Global Learning and Development Strategy with Andrew Viglione

From Sales to Learning and Development: Andrew Viglione’s Journey of Impact

Meet Andrew Viglione: A Career Rooted in Impact

With 13 years of professional experience, Andrew Viglione has seen both sides of the corporate spectrum—sales and learning development. He currently leads global strategy, curriculum development, and best practices at Gilead Sciences, a role that underscores his passion for empowering individuals and organizations alike.

When introducing himself, Andrew shared his excitement:

“I’ve spent time in sales, learning and development, and several stretch assignments across the industry. It’s been a rewarding journey, especially transitioning into pharmaceuticals post-pandemic. I’m thrilled to be here today.”

The Early Steps: From Business School to Medtech Sales

Andrew’s career trajectory began during his time at Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he discovered a strong desire to be connected to the outcomes of his work. This realization steered him into the world of medtech and pharmaceutical sales—a space where he could see tangible results of his efforts in the lives of customers and patients.

Highlights of Andrew’s Early Career:

First Role at Johnson & Johnson:
- He joined J&J’s Sales Training Representative Program, a gateway to their extensive sales organizations.
- The program emphasized developing skills critical for medtech and pharmaceutical industries.
Medtech Sales Representative:
- Over 18 months, Andrew transitioned into a sales role, spanning markets across Kentucky, West Virginia, and Northeast Ohio.
- These years allowed him to gain firsthand experience in the dynamics of sales and client interaction.

Finding Passion in Learning and Development

As Andrew advanced in his sales career, he discovered his passion for helping others grow—a realization that became the foundation of his transition into learning and development.

“I quickly realized the joy in helping people understand and succeed. That passion became a guiding force in my career.”

He returned to J&J, this time as a Training Manager, where he honed his skills in developing impactful learning strategies. His role involved addressing the challenges of integrating training across diverse acquisitions—a pivotal learning opportunity that exposed him to different organizational cultures and approaches.

Stepping into Leadership: Building Training Programs at J&J Surgical Vision

Andrew’s career took another leap when he assumed leadership of the Sales Training Organization at Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision.

Key Achievements:

Designed and implemented comprehensive sales training programs.
Built an organization that supported both new hires and existing talent.
Gained invaluable insights into fostering a learning culture within a corporate environment.

Reflecting on this experience, Andrew shared:

“Leading the training org was a defining moment. It gave me the opportunity to create meaningful learning experiences and align training with business objectives.”

Exploring New Horizons: Transitioning into Pharmaceuticals

Understanding the importance of diversity in experience, Andrew made a deliberate move into the pharmaceutical sector. He joined a newly formed team tasked with coordinating strategy across departments like medical affairs, sales, marketing, and contracting groups.

This shift offered a chance to:

Gain exposure to pharmaceutical operations.
Collaborate across functional teams to drive holistic strategies.
Deepen his expertise in global learning and development.

Landing at Gilead Sciences: A Culmination of Growth

An unexpected opportunity led Andrew to his current role at Gilead Sciences, marking his return to the learning and development domain. This move also brought personal benefits, as he and his family relocated to California—a fresh start on multiple fronts.

Key Responsibilities at Gilead:

Leading global learning initiatives for commercial and medical affairs teams.
Driving strategy to create impactful learning programs.
Building best practices that align with Gilead’s mission of making a difference in healthcare.

Andrew’s journey reflects not only professional growth but also the importance of embracing change and leveraging every opportunity to learn and evolve.

Balancing Global Consistency and Local Relevance: Strategizing Learning Curriculums for Global Teams

Designing and delivering learning curriculums for global teams is a challenge many L&D professionals grapple with. The need to balance consistency across geographies while tailoring for specific personas, learning paces, and market needs is no small feat. In a recent conversation, Andrew Viglione, Director of Global Commercial Learning and Development at Gilead Sciences, shared his approach to tackling this multifaceted issue.

The Unique Opportunity to Build a Global Learning Framework

When Andrew joined his current organization, he encountered a unique opportunity: contributing to a startup-phase global learning and development team. Unlike large, established organizations burdened by legacy systems and rigid structures, this role allowed him to shape strategies from the ground up.

“I stepped into a team that was still being established and growing, which meant the usual barriers weren’t as prominent. It was an exciting chance to reimagine how we do things on a global scale.”

The Balancing Act: Global Standards vs. Local Context

One of the critical insights Andrew shared was the importance of contextualization. While global organizations often aim to standardize learning programs, a one-size-fits-all approach rarely meets the nuanced needs of different markets.

