How pladis navigates organizational change with upskilling

Building Resilient Talent at pladis

Company name:

Pladis

Industry:

Manufacturing

Company size:

10,000+ employees

Table of Content

About pladis

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Pladis, known as McVities in the UK and Verkade in the Netherlands, has been delighting customers with its home treats and confectionery since 1886. Over the years, the organization has evolved into a global company, facing the same challenges as many multinational corporations: adapting to constant changes in market conditions, regulations, and consumer demands. Despite these shifts, pladis has remained committed to delivering quality products while supporting its global workforce.

Business need

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Navigating global change through people development

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As a global organization, pladis is exposed to significant market and economic changes such as Brexit, inflation, and rising costs. These disruptions impact not only the business but also its international teams, making them vulnerable to sudden shifts. pladis recognized the need to develop resilient talent with a growth mindset to navigate these challenges effectively.

“What our people need is first of all to be resilient and be able to adapt to changes but also having a growth mindset to focus on the future and take the next steps.”

Tessa Jobben

HR Program Manager

The company needed a learning partner to upskill employees at all levels—managers, individual contributors, and first-time leaders - to ensure they could perform effectively and support business goals despite uncertainty.

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Training solution

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Customized programs to build skills and confidence

Pladis partnered with Lepaya to deliver professionals and leadership programs targeting key soft skills and leadership capabilities. These programs combine hands-on exercises, practical tools, and modern learning technology, including Virtual Reality, to create learning impact at every touchpoint.

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Developing individual contributors

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For employees starting new roles, pladis focused on essential professional skills like structured storytelling and stakeholder management. This helped individuals confidently contribute to business goals from day one.

“It’s a win for my manager and for the company because I waste less time and I’m more prepared.” Lucrezia Monsagrati, Trade Marketing Manager

Lucrezia Monsagrati

Trade Marketing Manager

Strengthening team cohesion and communication

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Sales teams benefited from structured learning that allowed them to openly discuss challenging situations with retailers, practice difficult conversations, and collaborate more effectively.

“You do the training with different people and you get one buddy assigned but you also feel more connection with the people you are in the training with. The strength with Lepaya is that you practice with your team members.”

Jeroen van der Zant

Sales Retail Manager

Empowering first-time leaders

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Young managers gained confidence in leadership through VR-based training and practical exercises, helping them apply new skills in real work situations while managing the pressures of early-career leadership.

“Doing this course made me think: how will I organize my day? How do I approach something? It makes me do my job a little better.”

Nikie Vroom

Logistics Coordinator

Impact

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Creating lasting change at scale

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Through these learning programs, pladis has strengthened resilience, growth mindset, and practical skills across its workforce. Employees are more confident, better prepared, and able to directly apply their learning to business challenges.

“Where Lepaya makes the difference is first of all in the way the learning is set up…once it clicks you can just apply it… but secondly to work on the future together.”

By embedding skills development into the flow of work, pladis ensures that both managers and individual contributors are equipped to succeed, improving collaboration, performance, and overall business outcomes. The company continues to expand its learning programs to meet evolving needs and prepare its global teams for future challenges.