who we are

Pioneering skills mastery at scale through learning simulations

 
Our Mission

The value of immersive learning

Our customers partner with ETU for 3 reasons. First, to develop power skills at scale. Second, to deliver adaptive and personalized learning to meet learners where they are. And third, to obtain objective data on skills application.

HISTORY

The ETU story

ETU is the leading learning platform that creates realistic, ‘learning by doing’ simulations that enable skills mastery for every participant, and the data to prove it.

The ETU story began on the campus of Trinity College Dublin, where a passionate group of medical and engineering researchers saw the potential of immersive simulation for learners to unlock their true potential. Since then, our continued focus on PhD research has powered ETU’s game-changing skill development and verification methodologies. Scroll or click on the years on the left to read more.

1 millionsimulation users

across all regions globally

Award-winningPhD research

in behavioral science and immersive solutions

81 NPSfrom learners

using ETU's immersive simulations

2020
Making strides

As ETU’s simulation technology and methodology evolved, its application expanded into areas such as onboarding, compliance, ethics, risk, leadership, sales and customer service. Partnering with a record number of clients, we showed the effectiveness of simulation across their businesses. Our ability to deliver game-changing behavioral solutions that deliver measurable business impact on a global scale was proven.

2021
Exponential growth

We doubled our number of employees to align with the market demand we saw for digitally transformed learning. Agile and responsive to an evolving business landscape, we added innovative new technologies to the simulation platform, including AI and other predictive features. ETU can now deploy advanced learning solutions to our customers’ most pressing skills challenges.

2022
Strategic investment

We received a strategic investment to fuel continued growth with additional capital and management resources focused on customer value creation. Katie Laidlaw assumed leadership of the business in the role of CEO.

2023
Award-winning solutions

Success continued with notable recognition: gold awards from Chief Learning Officer, Training Industry and Brandon Hall Group. Customer feedback shows satisfaction levels are very strong.

2024
A market leader

ETU now has a positive impact on the lives and careers of millions of learners around the world. We are honored with the opportunity to partner with an impressive list of Fortune 100 and global organizations, empowering learners to become more productive and raise their level of performance.

AWARDS

Industry recognition

ETU is known for our award-winning service. And we practice what we preach. Our team continuously upskills and refreshes knowledge so that we continue to exceed industry standards and achieve recognition for our capability in skills-based learning.

Who we are panel 3 Award2
Continued Project Success
2024 Top20 Experiential Learning Technologies Company
Immersive Learning Leader
Who we are _panel 3_Award3
Innovation with Impact
Who we are _panel 3_Award1
International Recognition
BHG-ETU-gold-badge
Preferred Learning Provider
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High Growth Tech Team
Our team

Our people with a passion for immersive learning

Our groundbreaking approach is the cumulative result of award-winning PhD research in the field of immersive learning, an award-winning platform, and behavioral analytics, all engineered by the dedicated and fast-growing ETU team. Meet our leaders below.

Leadership team

Katie Laidlaw, CEO, ETU

As CEO of ETU, Katie is passionate about how data can improve workforce development. She believes in the future of skills analytics as a means for organizations to understand how to engage, retain, train, and empower employees. Katie previously held a leadership position at a leading big data analytics company and worked as a consultant for a top global professional services firm.

Declan Dagger, Founder & Special Advisor, ETU
Dr. Declan Dagger Founder & Special Advisor
Declan Dagger, Founder & Special Advisor, ETU
Dr. Declan Dagger Founder & Special Advisor

Declan is a pragmatic entrepreneur focused on technology innovations to improve talent development. Having worked for over 10 years in applied research in learning and development, Declan has a wealth of experience in designing innovative solutions to difficult problems. Declan's goal is to lead ETU to deliver effective behavioral assessment and learning solutions to its clients, empowering them to more effectively develop and leverage their organization’s talent.

Conor Gaffney, Chief Product Officer, ETU
Dr. Conor Gaffney Chief Product Officer
Conor Gaffney, Chief Product Officer, ETU
Dr. Conor Gaffney Chief Product Officer

Conor leads simulation design within ETU, working with business stakeholders and instructional designers to deliver award winning assessment and training simulations. Conor believes that with the right tools and processes, realistic and immersive simulations can be quickly and easily developed by non-technical subject matter experts. Conor holds an award-winning Ph.D. in Soft Skill Simulations from Trinity College Dublin and has over 10 years experience in assessment, training, simulations and eLearning.

