Marie Ranson
Durham,UK
Summary
Expert in learning and talent strategy, curriculum design, and leadership development with a strong record in researcher development and training. Demonstrated ability in instructional design and AI integration within educational settings. Proficient in stakeholder engagement, program evaluation, and cross-functional coordination to achieve organisational goals. Focused on advancing people development through innovative program management and effective client relationship management.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
3
3
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work history
Head of Programmes & Training
Skillfluence
Durham, UK
02.2025 - 11.2025
- Senior leadership team role, accountable for strategy, design and continuous improvement of a national portfolio of 30+ learning programmes in leadership, innovation, researcher development and commercialisation.
- Own overall programme architecture from scoping to evaluation, ensuring coherence, quality and measurable impact across the portfolio.
- Shape learning strategy and progression pathways so that new and existing programmes fit within a consistent development framework.
- Modernise training library, embedding clear design standards, templates and processes that support scale, quality and adoption.
- Work closely with sales, product and delivery teams to align offers with market demand, streamline handovers and improve client experience.
- Introduce evaluation systems and feedback loops to inform decision-making, demonstrate impact and support commercial alignment.
- Recruit, brief and support a national pool of associate trainers, ensuring clarity of expectations and consistent delivery standards.
- Manage junior staff members, fostering a culture of professional development.
Principal Consultant – Leadership, Learning & Innovation (Freelance)
Ranson Group
, UK & Australia
06.2017 - 11.2025
- Led leadership and team-development programmes that strengthened capability, confidence and culture across corporate, higher-education and third-sector organisations.
- Designed and delivered blended learning and in-person experiences focused on innovation, collaboration, communication and performance.
- Facilitated strategic workshops for senior teams to clarify direction, align behaviours and embed evidence-based development practice.
- Coached emerging and established leaders to build presence, influence and authentic leadership styles.
- Advised organisations on learning design and programme strategy, creating scalable development offers and internal facilitator toolkits.
Researcher Development, Knowledge Exchange & Impact Delivery
Skillfluence
Glasgow, UK
12.2023 - 02.2025
- Designed and facilitated programmes that enabled researchers to translate ideas into real-world impact through collaboration, commercialisation and innovation.
- Delivered workshops on research commercialisation, interdisciplinary collaboration, stakeholder engagement and opportunity validation.
- Supported researchers to define fundable projects and communicate value to partners, investors and non-academic stakeholders.
- Contributed to the development of internal instructional-design standards and frameworks across Skillfluence’s programme suite.
Lecturer – Workplace Performance & Career Development (Part-time)
Teesside University
Middlesbrough, UK
01.2022 - 01.2025
- Taught and designed modules equipping students with leadership, wellbeing and employability skills for modern workplaces.
- Developed industry-aligned curriculum integrating leadership, wellbeing and career readiness.
- Embedded reflective practice and applied learning to strengthen real-world relevance.
- Collaborated with academic teams to weave employability and resilience into core teaching.
Leadership Coach for Start-up Founders (Freelance)
Remote
01.2023 - 12.2023
- Coached founders and early-stage leadership teams on mindset, strategic focus, communication and self-leadership.
- Applied behavioural frameworks to build confidence, cohesion and resilience in high-growth environments.
Co-founder & Director, Learning Innovation & Workplace Wellbeing
Key Wellbeing
02.2020 - 06.2023
- Co-founded a learning and wellbeing consultancy delivering programmes across public sector, higher education and corporate clients.
- Designed and delivered award-winning wellbeing and leadership programmes recognised for innovation and impact.
- Developed scalable toolkits and digital learning resources to support behavioural change, resilience and culture change.
- Built strategic partnerships with universities, third sector organisations and employers to embed wellbeing and leadership into workforce strategies.
- Oversaw business strategy, client relationships, facilitation and content development nationwide.
Field Sales Enablement, L&D Lead, JAPA
American Express
Melbourne
09.2016 - 06.2017
- Designed and delivered learning programmes that improved sales performance and onboarding across Asia-Pacific.
- Developed blended learning solutions balancing global standards with regional relevance.
- Led design and rollout of the national sales onboarding programme for Australia, improving time-to-competence and retention.
Business Development, Middle Market Acquisition – Global Corporate Payments
American Express
Melbourne
04.2014 - 09.2016
- Managed a c. $20M per year portfolio of mid-sized business clients, providing commercial payment solutions.
- Built trusted C-suite relationships and delivered tailored recommendations to improve cash flow and reduce operating costs.
Earlier career in sales leadership and business development
News Corp Australia; Enormo (start-up); Schering-Plough Yakult Europe
01.2005 - 01.2014
- Progressive roles including Field Sales Area Manager, Business Development Manager, Team Lead, Senior Medical Sales Representative and Field Sales Executive. Consistently exceeded sales targets, led teams, delivered educational sessions and built strong stakeholder relationships. Developed early onboarding, training and performance review processes that informed later L&D career.
Education
BA (Hons) - Business Management
Teesside University
United Kingdom 09.2000 - 06.2003
Skills
- Learning and talent strategy
- Curriculum design and pathways
- Leadership and management development
- Researcher development and training
- Instructional design and facilitation
- AI in learning and development
- Stakeholder engagement and partnerships
- Programme evaluation and improvement
- Cross-Functional coordination
- Programme management
- People development
- Client Relationship Management
Websites
Certification
- Leadership & Management – The Leadership Trust, 2025
- AI & Instructional Design – LearnWorlds, 2025
- Generative AI in Education – University of Glasgow, 2025
- AI for Learning & Development – 360Learning, 2025
- Award in Business Innovation, Sustainability and Growth – IOEE, 2019
- NCFE Certificate in Developing Enterprise Skills, 2019
- NLP Practitioner and Authentic Leadership – NLP Global Standards Association, 2015
- Master Practitioner of Coaching – International Coaching Institute, 2014
Volunteering
- Middlesbrough’s Helping Hands, Community Volunteer, 2022, 2023, Supporting local people experiencing homelessness and hardship through food and clothing distribution.
- Australian Business and Community Network, Mentor – GOALS Programme, 2016, 2017, One-to-one mentoring for secondary school students to widen life choices and support progression into further study and work.
Selected client feedback
- “Action-oriented, practical and energising workshops that led researchers to concrete, next-step plans for engaging with partners beyond academia.” – University Impact Manager, UK university
- “Beautifully designed programmes that deliver target outputs and leave participants feeling heard, energised and ready to take action.” – Professor of Synthetic and Molecular Biology, UK Russell Group university
- (Additional testimonials available on request.)
Timeline
Head of Programmes & Training
Skillfluence
02.2025 - 11.2025
Researcher Development, Knowledge Exchange & Impact Delivery
Skillfluence
12.2023 - 02.2025
Leadership Coach for Start-up Founders (Freelance)
Remote
01.2023 - 12.2023
Lecturer – Workplace Performance & Career Development (Part-time)
Teesside University
01.2022 - 01.2025
Co-founder & Director, Learning Innovation & Workplace Wellbeing
Key Wellbeing
02.2020 - 06.2023
Principal Consultant – Leadership, Learning & Innovation (Freelance)
Ranson Group
06.2017 - 11.2025
Field Sales Enablement, L&D Lead, JAPA
American Express
09.2016 - 06.2017
Business Development, Middle Market Acquisition – Global Corporate Payments
American Express
04.2014 - 09.2016
Earlier career in sales leadership and business development
News Corp Australia; Enormo (start-up); Schering-Plough Yakult Europe
01.2005 - 01.2014
BA (Hons) - Business Management
Teesside University
09.2000 - 06.2003