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For Suwitha (Mimi) Takerngkiat, HR Leader, growth is contagious when leaders go first — by staying curious, embracing learning agility, challenging their own assumptions, and creating the psychological safety teams need to learn, experiment, and grow.
As healthcare continues to evolve amid rapid technological advancement, shifting workforce expectations, and increasing business complexity, Johnson & Johnson (J&J MedTech) is rethinking what learning and development should look like in 2026. For the organisation, upskilling is no longer confined to formal training programmes. Instead, it is becoming a continuous, personalised, and purpose-led journey — one that connects employees’ career aspirations with business needs and real-world impact.
Through initiatives such as J&J Learn, its AI-enabled learning platform, as well as global mentoring, stretch assignments, leadership programmes, and cross-functional rotations, J&J is embedding learning into the everyday employee experience. Anchored in its annual employee survey, Credo, and purpose of "advancing health for humanity", the company is focused on building a workforce that is agile, future-ready, and equipped to lead through change.
In this edition of Upskilling 101, Suwitha "Mimi" Takerngkiat (pictured above), HR Leader, J&J MedTech, tells Sarah Gideon how the company is shaping its L&D strategy for 2026, the skills she believes will remain essential in healthcare, and why leaders must go first when it comes to learning agility.
Q How has J&J MedTech adapted its learning and development strategy to meet the challenges and opportunities of the year?
At Johnson & Johnson, we have transformed learning into a continuous and personalised journey that puts purpose at the center. Our annual employee survey (Credo) reinforces our commitment to growth, inclusion, and development for every team member.
In 2026, we are scaling "J&J Learn", an AI-enabled platform that helps employees identify skill opportunities aligned with both their career aspirations and evolving business needs. Through curated content, stretch assignments, and access to global mentors, we are seamlessly connecting education with real-world impact.
We bring learning to life through initiatives like "Global Learning Day", interactive leadership programmes, and rotational opportunities across commercial, clinical operations, and MedTech functions. This ensures our workforce stays agile, future-ready, and deeply grounded in our purpose of "advancing health for humanity".
Q What are the hottest, function-agnostic skills in your industry today – skills that will never fail you?
Three capabilities stand out as enduring differentiators in healthcare:
- Learning agility is foundational. In an industry defined by rapid innovation from AI-driven diagnostics to evolving regulatory landscapes, the ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn keeps professionals relevant and resilient.
- Empathetic collaboration across diverse stakeholders is essential. Healthcare requires building trust and influencing across cultures, disciplines, and perspectives, from patients and clinicians to regulators and communities. The ability to understand different worldviews and create alignment without authority drives meaningful outcomes.
- Decision-making in complexity separates good from great. Whether navigating product launches, workforce transformation, or ethical dilemmas, the ability to synthesise data, business context, and organisational values into responsible action is paramount.
These are not tied to any single role or function. They are the skills that ensure professionals can deliver impact at scale, regardless of where their career takes them.
Q How are you building these skills in your workforce? Essentially, how do you help employees accelerate their learning (especially when it comes to soft skills)?
We believe learning accelerates when it's continuous, practical, and embedded in real work.
Our ecosystem starts with "Learn", which connects employees to personalised pathways, mentors, and stretch assignments that develop measurable capability—not just knowledge. But the platform is only the beginning.
Leaders are our learning drivers. They're expected to coach, provide structured feedback, and model growth in everyday interactions. We've shifted from "training events" to "learning moments" that happen in the flow of work.
Collaboration is strengthened through cross-functional initiatives and enterprise forums that broaden perspective and sharpen influence. Strategic thinking develops through scenario planning, market rotations, and high-impact projects that challenge judgment in real time.
When learning is owned by both leaders and individuals and when it's tied directly to business outcomes, capability building becomes natural, sustainable, and transformative.
Q Personally speaking, how are you, as a leader, upskilling yourself for your role, as well as your HR team?
"I believe leaders must model the learning agility we ask of others."
Personally, I am deepening my understanding of emerging technologies and their implications for workforce strategy, not just the tools, but the human and ethical dimensions. I engage with external thought leaders, participate in cross-industry forums, and intentionally seek perspectives that challenge my assumptions.
For my team, I have created space for experimentation and reflection. I call it "learning sprints" where we explore emerging topics together from neuroscience of learning to future of work trends. I encourage my team to pursue rotational opportunities, attend global conferences, and bring fresh ideas back to shape our strategy.
Most importantly, I prioritise coaching over directing. My role is not to have all the answers, it is to ask the right questions, create psychological safety, and empower my team to lead with confidence and purpose. Growth is contagious when leaders go first.
Q If you could have any superpower to enhance your learning and development efforts, what would it be and how would you use it to shape the future of work?
I would choose the power to help people see their own potential before they do.
Imagine if every employee could experience a glimpse of their future self, the leader they are capable of becoming, the impact they will create, the lives they will touch. Not as pressure, but as possibility.
So much of learning is held back by self-doubt, imposter syndrome, or simply not knowing what is possible. If people could “feel” their future capability in their bones, they would pursue growth with courage rather than fear.
I would use this superpower to unlock what is already there to help people recognise that they are not building toward something external but remembering and becoming who they truly are.
Because it is about we, as human beings, stepping fully into their power and using it to serve something greater than themselves. That is the transformation that changes everything.
Check out our other Upskilling 101 stories here.
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