WSDA New Zealand

What WSDA New Zealand does

WSDA New Zealand (Workplace Skills Development Academy) is a Wellington-headquartered training academy founded in 2014 that delivers emotional-intelligence (EQ) and soft-skills development programmes primarily to learners in South and Southeast Asia. The company markets its core programmes — Future CEO, Tomorrow's CEO and PPA Online (Professionalism and Professional Attitude) — as certification tracks for corporate and business leaders, senior managers, self-employed professionals and youth, with pricing per learner ranging from USD 277 to USD 965 across self-guided, semi-self-guided and blended learning tiers. Its technology stack is a conventional online learning management system delivering 100+ e-learning modules, virtual mentoring sessions and self-paced content, without a public API, mobile app or disclosed AI capabilities.

The business model is direct-to-consumer individual licence sales supplemented by channel partnerships: WSDA operates as Master Agent for Kalandra Education Group's NZQA-approved healthcare training across eight Asian countries, and holds joint delivery partnerships with United International University and Career Counseling Center in Bangladesh. GTM is sales-led with event-driven demand generation through the biennial International Youth Summit, which has run in Bangladesh (2016, 3,000+ participants), Nepal (2018, 500+) and virtually (2020, 100,000+ from 85+ countries) and now operates country chapters across Africa, South and Southeast Asia. Trainers average 25+ years of industry experience and the leadership bench is led by President & CEO John Faisandier and Dean of the Future CEO Programme Neaz Ahmed, a former MD/CEO of Bangladesh's National Bank Ltd and NZ Honorary Consul to Bangladesh. The company is privately held, bootstrapped with no disclosed funding, and operates with 11-50 employees.

Name

WSDA New Zealand

Legal name

Workplace Skills Development Academy

Website

https://wsda.ac.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WSDA New Zealand (Workplace Skills Development Academy) is a Wellington-based training academy founded in 2014 that delivers EQ-based soft-skills and leadership certification programmes (Future CEO, Tomorrow's CEO, PPA Online) to individuals and institutional partners across South and Southeast Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Development Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

Keywords

• Soft skills training
• Leadership development
• Emotional intelligence training
• Executive coaching
• Professional development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Future CEO Program: Certification program with registration fees ranging from USD 527 to USD 965 depending on learning format (self-guided, semi-self-guided, or blended learning). Includes lifetime access to training platform.
2. Tomorrow's CEO Program: Holistic skills development program with pricing from USD 277 to USD 885. Includes apprenticeship program allowing participants to earn while learning.
3. PPA Online Program: Professionalism and Professional Attitude workshop with registration fees from USD 297 to USD 585. Includes self-paced and blended learning options.
4. Kalandra Healthcare Training Partnership: Healthcare assistant training programs in partnership with Kalandra Education Group for Asian students seeking careers in New Zealand's healthcare sector

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

WSDA is a New Zealand-based training academy delivering EQ-based development programs such as the Future CEO Programme, Tomorrow's CEO Programme, and PPA Online, focused on soft skills, leadership, and professionalism training. The academy serves professionals primarily across South and Southeast Asian markets through self-paced, instructor-led, and blended learning formats, supplemented by partnerships with international institutions and healthcare training resellers.

Product overview

WSDA New Zealand is a New Zealand-based training academy offering EQ-based development programmes focused on soft skills training for personal and professional development. The core product portfolio includes three main programmes: Future CEO (for senior managers and executives seeking leadership positions), Tomorrow's CEO (for individuals building career foundations with apprenticeship and earning opportunities), and PPA Online (professionalism and professional attitude workshop). The company also operates as Master Agent for Kalandra Health Care Training programmes in Asia, covering NZQA-approved healthcare certifications. Additional offerings include the International Youth Summit platform and access to 100+ e-learning modules. Programmes combine online instructor-led training, self-paced e-learning, and mentoring sessions, with pricing tiers for blended, semi-self-guided, and self-guided learning formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Future CEO Programme
• Tomorrow's CEO Programme
• PPA Online (Professionalism and Professional Attitude)
• Kalandra Health Care Training

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United International University (UIU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023UIU and WSDA jointly offer workplace skills development programs to students, graduates, corporate executives and self-employed professionals in Bangladesh who want to achieve more successfully and ethically.
• Career Counseling Center (CCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023CCC partners with WSDA to deliver workplace skills development programs targeting students, graduates, and professionals seeking career advancement opportunities.
• Kalandra Education GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWSDA New Zealand appointed as Master Agent for Asia covering India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Malaysia, and Indonesia for Kalandra's healthcare training programs (Dementia Care, Mental Health, Community Care, Palliative Care, etc.)
• International Youth SummitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganized every two years globally with WSDA-NZ, WSDA-TUF Foundation, StepUP Foundation Bangladesh, Life Skill Coaching New Zealand, CSD Club International, HOPE'87 Bangladesh, and WSDA Bangladesh. Target audience: youth 18-40 years for personal and professional skills development.
• Country Chapters (Africa, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Youth Summit country chapters executing development activities through physical training and conferences in each country. Operations include Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh chapters.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Skillsoft: Enterprise corporate learning company offering leadership, business, and compliance training content and platforms. Comparable to WSDA's corporate soft-skills and leadership content, scaled into enterprise customers globally.
• Coursera: Large online learning platform offering professional development and leadership courses from top universities. Comparable to WSDA as a channel for online soft-skills and leadership learning, though broader and lower-touch.
• LinkedIn Learning: Subscription-based professional development library integrated with LinkedIn's professional network. Comparable to WSDA's online soft-skills content but delivered as part of a much broader enterprise talent platform.

Direct peers

• Dale Carnegie Training: Global leader in corporate training focused on leadership, sales, communication, and professional development with a franchise delivery model. Highly comparable to WSDA's Future CEO / Tomorrow's CEO leadership and soft-skills offerings for working professionals.
• Mind Tools: Provider of management, leadership, and personal effectiveness training resources to individuals and corporate clients. Comparable to WSDA's PPA Online and EQ-based leadership content targeting working professionals.
• American Management Association (AMA): Long-established provider of management and professional development courses for individuals and enterprises. Comparable to WSDA's blended/self-paced leadership and management training portfolio.
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Specialist in leadership education and research serving corporate executives globally. Comparable to WSDA in target audience (aspiring and current senior leaders) and outcome-driven leadership development methodology.
• FranklinCovey: Provider of leadership, effectiveness, and organizational performance training to enterprises and individuals worldwide. Directly comparable to WSDA's executive-focused Future CEO programme and EQ/professionalism curriculum.

Emerging players

• NovoEd: Collaborative learning platform offering professional and leadership development courses for enterprises and individuals. Comparable to WSDA in online soft-skills delivery, with a stronger enterprise collaboration orientation.
• Aspire Institute: Specialist in early-career and youth professional development programs often delivered in emerging markets. Comparable to WSDA's Tomorrow's CEO and International Youth Summit youth-focused segments, particularly in cross-border delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WSDANZ

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WSDA New Zealand