In this episode of Leadership Bites, I sit down with Gary Clarke, Group Head of Learning and Development at Qatar Airways, based in Doha.
Gary leads group wide learning across a 65,000 person organisation, with a team of around 80, covering everything from operational training that keeps aircraft flying, to leadership and capability, learning tech, digital content, and vendor partnerships. Along the way, we get into what it really takes to run an internal learning function like a business, build credibility fast, and become the supplier of choice inside a complex, high pace, multi subsidiary organisation.
We talk about leading in a multicultural reality, the tension between standards and psychological safety, why bland harmony is a risk, and how to create a community of practice that pulls people together without forcing compliance. We also touch on AI and learning, not as a shiny distraction, but as a tool, while the real edge remains human connection, trust, and leadership craft.
If you care about culture in the real world, not the poster on the wall, this one will land.
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Chapters
00:00 Intro and welcome
00:29 Gary Clarke and Qatar Airways context
02:51 Scale, growth, and operational pace
05:03 What learning covers in an airline
08:57 Supplier of choice mindset for internal L and D
10:43 Quality, credibility, and Brandon Hall Awards
12:14 Centralised vs federated learning models
14:19 Building community through internal conferences
21:17 Multicultural leadership, standards, and integration
33:04 Clear standards, clear intention
34:03 Human centred leadership and psychological safety
49:13 AI, generational gaps, and learning strategy
57:12 The next few years and what matters most
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