About – Matthew J Daniel

Talent Strategy | L&D Industry Analysis | EdTech Advisory

For nearly 20 years, Matthew Daniel has consulted on talent development, talent management, and HR technology strategies for Fortune 500s, including companies like Nike, Boston Consulting Group, Chipotle, Allstate, Cigna Healthcare, Microsoft, Walmart, and General Motors. He researches and consults on the intersection of skills, pathways, mobility, and equity in the workforce.

Matthew speaks at industry events with Chief HR Officers, Chief Learning Officers, and Chief Diversity Officers, both inspiring and challenging his field. Matthew is regularly published in industry outlets like TD Magazine, CLO, Talent Management, CTDO, and Training Magazine.

Matthew serves as a member of the Talent Management, Culture, and Diversity Subcommittee of the Defense Business Board, where he advises the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense on the latest in Talent Practices. He also serves on the Advisory Board for Class.

2020 - Present

Clients include:

Talent Strategy, Solution Exploration, and GTM Strategy

Shape our approach to talent development and how we solve business challenges for our clients. I work with economists, skill data, leading HR analysts, employers, our product team, and our education marketplace to identify how corporate strategies are changing and how structuring learning offerings can help companies get in front of those needs.

Here are examples of the work I’ve done:

Lead teams and consult on how talent strategy can solve business problems for our clients
Contribute to and define Guild’s go to market strategy on upskilling/reskilling, DEIB, and internal mobility
Lead teams of researchers to tackle hard talent development and HR issues and generate meaningful insights
Lead the formation of a Center of Excellence on Internal Mobility
Generate thought leadership through speaking at conferences, on podcasts, and writing for industry publications focused on the topics of talent development, DEI, internal talent mobility, and education benefits
Structure teams and put processes in place to scale and sustain long-term impact
Participate on Guild’s DEI Council, representing the needs of our Employer Partners and helping find ways to integrate a more equitable lens of everything we do

2018 - 2020

Customers Included:

L&D Strategy, Ecosystem Strategy, and LX Strategy

During the rapid growth of L&TD’s importance in most workplaces, I assisted companies with their learning strategies, L&D org design and practices, evaluated their existing learning ecosystems, and facilitated learner experience research. I also served as an advisor to product teams across emerging L&D companies.

Projects included:

Advising CLOs and Learning Leaders on organizational structure, annual strategy planning, and business integration approach
Running RFIs/RFPs and selection processes for learning platforms
Landscape analysis of learning technology stack and advising on future state ecosystem designs
Conducting learner persona research projects
Implementing new governance structures and processes on learning systems
Running system pilots and implementing new learning systems in Fortune 100 environments

As a business owner, I also had responsibility for the following activities:

Go-to-Market and channel partnerships strategy
Lead generation through social media, earned media placements, and events
P/L management of business and contractors

2012 - 2018

Learning Design, Innovation, & Technology

To be a great consultant, I needed to “live” the work on a Fortune 100 L&D team and understand what it takes to get large cross-functional teams to consensus on direction, share innovative practices, and transform together. Here I:

Reported to Capital One CLO and operated as “Chief of Staff,” driving our learning strategy
Built a team of ~20 folks who were building innovative learning programs to guide Capital One’s digital transformation
Built an organizational learning technology roadmap of more than a dozen platforms across six decentralized learning teams
Implemented concepts like agile, user research, and experience design into the learning function
Advised on learning content strategy and led curation practices
Led through the centralization, decentralization, and COE-model for HR
Drove high-caliber learning opperations to ensure a unified learner experience

2012 - 2018

Clients Included:

Learning Program Design & Technology Implementations

GP Strategies was my “rotation program” into the world of L&D. Starting in the public sector (DoD & DHS) in learning operations, moving to the private sector (Microsoft, Cigna, etc.) for learning program design and learning strategy, and finally leading learning technology (LMS, learning portal, CMS, mobile learning) implementations across innovative clients (Nike, BMS, Cigna, etc.).

Responsible for GP’s knowledge management solutions in the emerging technology field, strategizing and implementing new and upcoming technologies as part of GP’s Global Learning Solutions group.

Work with customers such as CIGNA Healthcare, Nike, Bristol Myer Squibb (BMS), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and Allstate Insurance to strategize, implement, and evaluate Learning Management Systems (LMSs), Learning Content Management Systems (LCMSs), learning portals, and social learning technologies.

Assist learning groups position themselves within their organizations as the center of learning activity, helping with cost-cutting initiatives while meeting the needs of learners and effectively boost that organization’s bottom line through effective learning solution implementation.

Solutions include:
– LCMSs (Xyleme, Outstart’s Evolution)
– LMSs (Sumtotal, Oracle’s iLearn, Moodle)
– Learning Portals (SharePoint, Drupal)
– Social Learning/Collaboration (Twitter, Yammer, Triple Creek, Jive, SharePoint, Jambok, Chatter)
– mLearning (Xyleme, RIM’s Chalk)