Cognota had an incredible week at the 2026 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Conference and Awards—joining senior executives, industry analysts, and forward-thinking L&D leaders shaping the future of Human Capital Management.
The conversations throughout the conference reflected a clear shift in the market. L&D leaders are no longer being asked simply to deliver training—they are expected to:
Align learning to strategic objectives
Optimize budgets and capacity
Increase operational efficiency
Demonstrate measurable business impact
And increasingly, they’re recognizing that achieving those outcomes requires more than content and delivery platforms.
It requires operational infrastructure.
The Conference Conversation: Why Learning Operations Is the Bottleneck
One of the standout moments of the week was Ryan’s 15-minute session on Learning Operations.
The topic struck a nerve.
Across industries, leaders described the same challenges:
Intake requests piling up faster than capacity
Limited visibility into resource allocation
Disconnected systems creating reporting gaps
Growing executive pressure to prove ROI
What became clear in that session—and in the many conversations that followed—was this: The constraint isn’t creativity. It’s coordination.
When learning operations are fragmented, impact is difficult to see — even when the work is strong.
But when strategy, planning, delivery, and measurement are connected, L&D leaders gain something far more powerful than better reporting:
They gain clarity. Clarity around priorities. Clarity around capacity. Clarity around where learning is truly moving the business forward.
As expectations for L&D continue to rise, the need for operational discipline and visibility will only grow.
LearnOps was created to meet that moment — helping teams connect their daily work to measurable business outcomes.
If you’re rethinking how your learning function operates, we’d love to share what we’re seeing across the industry and how leading teams are building stronger operational foundations.
The future of L&D belongs to teams that operate with clarity.
The LearnOps Maturity Model Struck a Chord
During the Ryan’s session and follow-up conversations, one framework resonated immediately: the LearnOps Maturity Model.
As we walked through the stages — from fragmented and reactive operations to adaptive and optimized learning functions — many leaders quickly identified where their teams currently sit.
Most described operating somewhere between “Defined” and “Managed.”
Processes are documented. Some tooling is in place. Reporting exists. But visibility isn’t real-time. Capacity isn’t fully predictable. Measurement is often retroactive.
What sparked the most discussion wasn’t where teams are today — it was what’s required to move forward.
The shift from managed to optimized operations isn’t about adding more tools. It’s about creating alignment across strategy, intake, planning, delivery, and impact measurement.
That progression — and the operational clarity that comes with it — is what many leaders are now actively pursuing.
Bringing the Community Together
Before the awards ceremony began, Cognota hosted a cocktail reception for conference attendees — a chance for everyone to reconnect after a full day of sessions and meetings.
The tone naturally shifted from structured programming to informal conversation. New introductions were made, earlier discussions continued, and the anticipation of the evening’s celebration started to build.
The reception served as a natural bridge between the day’s conversations and the evening’s recognition, bringing together a growing community of leaders who are redefining how learning functions operate.
The conversations were energizing:
CLOs centralizing global learning teams
Learning Operations leaders building capacity models
Talent leaders seeking stronger ROI narratives
Organizations exploring how AI can enhance operational efficiency
The common theme?
Operational excellence is becoming the foundation for strategic credibility.
A Proud Moment on Stage
The highlight of the evening came during the awards gala, where Cognota and our customers were recognized across multiple categories in both the HCM and Technology tracks.
In partnership with Liberty Mutual and State Farm, the work was honored for advancing how enterprise organizations measure, implement, and operationalize learning:
Gold – Best Learning Technology Implementation
State Farm and Cognota
Operationalizing Learning Measurement Across a New L&D StructureSilver – Best Learning Technology Implementation
Liberty Mutual and Cognota
Turning Strategy into Results: A Scalable FrameworkBronze – Best Learning Measurement
Liberty Mutual and Cognota
Turning Strategy into Results: A Scalable Framework
Cognota was also recognized independently in the Technology awards:
Gold – Best Advance in Emerging Learning Technology
The Only LearnOps Platform for Talent and Learning TeamsGold – Best Advance in Unique Learning Technology
Driving LearnOps Maturity for Enterprise Organizations
The recognition speaks to the operational progress being made within enterprise learning teams — especially in areas like measurement, governance, and scalability.
For our team, it was rewarding to see customer initiatives acknowledged at this level. The impact belongs to the organizations doing the work.
What This Means for L&D Leaders
For today’s CLO and Learning Operations leaders, the mandate is clear: Run learning like a business.
That means:
Operational visibility
Financial discipline
Strategic alignment
Clear impact measurement
Without modern infrastructure, those expectations are nearly impossible to meet.
With the right operational foundation, L&D transforms from a service provider into a strategic growth driver.
These awards reinforce what hundreds of enterprise teams already know:
Operational excellence drives business impact.
A Growing Shift in Learning
The momentum we felt throughout the conference signals a broader evolution in the industry.
As expectations for L&D continue to expand, operational capability is becoming just as important as program design. Teams that invest in clear processes, capacity planning, and impact measurement are positioning themselves to lead.
We’re encouraged to see this shift gaining recognition — and proud to contribute to the ongoing development of Learning Operations as a discipline.
Ready to Reinvent Your Learning Operations?
Whether you’re aiming to boost visibility, optimize your L&D budget, or align learning initiatives with business strategy—Cognota is here to help.
📅 Book your complimentary LearnOps® Consultation to assess your team’s operational maturity and uncover opportunities to scale impact this year.
Let’s make 2026 the year your learning function runs like a business—and proves it.
👉 Book your customized LearnOps® consultation
