PaceMate's Director of Learning & Development Named a Top 10 L&D Professional by OnCon Icon Awards

We're proud to share that Barry Gary, PaceMate's Director of Learning and Development, has been recognized as a Top 10 Learning & Development Professional in the 2026 OnCon Icon Awards. Presented by OnConferences, the award is determined entirely through peer voting with colleagues, collaborators, and industry professionals selecting the leaders they've seen make a real impact.

Being named to the Top 10 out of hundreds of nominees across the industry is a testament to the kind of work that's happening inside PaceMate and the reputation Barry has built over the course of a career dedicated to helping people and organizations perform at their best.

We sat down with Barry for a quick Q&A to hear what this recognition means and what drives the thinking behind learning and development at PaceMate.

Q1. What does winning a peer-voted award like this mean to you personally?

The most meaningful aspect of this award is very much that it reflects the reputation of my work among peers and colleagues, past and present. It is a confirmation of the relationships I’ve built and the impact I’ve had with the people and organizations I’ve been a part of in my career as a learning professional.

Q2. What does good learning and development look like inside a company like PaceMate?

I’ve always believed that the biggest mistake one can make as a learning professional is to believe that you are in the business of “learning.” I’m in the business of helping individuals and organizations perform better. In other words, great learning organizations have a learning function that serves as a consultative arm that builds an effective learning strategy where needed but also uncovers potential solutions and opportunities in places where training or e-learning just won’t move the needle on organizational performance.

Q3. What is one thing you wish more organizations understood about the role L&D plays in driving real business outcomes?

Changing behavior is a process that occurs in small increments over long periods of time. Watching a video, taking a class, completing an e-learning module: it’s all expense with very little return if you don’t have the support to reinforce the learning, the leadership commitment to coach and provide feedback to solidify behaviors, and the systems that make it easy for people to do the right thing.

Q4. What moment in your career shaped how you think about learning and development today?

Early in my career I had a meeting with a senior vice president of the company I was with at the time. I went on and on detailing classes we did for 50 people at a time, groups of sales reps that came in from all across the country for three-day sessions, and so on. He was patient. I eventually wound down, and he simply said, “So what? You’ve told me about a lot of our money you’ve spent, now tell me what I’m getting for it.” I knew right then I needed to change the way I thought about learning’s function in an organization.