Breaking Down the Strategy:

Competence vs. Confidence:
- Competence: Global teams focus on creating foundational, core content that establishes baseline knowledge.
- Confidence: Local markets adapt these materials to resonate with their unique cultural and operational contexts.
Empowering Local Markets:
- Andrew emphasized the importance of stepping back to let local teams own their markets.
- By creating materials and frameworks that are easy to adapt, global teams enable local affiliates to focus on being competitive within their unique landscapes.

Key Strategies for Global Learning Success

1. Centralize Core Competencies

At the global level, the goal is to create operational efficiency by standardizing materials related to core competencies. These materials provide a solid foundation and eliminate duplication of efforts.

“We focus on operationalizing and delivering core materials, so local markets can concentrate on competitive nuances.”

2. Decentralize Competitive Customization

Local teams are best positioned to understand their markets, customers, and competitive landscapes. Andrew’s approach emphasizes giving them the autonomy to adapt global frameworks to fit their needs.

3. Clear Delineation of Responsibilities

By defining roles—what the global team creates versus what local teams adapt—the strategy ensures clarity and reduces overlap:

Global Teams: Develop scalable, foundational learning assets.
Local Teams: Tailor and contextualize content to address specific market dynamics.

Competence and Confidence: A Winning Formula

Andrew’s strategy hinges on fostering both competence and confidence:

Competence: Providing consistent, high-quality learning materials that meet universal needs.
Confidence: Empowering local teams to adapt and apply these resources effectively within their unique markets.

“Global teams need to focus on operationalizing competence so local markets can build confidence and truly own their competitive edge.”

Overcoming Challenges in Global Learning and Development: Insights from the Ground

Building a global learning framework is an ambitious endeavor that comes with its own set of challenges. Andrew Viglione, Director of Global Commercial Learning and Development at Gilead Sciences, shed light on the complexities of identifying competencies, driving confidence, and ensuring sustainable learning practices across diverse markets.

Navigating the Complexities: The Early Stages of a Global L&D Strategy

Andrew emphasized that his team is still in the early phases of building a robust foundation for their global learning strategy.

“We’re thinking thoroughly about how to navigate challenges in a way that ensures long-term sustainability.”

His team’s approach begins with gathering as many insights as possible from global affiliates to understand their visions and needs. This helps identify areas where duplication can be minimized, enabling the global team to focus on strategy and operations while affiliates manage execution.

Common Challenges in Global Learning and Development

1. Balancing Strategy and Execution

A significant challenge lies in ensuring the global team focuses on strategic operations while empowering local affiliates to handle execution.

Roadblock: Global teams may unintentionally step into execution roles, creating inefficiencies.
Solution: Clearly delineating responsibilities between global and local teams ensures streamlined workflows and greater autonomy for affiliates.

2. Ensuring Competence, Confidence, and Competitiveness

“From a global scale, we can never keep up day-to-day with the nuances of local markets.”

The team acknowledges that while global organizations can foster competence (universal knowledge), confidence and competitiveness need to be developed locally.

3. Driving Learning Effectiveness

Effective training goes beyond onboarding—it requires consistent, ongoing development.

Building metrics to track learning impact.
Addressing the “70 percent of learning” that occurs on the job post-onboarding.

Addressing the Challenges: Key Strategies for Success

1. Operational Simplification

Andrew’s team focuses on simplifying processes and resources at the global level to allow affiliates to concentrate on delivering value locally.

“We’ve been really successful at segmenting responsibilities so affiliates can own what they do best.”

2. Creating Scalable Resources

The global team develops tools like:

Courses to drive competence: Foundational content applicable across regions.
Course shells to drive confidence: Flexible templates that affiliates can customize.

3. Leveraging Metrics and Data

To articulate the value of L&D efforts, Andrew’s team emphasizes:

Providing baseline metrics to track the effectiveness of training programs.
Enabling affiliates to showcase the ROI of L&D initiatives to senior leaders who may not fully grasp their importance.

“Arming affiliates with data helps them tell a compelling story about the value of learning and development.”

Success Stories and Ongoing Efforts

Early Wins

By segmenting responsibilities and simplifying operations, Andrew’s team has already seen significant progress. Affiliates are better equipped to drive confidence and competitiveness, leading to faster access to customers and more effective coaching.

A Long Journey Ahead

Despite the progress, Andrew acknowledges the journey is far from over:

“We still have a very long way to go, but our focus remains on enabling people to own what they’re best at.”

The Ties Between L&D and Business Outcomes

Andrew emphasized the direct connection between effective L&D strategies and business success:

“L&D teams’ inputs and outcomes are directly tied to business outcomes.”

From improving speed-to-market to enhancing employee performance, a strong global L&D framework can significantly impact organizational growth.

