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CASE STUDY
How Accordion scaled AI fluency as fast as its headcount
1,500
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) earned to date
+47%
Hours per learner, YoY
99%
Learner activation rate
AI-Powered role play makes you uncomfortable, but it provides a safe space to practice so the real conversation is more comfortable. And LinkedIn Learning Career Hub is the only place where learning and practice live in one application.
Head of Talent Development, Accordion
THE CHALLENGE
Talent infrastructure to keep up with 300% headcount growth
Financial consulting firm Accordion sits at the heart of private equity — where sponsors and CFOs meet. Leveraging data, technology, and AI, Accordion supports the office of the CFO to drive end-to-end value creation through deep expertise across the finance function, from foundational finance & technology solutions to business transformations & transactions.
As Accordion’s headcount grew more than 300% across the U.S., U.K., India, and Canada in just three years, and revenue continued rising double digits year over year, its talent infrastructure needed to scale in step with the business. When Lindsay Gordon joined as Head of Talent Development three years ago, consultants needed more robust upskilling support and dedicated time and guidance to build new skills. Today, clients expect AI-ready consultants, not those still learning how to use it on the job. For a firm built on helping clients stay ahead, building AI fluency internally was foundational, not optional.
THE SOLUTION
A talent stack mapped to Accordion’s skills matrix with AI-powered role play
A cross-functional team tested LinkedIn Learning against Udemy. The winner was “hands-down LinkedIn Learning” for the quality and breadth of content, plus the unique ability to practice skills with AI-Powered Role Play. Two and a half years in, Accordion renewed LinkedIn for three more years across both Learning and Hiring.
Three reasons Accordion trusted LinkedIn Learning:
One talent stack for hiring, learning, and internal mobility
Building talent infrastructure across multiple vendors means maintaining multiple integrations, brands, and data models. Two and a half years in, Accordion renewed for three more years across both LinkedIn Learning Career Hub and LinkedIn Recruiter. One stack now handles upskilling, mobility, and hiring on the same network where Accordion’s consultants already grow their careers.
Expert-led content, mapped to Accordion’s skills matrix
Accordion’s learning leaders took Career Hub’s expert-led courses, informed by signals from 1.3 billion LinkedIn members, and mapped them to Accordion’s skills matrix by consulting practice. With the matrix mapped, they built curated learning paths so practices had meaningful content available to leverage for upskilling. That bridge between an off-the-shelf library and Accordion’s own framework made Career Hub the firm’s first talent infrastructure.
AI-powered role play for learning and practice
LinkedIn Learning Career Hub is the only place where AI-powered role play sits inside the course library. Accordion’s first six scenarios went live for managers running mid-year reviews, with custom role plays for exceeds, meets, and misses expectations. Managers now have the opportunity to rehearse giving reviews, and the tool routes them back to the exact LinkedIn Learning course that closes any gaps.
THE RESULTS
99% activation, 1,500 CEUs, and AI-powered role play for managers
Learning in lockstep with business and skills strategies
By integrating LinkedIn Learning Career Hub into onboarding and linking it directly inside their LMS, Accordion drove immediate participation. As headcount surged more than 300% in three years, this infrastructure ensured every new consultant, including the hundreds onboarded in the last 12 months, aligned with the same skills framework from day one.
47% more hours, 1,500 CEUs earned
Active learners spent 47% more hours per person and watched 37% more videos year over year, with 55% returning for a second or more sessions. Accordion’s CPAs earned 1,478 CEUs across six providers, led by PMI and NASBA — credentials that map directly to the firm’s finance and project-led work, surfaced through the LinkedIn Learning–NASBA library linked inside Docebo.
Leveraging AI-Powered role play to increase manager confidence
Accordion’s full people leadership team, including the lead of performance management, participated in a demonstration of the AI-powered role play and were “blown away” by how well the tool worked. The people manager AI-powered role-plays are seen as so meaningful, Accordion has plans to expand AI-powered role play to additional client-facing use cases later this year, to ensure consultants stay sharp as the market continues to evolve.
We need to be ahead, not just keep up. Professional services are shifting from time-and-materials to value-based pricing, and if we’re not upskilling our employees on AI to help deliver that value, we lose to competitors who are.
Head of Talent Development, Accordion
About Accordion
Accordion is the value creation partner for private equity. Our offerings span the modern CFO’s agenda—strengthening finance functions, implementing data, technology, and AI, and driving the operational improvements that create value. From core accounting and FP&A to analytics, technology enablement, performance improvement, and transformation, we help portfolio companies build stronger foundations, drive end-to-end value creation, and deliver results across the investment lifecycle.
Customer Objectives
Critical Skills
Career Development & Retention
Leadership Development
Learner Engagement
Industry
Financial consulting
CFO advisory
Employees
1,000-5,000
Headquarters
New York, NY, USA
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