About

The people
behind the work.

Most learning programs move money, not people. The research is unambiguous: low behavior change rates, unproven ROI, skills gaps widening faster than curricula can respond. Navilo was founded on the conviction that better is possible. It has to be designed, not assumed.

Michael Ouwerkerk – Founder & Principal Consultant
Founder & Principal
🎓 Higher Education
🌍 5 Continents
🤖 AI & EdTech
Michael Ouwerkerk
Founder & Principal Consultant

Michael Ouwerkerk has spent over a decade building learning systems that produce measurable results. Across three ventures and more than 50 client engagements spanning universities, multinationals, NGOs, and government departments on five continents, he has designed education infrastructure that demonstrably changes what organizations can do.

The projects span global universities, professional sports federations, multinational telecoms, NGOs, and government education departments. The solutions range from AI-powered learning with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), geolocation-based field training tools, and custom learning management systems, to adaptive learning pathways, multimedia instructional design, and large-scale blended program rollouts. The through line across all of it: systems designed to measurably change what people can do.

The world is changing faster than most educational programs can follow. Navilo was founded on the belief that the right response is not to catch up - it is to design ahead.

50+ Projects delivered
3 Education ventures
12+ Years in practice
Work with Michael
How we staff

Principal-led.
Specialist-assembled.

Navilo is not one person doing everything. Michael leads every engagement, from strategy and client relationships through to delivery quality, but every project is staffed with the right specialist for the work.

That means a senior instructional designer when curriculum is on the brief. An LMS architect when platform integration is the priority. An evaluation specialist when measurement frameworks are what's needed. Associates who have built careers in their domain, not generalists pulled in to fill capacity.

Boutique by design. Senior throughout. Assembled for purpose.

Why we exist

The problems we were built to solve.

01

The skills gap is accelerating.

44%
of core skills disrupted in five years World Economic Forum, 2023
02

AI is compressing the skill half-life.

2.5 yrs
average professional skill half-life IBM Institute for Business Value
03

Training rarely reaches behavior.

15%
of training that produces lasting behavior change Association for Talent Development
04

ROI is rarely proven.

<25%
of L&D leaders who can show business impact McKinsey & Company
05

What works in one market rarely works in another.

20%
of annual training budgets wasted on re-training due to ineffective, non-localized programs Deloitte Insights, via TechClass
06

AI is raising the bar for human-centered design.

#1
highest-impact L&D capability next 3 years Gartner, 2024
Senior consultants in a working session
The kind of working session we run: senior, focused, direct.
How we work

Principles, not platitudes.

01

Senior-led. Always.

The person you meet in the pitch leads the engagement. For the specialist work each project requires, we bring in associates who meet the same standard: senior practitioners with real track records. No juniors. No generalist bench.

02

Outcomes, not outputs.

Reports and workshops are not the deliverable – changed behavior and measurable performance improvement are. We define success metrics before we begin and hold ourselves accountable to them at the end.

03

Honest scoping.

We say no to work that isn't the right fit. If your challenge is outside our lane, we'll tell you – and, where possible, connect you to someone who can help. Long-term trust matters more than a single contract.

04

Global reach, local context.

Navilo has designed learning for multinational organizations across multiple continents and markets. That experience shapes how we work: with genuine understanding of how culture, language, and institutional context determine whether a program lands or gets shelved.

Where we operate

Three hubs. One standard.

Africa & Middle East

Our founding base and strategic anchor for African and emerging-market education transformation engagements.

UK & EMEA

Hub for European and EMEA clients, with deep connections across the UK's education and corporate learning sector.

US & Americas

Our Americas hub, covering North and Latin America with access to a world-class corporate learning community.

What we do

Six service lines. All accountable to outcomes.

View all services
Ready to talk?

Let's find out if we're the right fit.

We have a short discovery call with every prospective client before committing to a proposal. No pitch deck, no hard sell – just an honest conversation about your challenge.

Book a Discovery Call