Kelly Wojda Email Address

Global Learning and Development Director

Caterpillar Forest Products Inc. manufactures and markets machines for the forestry industry.

As a Fortune 100 Learning & Development executive, I focus on the future of work, managing change, leadership development, high-performing teams, effective employee listening, digital learning, and skill building through technology. My curiosity about people and interest in learning go way back. They led me to a wide range of career experiences, and exposure to multiple cultures. My career growth began at Caterpillar thirty-plus years ago. My early roles brought together my interest in finance and human narratives, as a writer of corporate messages and company spokesperson. I worked with the business press, and supported executives in educating employees on strategy. Listening has been as important to my career as writing and speaking. With several roles building survey programs for customers and employees, I learned to appreciate people’s voices because feedback data offer key business insights for improving strategy, execution and engagement. Listening also recognizes the daily realities of others with whom we work and create value. I believe skillful listening is one of the strongest signs of respect leaders show for other people’s voices. Ultimately, this appreciation for the dignity of work led me to my focus on learning & development. These values grew out of my own family’s history. My maternal grandmother, who worked in a factory and also as a bookkeeper while raising five daughters, eventually funded her own business and my mother's college degree. My father, a farm-boy, built a forty-year career on the factory floor and in Caterpillar labor relations. They taught me the values of hard work, developing a growth mindset and mastering a skill with feedback and practice. In our current environment, with today's pace of change, I believe learning and development teams are key to attracting and retaining talent. We have become essential partners in living up to our corporate social responsibilities. We have a duty as well as a corporate interest in making learning accessible to all, including underprivileged groups. Our talent pipelines all benefit from investments in future-proofing potential employees with digital literacy and capabilities, as well as learning how to learn. As we look to the future, I am committed to tackling challenging issues of how we collaborate with technology for better business outcomes and change readiness. In the process, we are pointing a way toward more purposeful and more human work. If you are working on similar issues, glad to connect.