Mumbai, India – August 17, 2026: Upside Learning Solutions, a division of MITR Learning & Media, has won 13 Brandon Hall Group™ HCM Excellence Awards® 2026, including four Gold, seven Silver, and two Bronze awards across Learning and Development, Sales Performance, and Talent Acquisition.

For more than 30 years, the Brandon Hall Group™ HCM Excellence Awards® have recognized organizations shaping the future of Human Capital Management through initiatives demonstrating innovation, thoughtful execution, and measurable results. Each submission is evaluated by an independent panel of Brandon Hall Group™ analysts, industry experts, and experienced practitioners based on business need, program design, innovation, adoption, and organizational impact.

13 Awards Across Learning, Sales Performance, and Talent Acquisition

Upside Learning’s 13 awards include:

Gold Awards

• Best Custom Content – Health and Safety, with Standard Chartered Bank
• Best Unique or Innovative Learning and Development Program – Skill Enablement, with Riyadh Air
• Best Unique or Innovative Sales Training Program – Megatrend Playbook, with Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Best Use of Games or Simulations for Learning – Megatrend Playbook, with Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Silver Awards

• Best Custom Content – LLP & EME, with The World Bank Group
• Best Custom Content – FundsChain, with The World Bank Group
• Best Competencies and Skill Development – GIL, with The World Bank Group
• Best Extended Enterprise Learning Program – Hospitality (Customer Training), with Riyadh Air
• Best Competencies and Skill Development – Skill Enablement, with Riyadh Air
• Best Custom Content – Clinical Maintenance, with IBA
• Best New Hire Onboarding Program – Role Specific Onboarding, with AstraZeneca

Bronze Awards

• Best Unique or Innovative Learning and Development Program – PIU, with The World Bank Group
• Best Compliance Training – Cyber Security Campaigning, with Riyadh Air

Leadership Perspective

Commenting on the recognition, Rahul Bansal, Co-Founder, MITR Learning & Media, said:

“Receiving 13 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards is a meaningful recognition of the work our teams put into designing learning experiences that address real organizational needs. The breadth of this recognition reflects the range of learning challenges we work to solve. We are proud of the teams behind these programs and grateful to the organizations and teams involved in bringing these initiatives to life.”

Siddharth Agarwal, Co-Founder, MITR Learning & Media, added:

“We have always believed that learning has the greatest value when it is connected to what people need to do differently and what the organization needs to achieve. That means designing beyond content to build the skills, behaviors, and decision-making capabilities that matter in the real world. The 13 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards are a significant recognition of that approach, and of the work our teams are doing to make learning more relevant, purposeful, and connected to performance.”

In a statement, MITR Learning & Media said:

“Upside Learning’s 13 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards are an important milestone for MITR Learning & Media and a strong reflection of the learning expertise and capabilities within our organization. This recognition highlights the value of bringing together learning expertise, technology, and innovation to address evolving business, capability, and performance needs.”

Rachel Cooke, COO of Brandon Hall Group™ and HCM Excellence Awards® Program Leader, said:

“Every year, the HCM Excellence Awards remind us that innovation is ultimately about impact. The organizations recognized this year have demonstrated that great HR and learning strategies don’t just improve programs; they strengthen organizations, empower people, and deliver measurable business results. We are honored to celebrate their achievements.”

About Upside Learning

Upside Learning Solutions, a division of MITR Learning & Media, is an award-winning provider of enterprise eLearning and corporate training solutions. Founded in 2004, Upside Learning helps organizations design, build, and scale learning experiences aligned with business goals, roles, and real-world performance needs.

Its expertise spans custom eLearning, workforce skilling, AI-powered learning solutions, managed learning services, mobile learning, microlearning, performance support, simulations, games and gamification, video and animation, scenario-based learning, and other technology-enabled learning solutions.

