Strengthening Regional Learning Strategy, Leadership Development, and Future-Ready Talent
Tradition has appointed Michael Steadman as Head of Learning & Development EMEA, marking the latest step in a career dedicated to building talent capabilities, developing future leaders, and aligning learning strategies with organizational priorities across complex international environments.
Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Michael brings extensive experience spanning learning and development, talent management, leadership development, organizational capability, performance management, and workforce transformation. His career includes significant leadership and consulting roles with Tradition, Qatar Investment Authority, HSBC, Dell, and BNP Paribas, giving him a broad perspective across financial services, technology, and global corporate environments.
In his new role, Michael is positioned to strengthen Tradition’s learning agenda across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with a focus on developing talent, strengthening leadership pipelines, and creating learning experiences that directly support business performance.
Building Tradition’s EMEA Learning Function
Michael’s journey with Tradition began in 2023, when he joined as Learning and Development Manager for the EMEA region.
During his tenure, he established and scaled the regional learning function across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. His mandate extended beyond traditional training delivery, encompassing performance management, skills assessment, leadership development, graduate programmes, and succession planning.
Among his notable accomplishments was the launch of Tradition EMEA’s first graduate recruitment and development programme, onboarding and developing more than 20 graduates annually. The initiative created a structured early-career talent pipeline while giving emerging professionals greater access to development opportunities.
Michael also redesigned performance management processes by introducing clearer goal-setting and review protocols, helping create greater consistency, accountability, and engagement across regional teams.
His work on organization-wide skills gap assessments enabled Tradition to identify critical capability requirements and deploy targeted development interventions. At the same time, he institutionalized a succession planning framework focused on identifying key positions and preparing future successors.
These initiatives established a strong foundation for a more strategic, business-aligned approach to learning and talent development.
Expanding Leadership Through Qatar Investment Authority
Prior to returning to Tradition in his current regional leadership role, Michael served as part of the Talent Deployment function at Qatar Investment Authority, based in Doha.
This experience broadened his exposure to strategic talent deployment within a sophisticated investment environment and added another dimension to his understanding of how organizations can align people capabilities with evolving business requirements.
His experience across both learning and talent functions reflects a consistent focus on ensuring that organizations have the right capabilities, leadership strength, and talent pipelines to execute their strategic priorities.
Seven Years of Learning Leadership at HSBC
A significant chapter of Michael’s career was his more than seven-year tenure with HSBC, where he held several increasingly strategic positions across learning, talent development, and organizational capability.
As People Capability Consultant, Michael supported more than 10,000 employees across seven global functions at HSBC Canary Wharf. He worked closely with senior function leaders to design and implement learning and talent initiatives aligned with the organization’s People Plan.
He led global skills reviews, supported the integration of HSBC’s enterprise learning platform Degreed, and implemented flagship leadership initiatives including the Aspiring COO and Executive Female Leadership programmes.
Earlier, as a Learning Consultant, Michael played a key role in designing and delivering HSBC’s global learning portfolio. His accomplishments included redesigning the organization’s Global Induction Programme for more than 30,000 new employees annually and helping launch HSBC’s first CEO-endorsed virtual induction programme.
He also contributed to the bank’s Future Skills agenda, identifying priority capabilities and developing initiatives designed to prepare employees for an increasingly digital and rapidly changing workplace.
His work extended into digital transformation through the development of HSBC’s Digital and Data Skills Curriculum, helping employees build future-focused capabilities aligned with innovation, regulatory requirements, and long-term workforce transformation.
Driving Leadership and Talent Development
As Project Manager, Learning & Talent Development at HSBC, Michael managed several high-profile global initiatives.
He directed the bank’s Global Leadership Conference, an important gathering of senior leadership, and helped redesign talent programmes aimed at enabling high-potential employees to transition into senior roles.
His approach combined structured project management with strong stakeholder engagement. He established requirements, milestones, success measures, budgets, and performance indicators while working closely with senior leaders to ensure that learning initiatives remained aligned with business strategy.
This experience strengthened his ability to translate organizational priorities into scalable learning programmes and measurable talent outcomes.
A Foundation in Client and Technology Leadership
Before specializing in learning and development, Michael gained valuable commercial and client-facing experience as an Account Manager at Dell.
Working with international clients across Europe, he developed tailored IT and software solutions, managed strategic relationships, and collaborated with cross-functional teams to deliver business-focused technology solutions.
His early professional experience also includes a Project Office Assistant role at BNP Paribas, where he supported HR transformation initiatives through research, analysis, project coordination, reporting, and process improvement.
These early experiences provided a strong foundation in business operations, stakeholder management, project delivery, and organizational effectiveness–capabilities that would later become integral to his HR and learning leadership career.
Championing Future-Ready Workforce Capability
Michael Steadman’s career reflects the evolution of learning and development from a traditional training function into a strategic business capability.
His experience demonstrates particular strength across:
- Learning & Development Strategy
- Leadership Development
- Talent Management
- Performance Management
- Succession Planning
- Skills Gap Analysis
- Future Skills
- Digital Learning
- Graduate Development
- Organizational Capability
- Change Management
- Talent Deployment
- Executive Development
- Learning Technology
- Strategic Workforce Planning
His work at HSBC, Tradition, and other organizations illustrates a consistent ability to connect employee development with measurable organizational needs.
The Road Ahead at Tradition
As Head of Learning & Development EMEA, Michael Steadman enters his new role at a time when organizations across financial services and global markets are placing greater emphasis on skills transformation, leadership resilience, internal mobility, and continuous learning.
His experience in designing enterprise learning strategies, building early-career pipelines, developing leadership programmes, implementing digital learning platforms, and embedding succession planning gives him a strong platform to further advance Tradition’s EMEA talent agenda.
From developing graduates and future leaders to building enterprise-wide skills strategies, Michael’s leadership will be instrumental in helping employees navigate changing market expectations while strengthening the organization’s long-term capability.
CXO Gateway Leadership Spotlight
CXO Gateway congratulates Michael Steadman on his appointment as Head of Learning & Development EMEA at Tradition.
His career reflects a powerful combination of strategic thinking, talent development expertise, and a genuine commitment to building people capabilities. As he takes on this expanded regional leadership mandate, his experience is well positioned to help shape a culture of continuous learning, stronger leadership, and future-ready talent across EMEA.