WATERLOO, ON--(Marketwired - July 18, 2017) - Digital learning technology is transforming how organizations grow, and learning leaders must keep up with this rapid change. That's the theme of D2L's inaugural Chief Learning Officer (CLO) Think Tank event, which will take place on July 20th at its annual Fusion conference in Las Vegas. The presentations and workshop will be led by top learning executives from Home Depot, Harvard Business Publishing, and Dickey's Barbecue Pit, among others, and respected industry analyst, Claude Werder from Brandon Hall Group. Each will address challenges companies face as technology changes the nature of learning and development in the workplace.

"Learning engagement is now essential in today's workplace and CLOs are leveraging video, gaming, social, and self-publishing, among other tools, to deliver new and more effective learning experiences," said John Baker, CEO of D2L. "Our first annual CLO Think Tank event will bring together learning executives from various industries to discuss digital transformation in enterprise learning by facilitating conversation and thoughtful analysis."

Along with listening to insightful presentations, attendees will work closely with peers in collaborative workshops to discuss how technology is transforming enterprise learning and development.

"CLOs are operating in an environment where learning is recognized as a critical corporate priority. CLOs who adopt digital learning technologies and use them to link learning to performance outcomes have an opportunity to make significant contributions to their organizations' business success," said Claude Werder, VP/Research Operations and Principal HCM Analyst, Brandon Hall Group. "This forum will provide learning leaders with leading practices and strategies about everything from micro-learning to mitigating business risk, which are profoundly important in the 21^st century workplace."

The agenda is as follows:

• 9:30am - Opening Remarks
  - Speaker: Erin Mills, Head of Enterprise Marketing, D2L

• 9:45am - Session #1: Panel Discussion - Digital Transformation and The New Strategic Learning Imperative
  - Moderator: Brandon Carson, Director of Learning, Home Depot
  - Panelists: Claude Werder, VP/Research Operations and Principal HCM Analyst, Brandon Hall Group, Keith Meyerson, Sr. Director of Training & Development, Topgolf, and Shawn Storer, Chief of People and Culture, Dickey's Barbecue Pit

• 11:00am - Session #2: Facilitated Workshop - The Journey of Transformation for L&D, Redefining the CLO
  - Facilitator: Jeanne Meister, Future Workplace

• 1:00pm - Session #3: D2L Solution Spotlight in Grand Ballroom

• 2:20pm - Session #4: Learning – The Foundation of Transformation
  - Speaker: Josh Brand, Sr. Director of Global Delivery, Harvard Business Publishing

• 4:10pm - Session #5: Creating a Learning Strategy for 2020 and Beyond
  - Speaker: Claude Werder, HCM Principal Analyst, Brandon Hall Group