Fairstone

Natalia Matusevscaia

Natalia Matusevscaia is the Director of Learning and Development at Fairstone Bank. Her journey began as an instructional designer and teacher. Over time, she evolved into a key player in leadership development, professional growth and the overall development of individuals across various industries. With extensive experience in shaping career paths and fostering employee growth, Natalia now focuses on driving leadership and professional development initiatives that help individuals reach their full potential in the workplace.

Recognizing Natalia Matusevscaia’s distinguished career in learning and development, this exclusive feature offers a unique insight into her journey—from instructional design to leading employee growth at Fairstone Bank. She reflects on the evolution of learning and development in the age of AI, the challenges of personalizing training at scale, and the professional philosophy that drives her work. Through this lens, she shares how AI transforms career development and why a human-centered approach remains crucial in today’s rapidly evolving workplace.

As the Director of Learning and Development at Fairstone Bank, my day involves various tasks, all centered around one purpose: helping employees shape their careers, guiding their development and supporting their growth. This is the core of my role—ensuring that the people within the organization have the tools and resources they need to thrive in their professional lives.

Adapting to the Changing Skills Landscape with AI

We live in one of the most fascinating times, as technology disrupts industries in ways we’ve never seen before. The emergence of AI, in particular, marks a significant shift in the landscape, affecting everything from operational efficiency to employee development. While the disruption began years ago, it has become fully evident in how AI tools are shaping how organizations function and how employees grow within their roles.

In the past, the focus was on developing timely training programs for each individual. Today, however, we are shifting our attention toward creating future-proof development paths for employees, with AI playing a critical role in defining and enhancing these trajectories. AI now forms a significant part of the solution for improving operational efficiency and will continue to influence how we structure development plans moving forward.

Personalizing Employee Development with AI

For many years, one of the major focuses of learning and development (L&D) was to find ways to personalize training for a large group of employees, each with different roles and responsibilities. Now, AI offers an effective and efficient solution to this challenge. With AI, we can tailor learning experiences to meet the individual needs of each employee, ensuring they receive guidance on what to learn and what steps to take to develop the necessary skills. This personalization is no longer limited to broad groupings but extends to each specific individual, facilitating a more customized and impactful approach to professional development.

“AI is there to help and support, but it is the same as when we teach children using a tool. We also need right now to teach employees and ourselves to use this tool in an ethically responsible way”

Personalization in training was previously restricted, but with AI, it is now achievable at scale. This technology allows instructional designers and L&D teams to focus on a more human-centered approach, which can have a bigger impact without manually creating development plans for each person. In large organizations with thousands of employees, AI’s ability to streamline and personalize the learning process is invaluable.

The Future of Learning and Development Metrics

When scaling learning and development metrics within an organization, the challenge lies in how these metrics evolve alongside company growth and technological advancement. As technology disrupts industries at an accelerated pace, how we evaluate learning and development must also adapt. It’s not just about the specific metrics in place but how we collect and analyze them. The depth and specificity of the data collected will play a crucial role in assessing the effectiveness of learning programs.

Learning psychology remains constant, regardless of how we scale or the impact of technology on development. The key to effective learning lies in how precisely we can deliver knowledge to the learner and how we measure the impact of that learning. While the exact metrics may evolve, the foundation of how we approach learning will continue to influence our outcomes. The ongoing development in this area will bring more refined methods of measuring success, but for now, the focus should be on how we collect and utilize this data to benefit our employees.

Guidance for Emerging L&D Leaders

For the new generation of L&D leaders and specialists, my advice would be simple: continue to experiment and innovate, as this generation is already intrinsically motivated to try new things. The key, however, is not to lose sight of the fundamentals. While we are excited about AI and other emerging technologies, it’s important not to overlook the basics of learner development and psychology, which remain unchanged.

By staying grounded in the foundational principles of learning, L&D leaders can better implement new tools in effective and efficient ways for both learners and organizations. When we build on our understanding of learning principles, we are better positioned to use technology in ways that will truly benefit employees, helping them grow and succeed in their roles.