Degreed’s Conor Gilligan discusses skills to enable AI-driven transformation with Joseph Leslie, Vice-President of AI at Golin. From upskilling 100,000 employees to embedding AI in global strategy, Joseph reveals how blending tech with business challenges can fuel creativity, close skill gaps and turn bold ideas into meaningful transformation at scale

Training Journal: Tell us more about your background – you were based in the UK for some time and now in the US, right? 

Joseph Leslie: Indeed! I started in L&D at Manchester City Council around 20 years ago, then took an adventure to South Korea to help run a language academy, where I met my wife and we got our dog – now a teenager! I eventually landed in the US in 2014, working at a financial institution (Belvedere Trading) where I was a one-man L&D department, and then Publicis Groupe as VP of L&D, before joining Golin in Chicago as their Global AI L&D Lead. Now I’m helping Golin become the world’s first fully AI-integrated agency, which lets me blend my global experiences with cutting-edge tech in L&D.

“For Golin it is all about connecting AI learning to real business problems first, not just throwing tech at people”

TJ: What impact do you see AI implementation having on L&D and broader in organisations?

Joseph: Oooof, it’s hard to know where to start… One area of interest to me is creating truly personalised learning – like having a Socratic tutor who knows exactly what you need, when you need it. AI, if implemented holistically across the company, can identify skill gaps instantly and suggest custom training that works for both the employee and the business – this is what we are building towards currently. 

More broadly, AI is doing way more than just making things efficient. At Golin, we’re weaving AI into everything from creating content to planning strategy, which boosts creativity and delivers better results for clients. It’s a whole new mindset that’s helping people thrive in what is a rapidly changing landscape. 

TJ: Can you give me some concrete examples of how this is playing out at Golin? 

Joseph: At Golin, we’re implementing AI across the entire employee lifecycle. For instance, our creative teams now use AI for initial campaign brainstorming, which actually enhances rather than replaces human creativity. Our strategists leverage AI-powered data analytics for campaign planning, and we’ve built integrated platforms that allow our global teams to collaborate more effectively. What’s exciting is that we’re seeing measurably better client outcomes while simultaneously upskilling our people. In L&D terms, we can relate this to Kirkpatrick’s Model and say we are going beyond learning and focusing on outcomes, behaviour change and client results.

TJ: What makes Golin’s approach to becoming an ‘AI-integrated agency’ unique in the industry? 

Joseph: What sets Golin apart with our AI transformation is that we’re not just adopting AI tools but are fundamentally reimagining how an agency operates. We’re building AI integration into our core processes from the ground up, from how we approach client challenges to how we develop our people. Our focus is on amplifying human creativity and strategic thinking. We’re creating a model that other agencies will likely follow, positioning Golin as the pioneer in truly AI-native agency operations. 

TJ: How does upskilling and reskilling play into the AI strategy? And what specifically are the levers you needed to pull to realise the value?

Joseph: The magic happens when people and tech come together. For Golin it is all about connecting AI learning to real business problems first, not just throwing tech at people. We have created personalised paths named ‘AI skills for job’ for different roles and given everyone chances to try AI in real projects – like using it for campaign ideas or planning. We are mapping these against skills needed for the future (not just today) in these domains, to meet the demands of evolving technology and workforce trends. 

Joseph Leslie is Vice-President of AI at Golin