TAB Member Stewart Desson credits peer support from TAB in bringing Lumina Learning from start-up to global
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TAB Member Stewart Desson credits peer support from TAB in bringing Lumina Learning from start-up to global FOUNDER AND CEO OF LUMINA LEARNING, STEWART DESSON HAS BUILT a business which effectively integrates the multiple roles he has had in his career. Perhaps unusually for…
TAB Member Stewart Desson credits peer support from TAB in bringing Lumina Learning from start-up to global
FOUNDER AND CEO OF LUMINA LEARNING, STEWART DESSON HAS BUILT a business which effectively integrates the multiple roles he has had in his career. Perhaps unusually for someone with a scientific and analytical background, Stewart’s raison d’être is developing and inspiring people, and creating Lumina Learning enabled Stewart to combine both of his skillsets.
After more than a decade of working all over the world in corporate environments delivering leadership development and coaching, Stewart reached the point in his 40s where he wanted to start a business that helps transform people in order to transform organisations, also bringing in an analytical approach. Lumina Learning innovates psychometrically, “Sometimes the advice from my TAB technologically and practically, helping organisations Board can be challenging to hear but realise that people are different, and to produce high performing teams, they need supporting in it’s rare that I disagree with it when I different ways. A key part of Lumina Learning is that reflect. Having Jo’s energy in facilitating there are no stereotypes and people are ‘dynamic’ the meetings makes it all work and the – changing with the environment in which they function. Stewart’s PhD, undertaken whilst CEO, was accountability she brings makes me do a crucial part of his ability to deliver this message. what I need to do.” This year the business celebrates 10 years, and in Stewart admits that he is “ludicrously time poor” that time it has gone from start-up to global, with but has taken the decision that a CEO needs peer full systems and processes. This is no mean feat in learning. “I book time in my diary for a number of a well-established market with some long-standing important things, including my TAB meetings, and and major competitors. The desire to ‘go global’ they are not allowed to move. Having one day a came quickly for Stewart and within 12 months of month to become a better leader and strengthen launch his international expansion started in Japan, my backbone to make some hard decisions is time on the basis that if they could make it work there, well spent.” they could make it work anywhere. Given they are The future for Lumina Learning is to continue to now in 30 countries, Stewart was right. innovate, differentiate and increase their market Although the team that Stewart has in place now share. looks very different from 10 years ago, they still have The closing comment from Stewart when asked the same customer centric and innovating values. what he is most proud of was, “Having challenged the status quo academically and businesswise, “We practise what we preach, and and having built a global team that is empowered, put significant effort into our team’s passionate and growing.” personal development – treating each of them as individuals and not using cooker-cutter plans.” The challenges of the last 10 years have been varied, too. During growth, like many businesses, cashflow was the main issue. Now it’s more about finding, training and retaining great people.
With the success that Stewart has enjoyed over the last 10 years, you might not think he’d have the need for the extra support and help that TAB offers, but he shared, “As a CEO, it is quite lonely to make tricky decisions in a business, especially those that may not be in everyone’s interest. The idea of peer support, from people not invested in my business, to help me with those decisions was very appealing.”
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Source: The Alternative Board