CoverStory
As a startup biotech, the BeiGene Commercial Learning and Development (CLD) department was a small team of two with ambitious goals.
We were charged with building a culture of learning that would support the new U.S. Commercial organization during a period of tremendous growth. This included meeting the needs of diverse stakeholders while delivering on launch training, employee development and leadership support. Essentially, we wanted to ensure our department had the capabilities to be a strategic partner for the growing business.
To achieve these lofty aspirations, we quickly realized we had to look at alternative ways to increase our bandwidth and capabilities during an important period of growth at BeiGene. That is how we decided to leverage the internship program as a strategic initiative to meet our needs and goals and became the first commercial department to employ interns.
Like many life science trainers and leaders, we started our learning and development (L&D) careers through informal means, trial and error, rather than formal degree programs. Therefore, to keep up to date with innovative learning strategies, we began the search to add an intern with a formal background in education, instructional design and/or learning technologies.
Mark RiedlVice President, Sales and CLDBeiGene
“The team does a great job making this a win-win situation. The interns have been given important projects and learned new skills, while the team has been able to expand their capabilities and capacity through the internship program.”
Mike SmithManager, Instructional Technology & Design(Also 2022 Intern)BeiGene CLD
“I consider being accepted to the internship program at BeiGene a defining moment in my life. It showed me how to be a true professional. I can definitively say my internship changed my life and set me up for my career.”
Kate Pierro2024 CLD Intern
“My internship with BeiGene has been an extraordinary experience, both professionally and personally. I’ve been valued not just as an intern, but as a contributor with unique experience and knowledge. This trust has empowered me to make creative decisions and feel genuinely involved in the success of my team. My exposure to industry professionals has been invaluable, allowing me to cultivate meaningful relationships and gain insights into the field. These connections, along with access to advanced industry tools, have significantly enhanced my portfolio.”
Olivia Crawford2024 CLD Intern
“Completing the internship program at BeiGene has been a beneficial and meaningful experience as I begin my career. This opportunity has exposed me to a wide array of professional experiences and has led to my growth and development as an instructional designer. Not only will I walk away with a wealth of new experiences, but also a tremendous amount of knowledge that I will carry with me for the rest of my career.”
Carey Clifton, NP2024 Intern Manager
“The BeiGene internship program has allowed me the great opportunity to grow my leadership and management skills. This practical experience has helped me build stronger communication and decision-making skills while also learning to motivate and guide others more effectively.”
Karl Kapp, Ed.D.Commonwealth University, formerly Bloomsburg University
“One of the things that is impressive about the BeiGene internship program is the structure, which helps the interns hit the ground running. The other thing is they are getting practical opportunities to apply their instructional design skills to real world situations and course development. Also, the interns are getting other opportunities such as professional advice, networking with other positions, figuring out how a large business runs/functions and then getting expert mentorship and guidance in the field of instructional design. BeiGene has a very good reputation among students regarding its overall experience and value.”
To gain leadership support and advocacy, we developed a list of strategic priorities for CLD and demonstrated how an intern could support successful execution, thereby meeting the needs of the team and the Commercial organization. Focus areas included the creation of leadership competencies, launch support through instructional design and assistance with implementing new learning systems and technologies.
We started with one intern in 2020 and increased to two interns each year since 2023, demonstrating the impact of interns for CLD.
The process we have developed to ensure a successful internship program includes:
Aligning strategic priorities with leadership during the planning process and identifying where interns can help in lieu of additional headcount.
Budgeting for interns in our yearly planning process.
Defining the scope of L&D work needed, which helps us seek out interns with specific skillsets from exceptional educational programs. For example, we have formed an informal partnership with Commonwealth University (formerly Bloomsburg University), which has a strong instructional design program. This has allowed us to identify and recruit candidates with the right competencies and training.
Identifying who on our team will be responsible for intern recruiting, interviews and management. This provides individual contributors with a great opportunity to develop hands-on management and leadership experience.
Providing newly hired interns with a structured onboarding program to introduce them to the organization and our projects, as well as resources for self-development.
Involving and exposing interns in various projects that expand their professional portfolios to deepen their experience.
Introducing them to suppliers and other departments as a networking opportunity for future employment.
After demonstrating the impact of interns through showcasing their contribution with our leaders, functional partners and other L&D departments, this further elevated support for interns beyond CLD.
The internship program has been wildly successful and mutually beneficial for both BeiGene and the interns. The interns gain valuable exposure and experience in the pharma industry, and learn from our diverse Commercial partners, while building their portfolios with relevant examples they can use as they pursue career opportunities upon graduation.
Some of the initiatives that interns have contributed to date include:
Developing a leadership competency model.
Creating and updating content for our largest indication launch.
Building a database of performance metrics.
Revamping and creating supplemental resources for new hire training.
Assisting in onboarding new learning professionals.
Logo development and graphic design support for a variety of projects.
Project managing and marketing our women in leadership initiative.
Developing standard operating procedures for our growing department.
Assisting with global procurement services contracting.
Our department has also benefited from the interns’ fresh perspectives, insights and use of diverse technologies to keep us on the cutting edge of L&D. In doing so, they have helped us reduce our dependence on suppliers and increase our efficiency to develop resources more quickly.
Additionally, with the impact that our internship program has demonstrated, we have been able to build advocacy for the growth of our department to support the expanding Commercial franchise. This resulted in the hiring of a previous intern to a full-time position to be our in-house instructional designer and learning experience platform manager.
We are proud of what we have achieved with the internship program, and we are excited about what’s next. In four years, we have expanded our internship program into a structured process that has mutually benefited our department and interns. As we continue the internship program, our vision for the future of this program includes:
Continuing to invest in the next generation of L&D talent while furthering our advocacy to grow our inhouse capabilities.
Identifying and nurturing talent for our CLD team and other functions within BeiGene for interns’ future includes career prospects.
Sharing this valuable program with the larger pharma L&D community, such as LTEN, to apply to their own department needs and scenarios.
Collaborating with our LTEN community to find opportunities to develop our interns into the next generation of L&D leaders.
The internship program at BeiGene CLD has been a successful initiative that has provided valuable learning experiences for both the interns and our department.
We have supported the professional growth of our interns by exposing them to various L&D projects and tasks, as well as mentoring them throughout their internship. We have also leveraged their skills and talents to enhance our L&D capabilities and deliver high-quality solutions for our learners. We look forward to continuing this program and exploring new ways to develop and retain the next generation of L&D leaders.
As L&D departments plan into the following year with situations that many may face, whether limited resources, more projects or expanded responsibilities, consider how internships provide a mutually beneficial investment for your teams.
Lisa Suen-Fox is director, commercial learning & development at BeiGene USA. Email Lisa at lisa.suen-fox@beigene.com or connect through linkedin.com/in/lisasuen.
Chris Walton is director, commercial learning & development at BeiGene USA. Email Chris at chris.walton@beigene.com or connect through linkedin.com/in/crwalton78.
Matt Kann is executive director, commercial learning & development at BeiGene USA. Email Matt at matt.kann@beigene.com or connect through linkedin.com/in/mattkann.
