improve collaboration, and provide visibility across your L&D ecosystem.Leverage Data-Driven Insights: Use data to make informed decisions. From identifying skill gaps to evaluating program effectiveness, actionable insights can help you optimize your investments and drive greater impact.Streamline Vendor Management: Centralize how you manage learning vendors. This reduces redundancy, improves cost efficiency, and ensures consistency in quality across training solutions.Focus on ROI and Impact: Demonstrate the value of L&D by tracking and communicating ROI. Use metrics that resonate with executive stakeholders, such as productivity gains, employee retention, and business performance improvements.Standardize Processes: Build standardized templates, workflows, and governance frameworks to improve consistency, scalability, and speed to market for training programs.Embrace Technology: Invest in platforms that consolidate learning operations, eliminate inefficiencies, and provide tools for automation, planning, and measurement.Collaborate with Stakeholders: Engage finance, procurement, and other departments early in your planning process to build alignment, avoid silos, and ensure learning initiatives meet organizational needs.Plan for Agility: The business environment is constantly changing. Design L&D operations that can pivot quickly to meet new challenges and seize opportunities.Never Stop Learning: Stay informed about industry trends and best practices. Join communities, attend workshops, and leverage resources to keep your team at the forefront of L&D innovation.By focusing on these areas, clients can build high-performing L&D functions that not only meet immediate needs but also support long-term organizational growth.
When is your busy season?Q4
What keeps you up at night?Leadership and ongoing fires
How do you market yourself to grow/expand your business?To grow and expand our business, we focus on a multi-faceted marketing approach that emphasizes thought leadership, value-driven messaging, and strategic outreach. Here's how we market ourselves:1. Positioning as a Category Leader2. Thought Leadership and Content Marketing3. Targeted Account-Based Marketing (ABM)4. Leveraging Partnerships5. Community Building6. Digital Marketing7. Direct Events and Networking8. Customer-Centric Success
How involved are you in the community?Ambassador
What is your favorite not for profit or charity?Olive Branch for Children
What advice would you give to someone thinking of getting into this business?N/A
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?Spend time with Family
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