Anna Jakimova

Strategic thinker with proven operational excellence, delivering high-value, high-impact initiatives across organisations ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 global businesses. Rare and unique commercial background with P&L level leadership while shaping learning and workforce strategies that partner directly with the business to deliver measurable impact. Strong focus on future skills and emerging technology with proven ability to influence with and without formal authority — engaging effectively from the boardroom to employees across diverse global organisations.

Future Skills & Learning Technology at British Council (2018-01 – Present)

Global cultural relations organisation operating in more than 100 countries. Reporting to: Director of Organisational Design & Development

• Authored the British Council's Future Skills Framework, initiating the strategy, building the case for change and securing Board sign-off to introduce it across the organisation. It became the organisation's largest people initiative and now underpins the organisation's shift towards a skills-based operating model.
• Introduced a distributed learning strategy, to improve the visibility, positioning and adoption of learning across a global, dispersed workforce.
• Built the business case for, and led the introduction LXP, and introduced LinkedIn Learning alongside the core LMS, driving a shift to digital, personalised learning within a traditionally change-resistant organisation.
• Partner with Executive Leadership, HR Business Partners and Country Directors to identify organisational capability priorities and connect business strategy to People function delivery in a holistic way.
• Built the apprenticeship programme from a zero base, designing the levy budgeting model, governance process and policy from scratch; grew it into a fully governed £1.6 million portfolio with clear KPIs, strengthening quality assurance and programme effectiveness.
• Aligned apprenticeship strategy, budgeting and KPIs directly to the organisation's wider workforce strategy, ensuring the portfolio delivered against real capability needs rather than compliance alone.
• Led data-driven decision making, digital transformation and AI/GenAI adoption as major cross-functional initiatives, working across HR, Digital, Operations and business leadership to embed evidence-based, technology-enabled ways of working and improve accessibility, learner experience and organisational capability.
• Introduced governance and evaluation approaches that improved programme consistency, accountability and organisational impact.
• Recognised as an innovative, forward-thinking leader — consistently the first to identify where new technology and future ways of working could add genuine business value, and skilled at motivating and energising people through the uncertainty of change rather than simply directing it.

Founder & Director at Infinite Learning International (2016-01 – 2018-12)

Established an organisational development consultancy supporting clients through leadership development, capability building and organisational transformation.

• Designed a digital learning platform to support scalable programme delivery.

Global Head of Communications Training at Thomson Reuters (2013-01 – 2016-12)

Global Media, FTSE 100. Reporting to: Program Director

• Led global communication and leadership capability programmes supporting senior leaders across international business functions.
• Designed enterprise leadership programmes aligned with strategic business priorities and partnered with executive leaders and HR to strengthen organisational capability.
• Delivered learning programmes across multiple international regions, embedding coaching, communication and collaborative leadership practices.

Director, Global Learning — Commercial Director & P&L Owner at Euromoney Training (1998-01 – 2013-12)

FTSE 250. Reporting to: Board member & Board for strategy & budgets. Held full commercial, strategic and operational accountability for the international executive education business.

• Increased annual revenue from under £800,000 to approximately £15 million and held full P&L responsibility for a multi-million-pound international business.
• Expanded operations across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and developed and launched more than 70 executive education programmes.
• Built and managed an international faculty of over 250 recognised industry experts and established strategic partnerships with leading global financial institutions.
• Developed governance frameworks, quality standards and operational processes supporting international growth, and led multidisciplinary teams across business development, operations, programme management and client services.

MBA – Henley Business School (2011-01 – 2014-12)