How ERG leaders at Bristol Myers Squibb turned TEDxBusiness into a cross-regional movement

The challenge

After navigating a period of industry-wide restructuring, like many pharmaceutical organizations, Bristol Myers Squibb was feeling the effects of change fatigue. In the midst of such change, there emerged a growing need to bring the workforce together in a way that felt meaningful rather than obligatory. A core team of BMS’s Boudry, Switzerland employees proposed to the local leadership to create an experience that would bring people together and increase connection and employee engagement.

The idea

Three leaders from BMS’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) came together to solve this challenge. Claudio Zironi (Process Quality Lead), had attended a TEDxBusiness event at a previous employer and knew its potential. He brought the idea to Gino Lannutti (Associate Director of Security) and Jessica Meechan (Change and Transformation Lead), and together they became the driving force behind what would become TEDxBMS Switzerland.

Their vision was clear from the start: an event built by employees, for employees. One that would give voice to colleagues who rarely had the stage. Not executives delivering strategy updates, but real people sharing their personal stories, passions and ideas that make them who they are. The theme they chose, “Beyond the Visible,” was an invitation to see colleagues as whole people, not just job titles.

“BMS Boudry has so many ideas worth spreading, and talents able to make the site shine. We just needed to set up the stage and give them a voice.”
— TEDxBMS Switzerland organizing team

The plan

The core team knew that an event of this caliber would require a serious commitment. They began ideating early, with the vision and operational planning solidified more than 6 months before the event.

Support from TED

The TED@Work team provided direct support throughout the planning and execution of the TEDxBMS Switzerland event, helping guide the organizers through their first experience producing a TEDx program. Drawing on best practices from TED events and learnings from the wider TEDx community, the team offered guidance across the full organizing process, including speaker selection and preparation, program development, production planning, audience experience and alignment with TEDx standards. This support helped equip the organizers with the knowledge and confidence to deliver a successful event.

Mobilizing internal volunteers

The TEDxBMS Switzerland organizers recruited volunteers from across the five ERGs, appointing trusted workstream leads for speakers, logistics, marketing, communications and workshops. Delegation was critical. As one organizer explained, the strength of the event came down to choosing the right people and trusting them to deliver.

Selecting and coaching TEDx speakers

The team promoted the opportunity through every channel available: town halls, emails, digital screens, internal posts and other creative awareness tactics. An astounding 33 BMS employees submitted proposals to speak, crafting thoughtful and unique submissions. Through a careful selection process focused on diversity of background, topics and emotional resonance, the team chose 15 TEDx speakers.

After speakers were selected, they began a transformative coaching journey. Many speakers had little to no experience on stage. In addition to support from public speaking coaches, BMS’s speakers completed TED Masterclass, voluntary rehearsals and feedback sessions in the months leading up to the event. They practiced in small groups, learned from each other’s styles and formed lasting bonds in the process; speakers even had accountability partners to support them along the way.

“For many speakers, this was a life-changing experience. They had emotional breakthroughs and personal growth that went far beyond presentation skills.”
— Claudio, TEDxBMS Switzerland organizer

Curating the experience

TEDxBMS Switzerland was essentially designed as a full-day festival, not just a speaking event. The day featured three curated speaker blocks, each designed to take the audience through a deliberate emotional arc. Topics ranged from the unexpected and thought-provoking to deeply personal stories, ending on a note of uplift and optimism. Between talks, music served as an interstitial, easing transitions and keeping the energy alive.

Alongside the talks, employees led workshops, an art gallery showcased internal talent and creative programming ran throughout the day. Everything was organized in-house. That was a deliberate choice that reinforced the event’s identity as something that belonged to the BMS community.

Building excitement from within

Internal marketing was creative and incredibly effective. The team appeared at every town hall, produced teaser videos, distributed flyers, activated digital screens across the site and used playful tactics to differentiate the event from standard corporate programming. As the event’s momentum became clear, senior leaders at BMS became increasingly engaged, and ever more employees volunteered to be part of this journey.

On event day, more than 500 employees moved through the experience: with up to 140 in each speaking block, with workshops and programming filling the spaces between. Attendees registered for specific sessions and received bracelets for entry. The team had worked to remove every logistical barrier to attendance, from parking to session access.

The topics spanned patient stories, mental health, personal passions and moments of vulnerability. Speakers ranged from frontline employees to middle managers, each sharing something deeply personal and revealing a side of themselves their colleagues had never seen.

The impact

A post-event survey of 102 respondents showed that attendee satisfaction scored a remarkable 4.76 out of 5. Relevance of the theme and topics scored 4.61 out of 5. Event organization (timing, flow and communication) scored 4.80 out of 5. Ninety-six percent of respondents attended at least one speaker block, and 46 percent attended a workshop despite normal work constraints. Ninety-six percent said they wanted to see more events like this at the Boudry site.

Impact on employees

While impressive, the survey results only tell part of the story. Employees described the mood at the Boudry site on event day as distinctly different from any normal working day. The dominant themes in open-ended responses were positive energy, inspiration, emotion, community and togetherness.

“I felt more connected to the people I work with and proud of the colleagues who shared their stories.”
— TEDxBMS Switzerland attendee

Respondents praised the event as human, authentic and non-corporate while simultaneously being highly professional. That is the hallmark of a well-executed TEDx event – and it’s nearly impossible to achieve through standard corporate communications or engagement programming.

“It truly felt like an event by employees, for employees. Authentic, inspiring, and very human.”
— TEDxBMS Switzerland attendee

Impact on speakers

For the 15 TEDx speakers, the impact was profound and lasting. Many overcame hurdles like public speaking delivery or even stage fright. Several have since leveraged their TEDx experience for new professional opportunities, adding “TEDx Speaker” to their LinkedIn profiles and gaining visibility they hadn’t had before. The coaching process built a tight-knit community of speakers that continues to meet and support one another, long after the event ended.

Impact on the organization

The event demonstrated something the organizers had believed from the start: that emotions in a professional environment are not a liability; they’re a winning combination. The TEDx event shifted BMS Switzerland from a workplace to a community, strengthening cross-functional ties and reinforcing a sense of belonging during a period of industry uncertainty. After attending the event, one senior executive’s reaction was simply: How can we make this scale?

The future

The response to TEDxBMS Switzerland was so powerful that BMS is now expanding the TEDx event format to its global headquarters in New Jersey. The original Boudry organizing team (Claudio Zironi, Gino Lannutti and Jessica Meechan) are now serving as consultants to the US teams, sharing their playbook and coaching the next generation of organizers. The team is also exploring plans for a second Boudry event, building on the foundation and community they’ve already established.