Business Spotlight: Expert LMS

Based in Swansea, Expert LMS is a powerful all-in-one learning management platform that makes creating, delivering, and tracking employee training simple. With features like course customisation, mobile access, engagement tools, performance tracking, seamless integrations, and ready-made content with automation, it streamlines onboarding, compliance, and upskilling for businesses of all sizes.

In July 2025, Expert LMS joined the GlobalWelsh for Business Membership Programme. We spoke with Managing Director Helen Bowden to learn more about the platform, its growth, and future plans…

Can you tell us about Expert LMS?

Expert LMS began around four years ago, founded by my husband, Mark Bowden. He wanted to make courses, particularly for the hospitality industry, such as food hygiene and personal licence training, more accessible by putting them online.

At first, he rented an LMS platform based in the U.S., but it was costly and didn’t match his vision. So he found a developer on Fiverr, and together they built what became our own platform. That developer is now a core part of our company and the driving force behind our technology, which is incredible!

Since then, the business has grown far beyond hospitality. While we still serve that sector, Expert LMS is now designed to support any organisation. My husband approached large corporate hospitality groups and asked them directly what they needed to manage multiple venues and large teams more effectively. Using their feedback, he and the team developed a platform that genuinely meets those needs.

Today, Expert LMS is a versatile, all-in-one learning management system that enables organisations of all sizes to deliver, manage, and track employee training and development.

What types of businesses use Expert LMS?

Expert LMS is used by a wide range of businesses across different sectors. The platform was originally developed with the hospitality industry in mind, reflecting the founders’ backgrounds, and as a result, many of our largest clients are hospitality groups where the system works particularly well.

Expert LMS has since evolved into a highly flexible platform used across multiple industries. We currently support businesses in agriculture, food production and bakeries, and are seeing growing interest from construction companies, particularly for compliance-led training such as manual handling and health and safety.

Expert LMS is suitable for any business looking to manage training and compliance effectively, typically with teams of 10 staff or more. Free demos are available so organisations can explore how the system works for them.

What sets you apart from other learning management systems?

Several things set us apart. Our technology is simple and intuitive, and our support is fully human, no bots or automated replies. Clients can always speak to a real person straight away.

We also offer a structured career-path system, where staff progress through tailored learning journeys with sections that unlock as they complete courses. There’s even built-in gamification. One of our clients, SUSHISAMBA in London, uses a points system. When I visited for a testimonial, one of the chefs came out asking how he could earn more points to beat a colleague, so he was genuinely motivated to complete more courses. We provide over 110 ready-made courses, and businesses can also upload their own or run blended learning.

A standout feature is our GDPR-safe communication tool, which replaces WhatsApp for teams. It lets you manage department-specific feeds, control access, and use features like ‘star of the month’ to boost engagement.

How does the onboarding process work for new Expert LMS customers?

The onboarding process for Expert LMS is designed to be simple and fast. Because the platform is intuitive and easy to navigate, businesses can get up and running quickly.

Typically, onboarding begins with a demo, followed by full setup once approved. Custom branding, staff onboarding, and training can be completed rapidly, and businesses can onboard their own teams with ease. Expert LMS also integrates seamlessly with existing HR systems, allowing staff data to transfer automatically and reducing manual setup.

Managers can control access, assign career paths and courses, and staff can complete training on mobile or desktop with automated reminders. As a result, most organisations are fully operational on Expert LMS in a short timeframe, with minimal disruption.

What’s been Expert LMS’s biggest milestone so far?

One of Expert LMS’s biggest milestones has been onboarding major, well-known hospitality groups. Securing clients such as Gaucho, San Carlo Group, and even Diddly Squat Farm marked a real turning point for the business.

These wins weren’t just about scale, but credibility; once respected brands came on board, others quickly followed through recommendation and word of mouth. Alongside this, another key milestone has been growing the team, moving from a small founding group to a larger organisation able to deliver the high level of customer service we pride ourselves on.

More recently, we’ve taken that momentum overseas, contracting a US-based client with over 22,000 staff, which has been a huge milestone and a really exciting step for us.

Are there any recent projects or achievements you’re particularly proud of? 

Yes, one recent highlight has been gathering testimonials from several of our larger clients following the relaunch of our website. Speaking with organisations such as San Carlo and Sushi Samba was incredibly encouraging. They highlighted how easy it was to transition from their previous systems to Expert LMS, how intuitive the platform is to use, and, most importantly, how staff engagement with training has increased significantly.

At San Carlo Group in particular, they’ve seen staff engagement increase by 97% since adopting the platform. A key factor in this uplift has been our integrated communication and feeds feature, which replaces informal tools like WhatsApp with a more structured, compliant way for teams to communicate across individual branches and the wider organisation.

What’s most rewarding is hearing directly from clients that higher engagement in training is helping staff feel more invested in their roles and career paths. In sectors like hospitality, where retention is critical, that level of engagement makes a real difference, and that’s something we’re very proud of.

Why did you join GlobalWelsh, and how can the community support you?

We joined GlobalWelsh at a point where we wanted to invest our marketing efforts more strategically and connect with the right people as the business continued to grow internationally. We were looking for a space where we could get honest feedback, share ideas, and learn from other founders and businesses on similar journeys.

After meeting Mark Pendergast, leader of the GlobalWelsh Middle East Hub at an event, it became clear that the community offered exactly that, a supportive network with a strong international outlook. With our expansion plans focused on the US and the UAE, being part of a globally connected Welsh network felt like a natural fit.

One of the biggest benefits was seeing the value of the community almost immediately. After our very first GlobalWelsh meeting, we made a connection with another member that led to a meaningful collaboration and a new use case for our platform. That early experience really demonstrated the power of the network.

GlobalWelsh provides a well-structured platform where members can share knowledge, showcase what they’re working on, and make connections. It’s networking on a different scale, more purposeful, more collaborative, and genuinely supportive.

What’s next for Expert LMS?

The next phase for Expert LMS is all about growth and international expansion. In the coming year, we’ll be increasing our visibility by sponsoring and speaking at several major hospitality events in London, including hosting breakout sessions with Propel, a leading voice in the hospitality industry.

A key focus is continuing to build traction in the US market. Securing a small number of larger clients will allow us to expand our presence, create local jobs, and establish a physical office in the US. While we already have representation there, the next step is scaling that footprint.

Beyond geography, we’re excited about the platform’s global capability. Expert LMS supports multilingual training and works seamlessly for organisations with diverse, international workforces. Over the next couple of years, our focus will be on bringing more large, multi-site clients on board and continuing to grow as a truly international business.

CONNECT WITH EXPERT LMS VIA GLOBALWELSH CONNECT >>