Talent & Tech Asia Summit 2024
Winning Secrets: How FedEx Express AMEA builds a talent-driven learning ecosystem

Winning Secrets: How FedEx Express AMEA builds a talent-driven learning ecosystem

FedEx Express Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa (AMEA) was recognised as a finalist in 'Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion' while FedEx Express APAC was recognised for its prowess for 'Excellence in Learning and Development' at the HR Excellence Awards 2021, Singapore.

In this interview, Rhona Tasmia Rabbani, Managing Director of APAC Talent & Learning, FedEx Express, tells us about the learning strategy which empowers people through building a continuous learning culture and robust learning ecosystem.  

Q Congratulations on being a finalist! What is your organisation’s winning L&D strategy, and what are some milestones you’ve accomplished along this journey?

FedEx Asia Pacific (APAC)’s talent & learning function’s vision is to enable our company to be a talent-driven organisation with the right people, with the right competencies, at the right time.

Our learning strategy is to empower our people to foster a growth mindset and maximise their potential for personal and business growth, through building a continuous learning culture and robust learning ecosystem.

A few of the key accomplishments supporting this strategy include; the development of a learning portal, a virtual learning academy, employee-driven career development framework, online learning platforms, and leadership & talent development portfolio.

Q How has this strategy helped you achieve your L&D priorities, and what role has the leadership played in helping make this initiative a reality?

We enable our business and business leaders to drive learning within the organisation and support self-development by providing a ‘one-stop’ shop of learning platforms and resources which makes learning easier to access anywhere and anytime (including via mobile devices).

We have introduced structured learning pathways, which address current and future competencies aimed at meeting individual and business needs.

These pathways include gamification, cross-functional sharing and applied learning, all of which support a self-directed learning culture. We leverage technology and automation where possible to enhance user experience and provide guidance and resources to equip employees and leaders with the tools to navigate and pro-actively facilitate career development.

At FedEx, all functional leaders take ownership of employees’ learning and development strategically and play an important role in driving the learning strategy of the organisation.

Q Unexpected roadblocks are part and parcel of executing any initiative. What were some of the barriers that you and your team experienced while rolling this out, and how did you successfully get past them?

With well over 25,000 employees across the Asia Pacific region, it is important for us to ensure new programmes and initiatives are communicated to as many employees as possible and ensure the learning offerings are relevant to meet the needs of the business, our people, and the ever-changing environment.

During implementation, we strengthened relationships across the business through interviews and surveys of leaders and employees, as well as with subject matter experts. Our programmes and policies are regularly evaluated internally amongst FedEx operating companies within the region and beyond, as well as benchmarked externally against global industry standards and best practices.

We hosted learning roadshows across all markets to have a wider reach for awareness-building on learning offerings and resources, and their value in supporting employees’ aspirations and growth. We also leveraged creative design tools and methods to enhance our branding and communications to be more engaging, interactive and easier to access.

Q These initiatives clearly delivered some amazing results. What was your gameplan for measuring ROI? What are some proud achievements you can share with us on this front?

Every learning programme or initiative is designed with this ultimate goal in mind – to meet business needs and drive outcomes. Supporting this as indicators of success and effectiveness are our employees’ voices gathered through engagement surveys, which shed light on their feedback relating to the development opportunities made available to them, as well as their learning experiences and how learnings are applied at the workplace.

Internal mobility is another key indicator that supports our strategy, given FedEx’s strong culture and philosophy for home-grown talent and internal career opportunities.

In driving the strategy for a learning ecosystem and culture, we are seeing a positive trajectory in self-directed learning among employees across levels and increased adoption of programmes and resources by business leaders for functional needs. We hope to extend such impact to other global regions at FedEx through benchmarking and sharing of best practices.


Photo / Provided by FedEx Express AMEA

Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets' section!

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region! 

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region!

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