About MITR Learning & Media

MITR Learning & Media is a learning and media company focused on driving learning across lifespans and contexts. Its portfolio spans Pre-K–12, higher education, enterprise learning, and technology services, with expertise in digital content development, learning solutions, and technology-enabled learning.

About Brandon Hall Group™

Brandon Hall Group™ is a Workforce Excellence Intelligence company focused on Human Capital Management. Its HCM Excellence Awards® recognize organizations that demonstrate innovation, measurable business impact, and excellence across Human Capital Management.

The 2026 HCM Excellence Awards winners were announced on August 13, 2026.

Media Contact

Karan Hotwani
Marketing Manager
MITR Learning & Media
karan.hotwani@upsidelearning.com

“AI is changing the nature of work faster than organizations can adapt to succeed and thrive. Rapid decay in skills, emergence of new skills and capabilities is forcing organizations to rethink how to successfully prepare and transform their workforce. Traditional learning models are not suitable to manage complexity and pace with this challenge needs to be addressed.”

Upside Learning Solutions, a distinguished provider of comprehensive digital learning solutions for global enterprises and a division of Mitr Learning & Media, announces the release of the eBook, The Capability Transformation: Shift from Course Libraries to Performance Engines, that aims to act as a practical guide for L&D leaders to confidently build and implement a plan to make this shift.

Authored by Venudhar Bhatt, EVP – Learning Transformation & AI Strategy, and supported by Upside Learning’s consulting and strategy team, the eBook presents a practical and forward-looking framework for organizations looking to move beyond traditional course delivery-oriented structure and skills-based training approach and roll out systematic capability development programs.

As AI accelerates change across industries, the publication challenges conventional L&D models and introduces a capability-first approach powered by use of AI technology to strengthen execution, adaptability, and long-term organizational readiness.

“Stop measuring how much your people are learning and start measuring what they are actually able to achieve because a workforce full of skills is just potential; a workforce that performs is an asset. The eBook is a step-by-step practitioner’s blueprint for shifting L&D from a library of skills to a performance-driven engine that solves your organization’s most critical business challenges”
– Venudhar Bhatt, EVP – Learning Transformation & AI Strategy

“As organizations navigate rapid change, capability-building has become essential,” said
Rahul Bansal and Siddharth Agarwal, Co-Founders of Mitr Learning & Media. “This eBook equips leaders with a clear and actionable approach to creating learning systems that drive measurable outcomes and long-term performance.”

Key Highlights of the eBook Include:

• The Skills-to-Capabilities Shift: Why isolated skills no longer guarantee readiness and how capability ecosystems enable real performance.
• The Atoms–Molecules Model: A structured model for transforming foundational skills into integrated, context-driven capabilities.
• The Will–Skill–Hill Framework: A practical framework to carefully diagnose performance gaps across motivation, ability, and business context.
• AI-Powered Learning Solutions: How Skills Intelligence layers, AI-Native Learning Resources, and AI-powered workflows play a critical role in building capabilities and catalyze transfer of skills to the real world.
• Capability Academies: Expert-led learning environments with stakeholder engagement designed to drive measurable behavioral change and performance improvement.
• A 90-Day Transformation Roadmap: A clear and structured plan for shifting from course libraries to capability-driven performance engines.

Access the eBook

Begin your organization’s capability transformation journey today and equip your teams for real performance.

Access the full eBook here.

Explore more insights and resources from Upside Learning here.

About Upside Learning

Upside Learning Solutions, a division of Mitr Learning & Media, is a two-decade-old, multi-award-winning provider of learning solutions. Specializing in learning consulting, science-backed custom training programs, and high-quality learning staff augmentation services, Upside Learning helps L&D leaders achieve meaningful business impact.

Over the years, Upside Learning has earned 250+ global accolades, including recognitions from organizations such as Brandon Hall Group and Deloitte.

Learn more at www.upsidelearning.com

Media Contact
Karan Hotwani
Marketing Manager
Upside Learning
karan.hotwani@upsidelearning.com