The Data and Digital Uplift Saga: Empowering Over 7000 People with the Skills to Work in the Age of AI

Step behind the scenes of Westpac’s award-winning Data & Digital Capability Uplift, brought to life by the three people who made it happen: a visionary leader, a creative designer, and a pragmatic program manager. This isn’t your typical case study. It’s a fast-paced story of bold choices, creative workarounds, and unexpected cultural shifts. You’ll walk away with real-world strategies for delivering at scale, engaging learners without relying on completion metrics, and using “loud learning” - think digital badges, social buzz, and personal stories - to build momentum that sticks.

• Three voices, one transformation - insights from the visionary lead, pragmatic program manager, and creative learning designer.
• Epic scale, rapid pace - 7000+ employees, 400+ learning assets, delivered in just weeks.
• Learning without mandates - created pull through storytelling, social proof, and personal relevance.
• Made to fit, designed for choice - multi-modal, accessible pathways tailored to real working lives.
• Success without standard KPIs - measured uplift through pre/post goals and visible application.
• Loud learning, lasting impact - badges, alumni buzz, and foyer activations sparked cultural change.

3 Key Learnings

1. Leadership Perspective: How to influence stakeholders, overcome resistance, and drive a cultural shift toward proactive learning.
2. Design Perspective: Practical strategies for crafting engaging, scalable learning experiences using cutting-edge tools and methodologies.
3. Management Perspective: Insights into navigating logistical complexities and delivering results under pressure while fostering long-term organisational 

About Catriona

Cat Malcolm helps people build the skills they need to perform today and be ready for tomorrow. With more than 20 years in roles spanning design, strategy and enterprise learning, she’s seen just about every way learning can succeed — and fail — at scale. She is the Enterprise Design Practice Lead at Westpac, where her focus is making learning simpler, smarter, and evidence-informed. Her work has reshaped mandatory learning, lifted digital capability for 7,000 employees, and reimagined Westpac Orientation — picking up Brandon Hall, LearnX awards along the way.
 
Cat mixes behavioural science, service design and a healthy dose of pragmatism to solve performance problems that matter. She’s a regular at HR L&D Tech Fest, a contributor to the AITD Capability Framework, and a firm believer that governance is your friend, not your paperwork. When she’s not tackling complex performance problems, you’ll find her in an orange SES uniform as Deputy Group Leader Training, turning complex rescue scenarios into real-world learning experiences.