Hemsley Fraser is known for creating and managing learning experiences that energise individuals and teams. For more than a decade, they’ve ranked among the world’s top 20 leadership solution providers. But as expectations around learning and communication evolved, Hemsley Fraser saw the need to evolve too – not just in what they delivered to clients, but in how their own teams worked and connected internally.
With offices in the UK, Germany, the US and Switzerland, Hemsley Fraser was already a global organisation – but internal collaboration hadn’t caught up. Legacy systems and traditional face-to-face training models were creating silos and slowing communication. At the same time, clients increasingly expected more blended, digital-first learning solutions.
"The heritage of our business is in training courses, but we’ve spent the past decade shifting perceptions. We want to be known for modern learning experiences that go beyond training to transform the entire workplace experience – and we needed the right tools to support that."
- Daniel Morgan, Chief Marketing Officer, Hemsley Fraser
Enter 5app – a digital learning and communications platform that helped Hemsley Fraser modernise both its client offer and internal communications and collaboration.
Initially used to power its digital learning libraries, 5app quickly became central to how Hemsley Fraser communicated, shared information and created a culture of connection and collaboration. The platform, named 1HF, replaced a limited intranet with a dynamic hub where employees could access everything from compliance content to technical documentation – and where leaders could engage people with timely updates and visible leadership.
On top of the Hub itself, Hemsley Fraser is now using 5app’s VeeCoach AI tutor agent to help employees discover content quickly. They’ve named their agent Ask Hemsley, and it fits seamlessly into Hemsley Fraser’s culture. As an added bonus, it’s helped unearth older, forgotten content without anyone needing to go hunting for it – it’s a real win-win!
"We saw a real cultural shift when we started using 5app not just for learning, but for company-wide communication. It helped us become much more interconnected."
- Lynsey Whitmarsh, CEO, Hemsley Fraser
The shift to 5app had a measurable impact. Content views across the business doubled, and engagement with leadership updates soared – with some video messages viewed by nearly the entire company within 30 minutes. With clear data insights, leaders could be confident their messages were landing.
Hemsley Fraser also used 5app’s flexible playlists to create and curate learning content – blending material from internal experts, third-party sources and their own libraries. Staff were encouraged to contribute, helping foster a more inclusive, two-way flow of knowledge and ideas.
And because 5app sits outside the core IT infrastructure, it offers a fast, reliable way to reach everyone – regardless of location, device or role.
"5app gave us a way to communicate quickly, clearly and with impact. People felt informed, connected and supported – and we could see that in the data."
- Lynsey Whitmarsh
What started as a way to expand their learning offering became a catalyst for broader business and cultural transformation. With 5app, Hemsley Fraser now supports their clients and their own people with a platform that brings learning, communication and culture together in one place.
"5app helped us move beyond learning delivery into the territory of real workplace experience,” says Daniel Morgan. “It’s about helping people feel aligned, productive and proud of where they work."
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