Despite economic uncertainty and budget constraints, companies are continuing to prioritize leadership training. In fact, according to Training Industry market research, 58% of learning and development (L&D) professionals say leadership development is a high-priority initiative in their organization. As the demand for leadership training remains steady, training providers are evolving to better meet that need — and to provide broader, more comprehensive solutions to customers.

In May 2025, Mindtools, a leadership skills development provider owned by Cambridge Information Group (CIG), announced the acquisition of Kineo, a global provider of workplace learning solutions, from City & Guilds.

Let’s consider this acquisition in more detail.  

The Why: Strategic Drivers Behind the Acquisition 

Shabnam Shahani, CEO of Mindtools, says there were two key drivers for the acquisition — one internal and one external.  

Internally, “We felt that this acquisition helped to accelerate Mindtools’ growth strategy,” which is “underpinned by diversification both of our product portfolio as well as our revenue streams,” Shahani says. Kineo’s robust product offerings and international footprint make it a strong fit to support that expansion.  

Externally, factors such as the shifting state of the L&D market, changing learner expectations and new technologies made it clear that L&D providers need scale, agility and, above all, a “laser-like focus” on innovation and enhancing learner outcomes, Shahani says. “Those were the two key drivers for the acquisition.”  

Expanded Reach and a Broadened Value Proposition  

In addition to strengthening its presence in the UK and the U.S., the acquisition will help Mindtools expand its global reach into high-growth regions, including Latin America, Asia Pacific and South Africa.  

Beyond global expansion, acquiring Kineo “broadens our value proposition,” Shahani says. While Mindtools has traditionally focused on leadership and management skills, the combined organization now also offers compliance and onboarding solutions among other domain areas. 

Complementary Strengths  

There are “significant synergies” between Kineo and Mindtools, which are both overlapping and complementary across products, markets and customers, as well as across L&D expertise and thought leadership, Shahani says.  

Mindtools brings research-backed leadership and management skills development solutions, content mastery and deep learning and development expertise, while Kineo adds capabilities in learning technology, instructional design, onboarding, compliance, custom content and analytics.  

Coming together “aligns with our ambition to be a leading partner for workplace learning, allowing us to offer both a comprehensive and a complementary set of solutions to meet a broader spectrum of learning and development needs,” Shahani says. This includes offering both off-the-shelf and bespoke learning solutions.  

Integration Approach 

For now, Mindtools and Kineo will operate as standalone businesses “to ensure continuity for our customers as well as for our teams,” Shahani says. A dedicated program office staffed with integration specialists, both in-house and external, will guide the integration process and a recently announced leadership team — with talent from both Mindtools and Kineo — will help guide the organization forward. 

“Over time, we’ll become a unified business aligned under a shared brand, vision and operating model,” Shahani says. “But we’ll take the time to do that very thoughtfully.”  

What’s Next?  

In the short term, the goal is to bring the two businesses together “in a meaningful way that unlocks greater value for our customers,” Shahani says. The long-term ambition is to create “the most customer-centric, outcomes-focused, end-to-end workplace learning solutions provider in the market.”  

To do so, key focus areas include: 

• Driving innovation in new products and business models  

• Expanding the combined company’s global reach 

• Investing in research and thought leadership  

The companies aim to build on Mindtools’ 30-year legacy of research-informed learning and Kineo’s two decades of delivering market leading learning innovation. “We want to continue with that legacy and that heritage across the combined business,” Shahani says.  

Together, Kineo and Mindtools are offering a “powerful new option,” Shahani says — a single partner that can deliver everything from strategic learning advice to training solutions at scale.  

“We’re just getting started,” Shahani says. “And we’re really excited about the journey ahead.”