Yzly exists to solve a problem most organisations recognise: people want to grow at work, but the support just isn’t there. Year after year, engagement surveys say the same thing—teams want more development, yet not much changes. A consultant comes in, a few generic programs get rolled out, HR is asked to “do something”… and that’s often where it ends.​

Most training is built from the outside in. It isn’t designed for the day‑to‑day, and it doesn’t reflect the people, priorities, or personality of the team, so it falls flat. Yzly started with a simple question: what if learning sat in the hands of leaders and team managers, not just HR or external providers, and was delivered through small, practical activities that fit into the flow of work.​

Our founder, Doug Hawkins, is an award‑winning learning and development innovator, digital transformation specialist, and creative technologist, with a career spanning more than 30 years across globally recognised organisations. As part of a large global network of learning, development, and business leaders, Doug helps identify the most relevant topics for today’s workplaces, curating content with subject matter experts so every Yzly workshop is grounded in current global best practice rather than trend-driven training.​

Known for his empathy and integrity, Doug is passionate about unlocking human potential through practical, engaging solutions that drive real change. That’s why Yzly programs are built to be run by leaders themselves, with expert‑designed guides and resources that make it easy to spark real conversations, build trust, and grow capability right where the work happens.​

Learning should feel natural, not like a big, complicated event you need permission to run. Our goal is simple: make professional development easy, real, and immediately useful, by giving leaders the tools to build something great with their teams—so learning becomes part of the everyday, and people don’t just tick a box, they grow, connect, and thrive.