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who we are

The simulation training company pioneering upskilling

 
HISTORY

The ETU story

ETU (Empower The User) is the simulation training company that's pioneering upskilling through the use of innovative, scalable immersive learning solutions. 

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. Over the years, our continued focus on PhD research has paved the way forward for ETU’s game-changing skill development and verification methodologies. Scroll or click on the years on the left to read more.

HubSpot Video
1 millionsimulation users

across all regions globally

Award-winningPhD research

in behavioral science and immersive solutions

2019
Growing expertise

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.

2020
Measure-Learn-Perform

With a digitally transformative mindset, ETU researched, developed and validated advanced techniques for accurately and precisely measuring skills through simulation. This unique approach now underpins our Measure-Learn-Perform methodology, providing unrivaled abilities to assess and optimize employee skills and behaviors on a global scale.

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
Industry leadership

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. As we continue our exponential growth, we remain committed to industry leadership in simulation learning.

AWARDS

Industry recognition

We are honored to be continuously recognized by the industry for our innovation and business impact. Innovation in the technology platform that powers our simulations globally. New approaches to learning solutions that deliver real impact against our customers’ upskilling goals.

Who we are panel 3 Award2
Continued Project Success
2023 Top20 experiential learning technologies
Immersive Learning Leader
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Innovation with Impact
Who we are _panel 3_Award1
International Recognition
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Preferred Learning Provider
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High Growth Tech Team
Our team

People behind
the ground-breaking approach

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 ETU team. The rapidly growing ETU team is led by the industry 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.

Sinead O'Sullivan, Head of HR, ETU
Sinead O'Sullivan Head of Human Resources
Sinead O'Sullivan, Head of HR, ETU
Sinead O'Sullivan Head of Human Resources

Leading ETU's HR function taps into Sinead's many strengths, foremost of which are her excellent interpersonal skills. Her strong interest in business, NLP and psychology is a perfect match with the HR requirement of understanding people, their careers, and their cultural fit.

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).

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.

Jesse Bongartz, Head of Finance, ETU
Jesse Bongartz Head of Finance
Jesse Bongartz, Head of Finance, ETU
Jesse Bongartz Head of Finance

Jesse is a seasoned financial and operational leader. His background in both accounting and strategic finance helps businesses scale while ensuring processes are in place for continued success. Leveraging a passion for helping others and operating cross-departmentally, he ensures ETU’s finance organization adds value across the company.

Jason Hobart, Head of Sales, ETU
Jason Hobart Head of Sales
Jason Hobart, Head of Sales, ETU
Jason Hobart Head of Sales

Jason is a strategic sales, marketing and technology executive with entrepreneurial passion and energy. Throughout his career, Jason has been passionate about driving revenue growth, building high-performing teams, and delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Our clients

Expertise built working with global L&D leaders

ETU partners with innovative enterprises where people, thinking and skills are critical assets and competitive advantage. Our solutions help transform how our clients develop and upskill their workforces to win in the knowledge economy - globally and at scale.

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Client stories
Certification

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ETU NEWS

Our company news

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Jesse Bongartz, Head of Finance, ETU

ETU welcomes Jesse Bongartz as new Head of Finance

Jesse Bongartz has joined ETU’s executive management team as our Head of Finance & Controller. Jesse will focus on helping the business scale, while ensuring processes are in place for continued success.

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ETU - Brandon Hall gold awards across 3 categories

ETU wins Brandon Hall gold awards across 3 categories

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

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ETU - 2023 Clash of the Companies

ETU raises funds for Children's Health Ireland during 2023 Clash of The Companies

Join ETU and Clash of The Companies in raising vital funds to support sick children in Ireland – from funding vital life-saving equipment and providing essential patient and parental supports to making ground-breaking, paediatric research possible.

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