./PRI Academy./

PRI Academy

My belief

I strongly believe that education is key in making the world a better place, and I can use my design to help the PRI create a sustainable financial market that contribute to a more prosperous world for all.

 

Through my work with the PRI Academy, the online training unit of the UN-Supported Principles for Responsible Investment, I have seen first-hand the impact that thoughtful design can have in convening and educating responsible investors.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world..."

Nelson Mandela

./What is the PRI Academy?

Acquired by the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in 2015, the PRI Academy is the online training unit that leverages the PRI's unique expertise, industry connections, and global perspective to develop practical and applied courses based on the latest responsible investment practices.

 

Since its inception, the Academy has trained over 18,000 investment professionals in more than 80 countries and has earned a reputation as a leader in ESG training, serving prestigious clients such as BlackRock, Credit Suisse, HSBC, JP Morgan, KPMG, and many more.

The challenge

Historically, the PRI Academy was seen as a separate entity from the PRI, leading to limitations in its offerings, brand consistency, and market penetration. Also the team felt quite isolated as many in the organisation felt that having a business unit was not in line with the PRI values.

The Solution

As an advocate for education as a catalyst for creating a better world, I recognised the need for greater collaboration between the PRI and the Academy. Working closely with the Academy's director and the Director of Communication, I developed a compelling case demonstrating the value the Academy could bring to the PRI and the potential to alleviate the Academy team's feeling of isolation.

After several discussions with upper management, we established a more in-depth collaboration between the Communication team and the PRI Academy. With my team's support, I provided suggestions on how to increase engagement and market penetration and I oversaw the design and production of all PRI Academy assets, elevating the quality and range of offerings, such as:

  • Redesigned a new marketing brochure;
  • Oversaw the design of Course-specific flyers;
  • Redesigned the PowerPoint Pitch Deck;
  • Created course completion badges and certificates of completion for LinkedIn profiles;
  • Oversaw the design of digital marketing campaigns for the Academy's newly established LinkedIn channel;
  • Provided User Journey initial assessment report on the course platform;
  • Trained the team on running User Testing and Interviews;
  • Made recommendations on moving from written-focused content to a video-based content, and oversaw the video production for all courses.

The Outcome

The PRI Academy experienced a remarkable surge in sales and engagement, exceeding targets by over 30% in both enrolment and invoicing. The PRI Academy is now an integral part of the PRI's offerings, fostering greater collaboration not only with the Communication team but also with the content-generating teams to keep materials up-to-date and aligned with PRI's guidance and thought leadership. I am extremely proud of my work with the PRI Academy, and I am very pleased to see that so many within the organisation now share our vision of the Academy as an essential part of the wider organisation and key to promote responsible investment to the wider investment industry.

..Particular thanks are due to Head of Design & Brand Ale Boaretto, who worked closely with the team to improve the design of the courses and user experience. Additionally, Ale played a key role in creating engaging new video content."

- Anthony, Academy Director, PRI

"Once again, Ale has worked his magic!

The Pitch Deck he created for us is an example of professionalism. The quality of the design is top notch and the content is far more digestible than before. It has increased our confidence during meetings and we are now able to make a more compelling case to potential clients, resulting in greater success rates."

- PRI Academy team
Access Academy's Pitch Deck

Exciting news! I am thrilled to announce that I have just received my certification in Applied Responsible Investment from the prestigious organization PRI Academy."

- Jeremy, finance student, LinkedIn profile

Congratulation to Anthony and the Academy team - and to all who have supported his launch. Alessandro, the video and marketing materials are great!"

- Gary, former Comms Director, PRI

./User Experience

Thanks to the knowledge I acquired during my User Experience certification, I successfully applied my skills in practice by delivering a comprehensive UX assessment report on the user journey for the PRI Academy online platform. The report effectively identified pain points and provided actionable recommendations based on UX principles and heuristics (see FlyUX dedicated page). As part of the report I also provided an draft of what the new structure could look like.

Additionally, I conducted training sessions for the Academy team on conducting user interviews and user testing. The valuable insights gathered from these sessions played a pivotal role in revamping the platform's overall look and feel, as demonstrated in the 2023 ESG in alternative investment video preview.

My recommendation on moving towards a more vide-centric content, led to an increased demand for this type of content, being in charge of the video production for the PRI, I was happy to help with. Over the course of six weeks, we shot and edited more than 15 video interviews with both internal and external stakeholders.

Initial assessment - Summary:

There are numerous inconsistencies between the main website and the actual platform. The dashboard looks really outdated and is not user friendly. There is a need to prioritise functions, and get rid of all excess of content. Throughout the course we have imagery and charts that can use some revamping and also make sure to have consistency in terms of style, animation and colours with the PRI brand.



Next steps:

To collect all users feedback, start working on affinity/user journey maps and then start putting together a series of wireframes to be tested, signed off and tested again, before being sent over to developers."

./Takeaways

Working with the PRI Academy was a challenging and rewarding experience that taught me the value of collaboration, persistence, and how to practice what I learnt in user-centred design.

By aligning the Academy's goals with the PRI's mission and vision, we were able to create a more cohesive and effective educational platform that has made a significant impact both within the organisation and the responsible investment industry more widely.

As Head of Design & Brand, I am proud to have contributed to this effort and to have seen first-hand the power of design to drive positive change in the world. This experience has reinforced my belief that education is key to creating a better world, and I look forward to applying the lessons I learned to future projects and collaborations.

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