Balancing Consistency with Regional Flexibility in Global Learning Programs

One of the most pressing challenges for global learning teams, particularly in industries like pharmaceuticals, med tech, and biotech, is maintaining consistency while ensuring regional flexibility. Andrew Viglione sheds light on how his team navigates the complexities of contextualizing content for local markets while delivering a unified global learning framework.

The Unique Challenges of Regional Customization

In industries with strict regulations, like pharma, delivering tailored learning experiences involves navigating roadblocks such as:

Copy Approval Processes: Legal, regulatory, and medical affairs approvals vary significantly by region, influencing how content is deployed.
Market-Specific Needs: Customer interactions, claims, and cultural nuances require careful localization to ensure relevance and compliance.

“Markets can be really specific in how they deploy content and what can be said about certain material.”

A Two-Tiered Approach to Content Development

Andrew’s strategy revolves around dividing content creation responsibilities between global and regional teams to play to each group’s strengths.

1. Global-Level Competence Building

At the global level, the focus is on creating core materials that remain consistent across markets. Examples include:

Universal Principles: Disease states (e.g., HIV) and product usage steps, which are the same globally.
Foundational Content: Resources that can be scaled to all regions without requiring customization.

2. Regional-Level Application

Local affiliates take the lead on customizing content to meet specific market needs, such as:

Translating global content into culturally relevant formats.
Adding region-specific claims or customer engagement strategies.
Complying with local legal and regulatory requirements.

“We focus on competence at the global level and rely on affiliates for confidence and competitiveness in their local markets.”

The Importance of Structuring Content

A critical aspect of balancing global consistency and regional flexibility lies in structuring content effectively. Andrew’s team ensures that:

Global Materials Avoid Duplication: Reducing redundancy in global training resources saves time and effort.
Local Teams Own Customization: Affiliates bring content to life in ways that resonate with their audiences.

By segmenting responsibilities, Andrew’s team avoids unnecessary delays caused by centralized approvals for region-specific content.

The Role of Affiliates in Competitive Localization

Local affiliates are essential in ensuring the application of learning materials resonates with market-specific needs.

Market Insights: Local teams understand customer dynamics and regulatory requirements better than global teams.
Ownership of Competitive Edge: Affiliates are empowered to focus on making their teams competitive in local markets without the constraints of global oversight.

“The more we move toward confidence and competitiveness, the more we rely on affiliates to fill in those gaps and own the process.”

Streamlining Processes to Avoid Bottlenecks

By defining clear roles for global and local teams, Andrew’s approach minimizes delays caused by lengthy approval processes for materials that may not meet local needs.

Key Steps Include:

Defining Global vs. Local Roles: Distinguishing between what global teams build and what affiliates are responsible for.
Optimizing Approval Pipelines: Streamlining content reviews to ensure materials meet local standards without slowing down deployment.

Adapting L&D Strategies Across Business Units: A Tailored Yet Unified Approach

When it comes to managing Learning and Development (L&D) strategies across diverse business units, Andrew Viglione brings invaluable insights. Whether working in med tech or pharmaceuticals, his approach highlights the necessity of balancing customization for therapeutic areas with the efficiency of standardized global learning strategies.

The Challenge: Diverse Needs Across Therapeutic Areas

In a global organization with multiple therapeutic areas, each product or drug often requires a distinct learning strategy.

Varied Use Cases: The end-use of an implantable device differs vastly from a single-use item or a pharmaceutical product.
Market Nuances: Therapeutic areas demand a localized touch to address specific regulatory, clinical, and customer needs.

“Each therapeutic area must own its strategy, as we can’t create content for every area in every country.”

Designing a Modular Framework

To address the complexity of managing L&D across business units, Andrew employs a modular design approach:

Core Standardized Content:
- Identify elements that are universally applicable across all therapeutic areas, such as disease states or general product usage instructions.
- Standardize these components for global efficiency.
Localized Customization:
- Provide affiliates with the flexibility to adapt and contextualize core materials for their regional markets and therapeutic areas.
- Tailor materials based on local regulations, cultural nuances, and competitive needs.

“We design tools and resources in specific, modular pieces so they can be swapped out or customized as needed.”

The Disney World Analogy: Complexity Behind Simplicity

Andrew likens effective L&D to the operational model of Disney World:

Visible Simplicity: To the learner, training appears as a seamless, cohesive experience.
Hidden Complexity: Behind the scenes, countless moving parts—data, content design, and logistics—work together to deliver that polished experience.

“What the learner sees is one cohesive course, but behind the scenes, it’s broken into modular components for efficiency.”

