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George Lindley

Market-Driven Product Strategy in a Regulated Education Ecosystem

Designing and Scaling a Curriculum-Aligned English Programme for the Middle East

In 2019, as Learning Consultant for Pearson Middle East, I led the regional coordination and market validation process for the development of a new English language course series: Academic Progress.

The objective was not simply to launch a new textbook, but to design a product that:

  • Reflected actual classroom realities
  • Aligned with institutional procurement expectations
  • Addressed regulatory and cultural requirements
  • Scaled sustainably across universities in the region

The series became Pearson’s number one-selling English course across Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

The success was rooted in a structured, data-led development framework.

Strategic Framework: A Five-Stage Development Model

Rather than beginning with content assumptions, we began with structured market intelligence.

Step 1: Market Data Collection

I led the sales team in systematically collecting institutional data on:

  • Course structures currently in use
  • Competitor materials
  • Skill segmentation models
  • Curriculum configurations across preparatory year programmes

The goal was strategic positioning.

Instead of building a product from scratch, we selected a global base title from Pearson’s portfolio that most closely aligned with existing market structures. This reduced switching friction and increased adoption feasibility.

The approach mirrored early-stage market analytics: start with observable demand patterns before building supply.

Step 2: Data Analysis & Market Segmentation

Analysis revealed:

  • 55% of preparatory year revenue (addressable market) used split-skills courseware
    (separate Reading/Writing and Listening/Speaking components)
  • Existing materials were largely “academic-lite,” favouring general-interest themes over STEM-oriented content

This insight shaped product positioning:

  • Maintain structural compatibility (split-skills model)
  • Elevate academic depth and skills integration
  • Differentiate through stronger institutional alignment

This was less about creative publishing and more about strategic product-market fit.

Step 3: Structured Focus Group Design

We then conducted targeted focus groups with selected institutional representatives.

Participants were chosen based on:

  • Current product usage
  • Classroom experience with target learners
  • Institutional influence
  • Potential as early adopters

The objective was dual:

  1. Identify product gaps relative to competitor offerings
  2. Build institutional champions through co-creation

This stage transformed customers from end-users into contributors within the design cycle.

Step 4: Localised Product Development

The regional product team developed the series with structured input from selected institutional contributors.

Key refinements included:

  • Cultural and contextual alignment with regional sensitivities
  • Inclusion of regionally relevant case studies and topics
  • Introduction of two new lower-level bands to widen accessibility
  • Dedicated 21st-century skills sections within each unit

These changes were not cosmetic. They reduced institutional resistance and strengthened curriculum alignment.

Step 5: Iterative Review & Early Adoption Strategy

A second structured review phase was conducted with selected academic reviewers.

Reviewers were:

  • Carefully selected for strategic institutional relevance
  • Compensated and formally credited
  • Positioned as early adopters within their institutions

Two reviewers became first adopters of the series.

One year later, their structured feedback informed the final refinement pass — creating the edition still in circulation today.

Execution as Institutional System Design

From a strategic perspective, Academic Progress demonstrates:

  • Data-led product positioning
  • Institutional market segmentation
  • Structured stakeholder integration
  • Regulatory and cultural localisation
  • Early adopter activation strategy
  • Scalable regional rollout

Rather than viewing education publishing as content creation, this project treated it as a systems problem:

Market intelligence → Product alignment → Institutional co-creation → Early adoption → Iterative refinement → Regional scaling.

Commercial & Strategic Impact

Academic Progress became Pearson’s best-selling English course across Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey for three consecutive years.

While commercial figures remain confidential, the measurable impact included:

  • Wide institutional adoption
  • Sustained renewal cycles
  • Multi-year market penetration
  • Strong alignment with preparatory year programme structures

The success was not driven by aggressive sales tactics, but by disciplined market alignment and structured product design.

Why This Project Matters

This project sits at the intersection of:

  • Education systems strategy
  • Institutional market analytics
  • Regulatory navigation
  • Scalable product execution

It complements my work in AI analytics (Menacon) and regulatory systems mapping (Regulated Plants) by demonstrating the same underlying principle:

Complex, policy-driven environments require structured system design — not surface-level optimisation.