The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
From Change Practitioner (L2)
2-3 years as a Change PractitionerSkills to master
- Moving from owning a workstream to leading an entire project's change strategy. This means developing stronger stakeholder influence, independent problem-solving, and a more strategic view of change.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully managed the end-to-end change for at least one significant population or process area.
- Demonstrated ability to independently diagnose and mitigate resistance.
- Received positive feedback on your ability to influence without direct authority.
- Proactively identified and proposed solutions to project-level change challenges.
- 2
From Project Manager with Change Focus
5-7 years in project management roles, with a strong emphasis on people-side of change.Skills to master
- Deepening your specialisation in human-centric change, moving beyond project delivery to focus specifically on adoption, behaviour, and culture. You'll need to develop expertise in change methodologies like ADKAR.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivered projects with high user adoption and minimal post-launch issues related to people.
- Actively engaged in stakeholder management and communication beyond typical project reporting.
- Demonstrated a passion for the 'people side' of projects and sought out opportunities to lead change activities.
- Understands the difference between project success (on time, on budget) and change success (adopted, utilised, benefits realised).
- 3
From HR Business Partner / L&D Specialist
5-8 years in HR or Learning & Development, with exposure to organisational change.Skills to master
- Broadening your perspective from individual or team development to enterprise-wide change. You'll need to learn project management principles and how to integrate change into complex transformation programmes, not just standalone L&D initiatives.
You're ready to move on when
- Led significant L&D programmes that required behavioural shifts across the organisation.
- Actively partnered with business leaders on organisational design or restructuring initiatives.
- Demonstrated strong stakeholder management and influencing skills with senior leaders.
- Understands the business context and drivers for change, not just the people impact.