Deployment Strategy: Centralized vs. Localized Execution

Centralized Creation for Efficiency

Global teams focus on building foundational resources that:

Serve as a baseline for multiple therapeutic areas.
Minimize duplication of efforts across regions.

Localized Adaptation for Relevance

Regional affiliates take ownership of:

Customizing global content for local regulatory and market needs.
Executing tailored learning programs to address specific therapeutic or customer demands.

“The discussion becomes, ‘Is this something global should create, or should it be owned by our affiliates who know best?’”

Leveraging Data for Strategic Decisions

Data organization is a critical factor in making informed decisions about content creation and deployment.

Global Content Catalog: A centralized system that catalogs learning materials to:
- Avoid duplication.
- Ensure affiliates can access relevant global resources.
Data-Driven Insights: Using metrics to determine which components require standardization versus localization.

Balancing Standardization with Customization

Andrew emphasizes that while content should feel continuous to the learner, breaking it into smaller, flexible components on the backend allows for:

Faster Deployment: Smaller pieces are easier to adapt and approve, reducing time to market.
Tailored Delivery: Affiliates can modify parts of a course to better fit local needs without disrupting the overarching framework.

Leveraging Data for Impactful Learning and Development: Insights from Andrew Viglione

Data-driven strategies are revolutionizing the Learning and Development (L&D) landscape. Andrew Viglione, Director of Global Commercial Learning and Development at Gilead Sciences, shares his approach to harnessing data for improving learning outcomes and demonstrating ROI. Let’s dive into the discussion to uncover his key strategies, challenges, and takeaways for L&D professionals.

The Role of Data in Modern L&D

Data is at the heart of effective L&D, enabling teams to:

Identify gaps and opportunities.
Create targeted and impactful programs.
Measure the ROI of learning initiatives.

Andrew emphasizes the importance of not only collecting data but also using it strategically to inform decisions:

“It’s not just about data analytics but what you do after you have that data. How do you use it to enable your users and identify the right strategies?”

Establishing Baseline Metrics

Before diving into advanced metrics, it’s crucial to establish foundational baseline data:

Completion Rates: Tracking how many learners complete assignments or certifications.
Performance Metrics: Monitoring scores to assess engagement and comprehension.
Utilization Data: Ensuring tools and systems are being used effectively.

While these may seem like vanity metrics, they set the stage for deeper analysis. Andrew explains:

“Baseline metrics help us tell the story. They ensure we’re tracking tool utilization and learner engagement before we measure broader impact.”

Moving Beyond Vanity Metrics

To demonstrate real business impact, L&D teams must go beyond completion rates. Andrew highlights key areas of focus:

Correlation with Business Outcomes
- Connect learning outcomes to measurable business performance, such as sales growth or customer satisfaction improvements.
- Example: Correlating high scores in new hire training with faster ramp-up times and improved sales numbers.
Post-Training Impact
- Analyze the long-term effects of learning programs, particularly how they translate to on-the-job performance.
- Example: Tracking the impact of competitive selling workshops on sales figures for a targeted product.
Storytelling with Data
- Use data to craft compelling narratives that resonate with stakeholders.
- Example: Highlighting how post-training coaching improved customer interactions, leading to increased revenue.

Leveraging the Kirkpatrick Model

Andrew’s team uses the Kirkpatrick Model as a framework to evaluate learning effectiveness:

Level 1: Reaction – Measure participant satisfaction and immediate feedback.
Level 2: Learning – Assess knowledge retention through tests or quizzes.
Level 3: Behavior – Observe how learning translates to on-the-job actions.
Level 4: Results – Evaluate business outcomes tied to learning initiatives.

“The Kirkpatrick Model helps us align learning metrics with business objectives, providing a structured way to showcase ROI.”

Overcoming Challenges in L&D Measurement

Andrew acknowledges the complexities of tracking learning effectiveness across global teams:

Data Overload: With so much data available, it’s crucial to focus on metrics that matter.
Stakeholder Alignment: Ensuring leadership understands and supports the value of learning initiatives.
On-the-Job Learning: Recognizing that most learning happens informally, beyond structured programs.

To address these challenges, Andrew advocates for building strong foundations and clear narratives:

“We know most learning happens on the job. Our role is to tell that story through data and demonstrate the value of long-term, informal learning.”

Building a Culture of Learning

For Andrew, effective L&D goes beyond metrics—it’s about creating a lasting impact:

Focus on What You Can Control: Prioritize actionable areas while navigating uncontrollable external factors.
Empower Learners: Equip employees with the tools and confidence to succeed.
Foster a Learning Culture: Celebrate milestones and embed learning into the organization’s DNA.

“Learning and development is about making an impact. At the end of the day, we all want our learners to succeed and thrive in the marketplace.”