Magdy Karam

Chief Learning Officer, Canada
Microsoft

Magdy Karam is the Chief Learning Officer (CLO) for Microsoft Canada, overseeing all learning and development programs for the Canadian subsidiary. Passionate about growth and development, Magdy is recognized by his peers for his ability to inspire, motivate and empower employees to realize their full potential.

A versatile and influential leader, Magdy sees his role not only to serve the Microsoft staff, but to enable the Microsoft partner eco-system and the large corporate customers in attracting, upskilling and retaining their IT staff in this highly volatile digital transformation journey.

Magdy’s goal is to build a culture of curiosity and continuous learning, within and without Microsoft, and to encourage employees to propel their own careers forward. He’s currently focused on partnering with key academic institutes to bring IT education to underserved communities within Canada, and he serves on the board of Epilepsy South Central, Ontario.

With a professional background including more than 30 years' experience as an IT professional, prior to his appointment as CLO, Magdy was the Director of Services Delivery, covering a large portfolio in Canada and the US. There, he managed a large team of seasoned project managers, overseeing a diverse portfolio of projects valued at $150M.

Besides learning and development, Magdy’s passions include mentoring, fitness, travel, and his family.

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Magdy.

Download The Latest Agenda

Day One: Sunday, July 21, 2019

Sunday, July 21st, 2019

10:55 AM Developing a Culture of Individual Accountability for Learning

One of the biggest challenges for the Learning Professional is that the learning programs you work on for months on end are often underutilized by employees, and for a variety of reasons. Culturally, there is very little individual accountability for learning. In fact, over half of employees say they would engage with learning platforms at work if their manager asked them to. The challenge for L&D executives is to effect a culture shift in the organization. Transform from a culture where individuals look at learning as "mandatory training" required by their managers, to one where each employee knows that it is imperative that they continue to develop and learn in their everyday job. Some topics discussed will include:

· Establishing a learning culture where individuals are exposed to a variety of learning experiences in their day-to-day activities, metrics and communities

· Impressing upon employees that skill-development is crucial to get ahead in today’s workforce which is full of skill gaps

· Gamifying the learning programs to encourage employee participation and healthy competition