ABOUT ME

My career journey from operations management to learning & development

My career didn’t begin behind a desk, it began in customer service and hospitality, where I grew from a part-time supermarket checkout operator to managing multiple hospitality venues with over 20 team members. Across each of my roles, the common theme that I most enjoyed was the drive to support others in growing their confidence, capability, and career, and seeing how to develop them to be the best versions of themselves.

I loved the training and development side of my work, and I tried to figure out what type of career path would suit me best. So I did what most people would do and decided to take a year off and live over in Japan. This was a cool experience for me, as I got to tick off a bucket list dream of mine of living and teaching in Japan. It also helped me understand and reflect on what kind of work I really want to do, and the career path I will need to take.

Once my year in Japan ended, I flew back home to New Zealand and started on my journey towards becoming an Instructional Designer. I spent the next few years learning the ropes from some awesome L&D Specialists within the company that had grown me in the New Zealand Hospo space since I was a teenager.

My wife and I decided to move to Brisbane, Australia. Here, I was able to really learn the ropes of Learning Design within companies in Early Childhood Education and Residential Care Services. I was lucky to be able to learn from some real experts in L&D and Organisational Development, and experiment with different learning methods and strategies alongside them. At the beginning of 2026, I moved back to Japan with my family, and started Isaiah Fong Learning Solutions; a remote based learning design consultancy, designed to help growing businesses around the world with building their own learning solutions and help develop their teams.

Two children and a toddler in a red wagon on a green farm field, surrounded by black and white calves and boned cows, with a farm and hills in the background.
Group of young hikers with large backpacks and trekking gear on a mountain summit with snow, rocks, and a clear blue sky.
A group of people smiling and taking a selfie with Mount Fuji in the background on a clear day, with some children and adults posing.
Family gathering with three generations, including children and adults, holding a white gift box with Asian characters and a colorful design, sitting on a couch in a cozy living room.
Group of seven people at a wedding, including a bride in a white wedding dress holding a bouquet, a groom in a black suit, and five others dressed in formal attire, standing outdoors in front of decorative columns and colorful hanging flower baskets.

Why Start Isaiah Fong Learning Solutions?

A common theme throughout all of the organisations I had worked for up until this point was that Learning & Development was more of a ‘nice to have’ operation of the business. I saw plenty of money spent on recruitment, and a revolving door of new people that would stick around for a few months. It was always a matter of time before they would see the issues, and then run off to the next company.

Most companies would attempt to throw a few things together to solve the issues. Such as a new policy that all staff would need to read and sign, or an 100 page PDF that staff would need to memorise to learn a new process. The learning would never stick, staff wouldn’t develop and the business would wonder why they were back at square one six months later.

I kept noticing the same old patterns with growing companies that want to prioritise the development of their staff but struggle:

  • They hit a budget barrier, or prioritise operational growth instead of investing their effort and money into their teams development.ion text goes here

  • They try to delegate L&D projects to under resourced staff of other departments who may have some capacity.

  • They then realise this isn’t working, and hire one-off facilitators to come in and conduct workshops.

  • The result: inconsistent training, no permanent learning resources of their own, and a revolving door of new staff.

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My Mission:

I went out on my own and founded Isaiah Fong Learning Solutions to help growing companies break this cycle. I realised that a lot of businesses can’t hire full L&D teams, and they don't need more "one-off" trainers, they need Learning Architecture. They need someone to look at the big picture, identify the internal experts within their business who already hold the answers, and build the permanent tools that allow those experts to lead.

By architecting bespoke toolkits, learning resources, and strategic road-maps, I empower your team to sustain their own growth. My goal is to leave your organisation with a permanent library of high-impact learning assets, ensuring that your knowledge stays within your business, even when people move on. I’m here to help you stop firefighting and start building.

Technical Skills

    • Articulate Rise

    • Articulate Storyline

    • TalentLMS

    • BambooHR

    • ELMO

    • LearnUpon

    • Wisetail

    • Adobe Photoshop

    • Adobe Illustrator

    • Adobe Premier Pro

    • Adobe Express

    • Canva 

    • CapCut

    • Figma

    • Miro

    • Trello

    • Visio

    • Smartsheet

    • MS Sharepoint

Soft Skills

  • I’ve consistently taken ownership of projects, guided teams, and driven improvements—whether in hospitality, HR, or L&D.

    • Project ownership

    • Self-motivation

    • Decision-making

    • Strategic thinking

    • Problem-solving

    • Leading by example

    • Taking initiative

  • I have experience working cross-functionally with subject matter experts, internal teams, and external partners to bring learning solutions to life.

    • Cross-functional collaboration

    • Building rapport

    • Stakeholder consultation

    • Giving and receiving feedback

    • Team alignment

    • Relationship building

    • Working with diverse teams

  • From designing learning content to facilitating discussions and guiding SMEs, your communication style is clear, human, and learner-focused.

    • Active listening

    • Clear instructional writing

    • Visual storytelling

    • Tailoring messages to audiences

    • Creativity

    • Asking thoughtful questions

    • Translating complex content simply

  • I’ve moved countries, shifted industries, and constantly learn new tools and processes—proving I’m agile, curious, and always growing.

    • Resilience

    • Openness to feedback

    • Continuous learning

    • Cultural awareness

    • Flexibility in fast-changing environments

    • Curiosity

    • Embracing new challenges