ETU-leadership-Andrew-Sweeny
Andrew Sweeny Chief Operating Officer
ETU-leadership-Andrew-Sweeny
Andrew Sweeny Chief Operating Officer

Andrew is a committed leader who recognizes that success stems from fostering a cohesive and passionate team that is focused on achieving the best outcome for customers.  Andrew has a proven track record of developing and implementing cross-functional strategies that help stakeholders realize their goals. Prior to joining ETU, Andrew held several leadership roles throughout a global manufacturing company.

Meghan Slimmer, Head of Finance, ETU
Meghan Slimmer Head of Finance
Meghan Slimmer, Head of Finance, ETU
Meghan Slimmer Head of Finance

As ETU’s Head of Finance, Meghan is responsible for leading the company’s finance organization. Meghan is excited and passionate about implementing financial and operational excellence to support and drive growth across organizations. Prior to joining ETU, Meghan has held financial leadership roles at several start-up’s, including her recent role as VP of Finance at Rave Mobile Safety.

Ryan O'Rourke, Chief Revenue Officer, ETU
Ryan O'Rourke Chief Revenue Officer
Ryan O'Rourke, Chief Revenue Officer, ETU
Ryan O'Rourke Chief Revenue Officer

Ryan leads the strategy and execution of ETU's revenue growth, customer acquisition, and retention. He is passionate about new technology, innovation, and opening new markets. He enjoys collaborating with industry experts, analysts, and consultants to stay ahead of market trends and challenges.

East Apthorp, Chief Marketing Officer, ETU
East Apthorp Chief Marketing Officer
East Apthorp, Chief Marketing Officer, ETU
East Apthorp Chief Marketing Officer

East leads the strategic marketing efforts for ETU. Her tenure in the learning and development space brings a confident perspective around customer needs and how to uncover and address them. In her previous roles within the marketing teams at Miller Heiman Group and AchieveGlobal, she led strategic planning, research development, product launches, and market positioning.

Gordon Power, Chief Technology Officer, ETU
Gordon Power Chief Technology Officer
Gordon Power, Chief Technology Officer, ETU
Gordon Power Chief Technology Officer

Gordon is responsible for driving and delivering innovation in all of ETU’s solutions. To deliver truly valued solutions, Gordon firmly believes our clients are key partners in ETU’s product roadmap. ETU’s award-winning simulation platform is the result of Gordon’s ongoing collaboration with clients to understand and exceed their continuing business needs. Gordon holds a Masters in Computer Science, a Degree in Computer Engineering and a Degree in Maths from Trinity College Dublin (TCD).

Our clients

Expertise built working with global L&D leaders

At ETU, we partner with organizations where people, thinking and skills are critical assets and the key to competitive advantage. Our solutions help our clients’ workforces achieve skills mastery rapidly, globally and at scale, to win in the knowledge economy.

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PricewaterhouseCoopers_Logo
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Client stories
Certification

Best practices and certifications

ETU is independently certified for ISO 9001 Quality Management, ISO 27001 Information Security Management, and ISO 27701 Data Privacy extension. Having all three certifications is a testament to our industry leadership in privacy and security practices. It also demonstrates ETU’s continued commitment to excellence in process improvement.

More about our certifications
ETU | ISO accredited learning solutions
ETU NEWS

Our company news

See all ETU news
Excellence in Technology Innovation award - 2024 CLO LIP Awards

ETU wins the 2024 CLO LIP Excellence in Technology Innovation award

ETU wins silver in the 2024 Chief Learning Officer Learning in Practice Awards - Excellence in Technology Innovation category. The strength of ETU's learning simulation platform was evident to the award selection panel.
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ETU - Brandon Hall gold awards 2024

ETU wins two Brandon Hall Group gold awards

ETU has won gold across three program categories at this year's Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards. The categories were Leadership Development, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Learning & Development.

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ETU integrates with Degreed - Summer 2024 release

ETU now integrates with Degreed - Summer 2024 Release

Reduce script development time with the newest scripting feature, improving the speed and accuracy of script production and reviews for simulation authors and subject matter experts.

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