GRIP, Internships Abroad Collaboration & Productivity at ASLAN Pharma

Business Development in Singapore

From my first day at ASLAN Pharmaceuticals, I knew the company culture I was entering would be unlike anything I had ever experienced. My boss took me out for coffee when I arrived, and we talked about my goals for the internship, the company’s goals for the future, and our backgrounds that led us to ASLAN (initially, she did a Ph.D. in molecular biology and now she runs investor relations and business development at a biotech company) among various other topics.

The company culture emphasizes productivity, so people are eager to take on work beyond the scope of their titular duties. However, once the work is completed, people are free to stay in the office, go home, for food, etc., because part of that productivity is not wasting time with insignificant busy work but rather working up till the meaningfulness of the day is maximized.

There are many company events to facilitate this positive, community-driven mindset. At 4:30 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, anyone in the office can attend a pilates class paid for by the company, and on Fridays at 3:30 pm, there is a more intense workout class so that people can stay active and keep their endorphins flowing. The evening of my first day was spent at a dinner with the business development team, where they asked me many questions about my background, and I had the opportunity to hear everyone’s story as well!

The entire office was so welcoming to my joining their team, even though I am the first intern they have taken on at the undergraduate level. Many colleagues have asked me out to lunch and are admirably open to my many questions.

However, with such an incredible team, of course, comes a mountain of work to stay on top of. I am currently working on multiple projects ranging from securing service providers and establishing company databases to creating slide decks and facilitating company events. I get to work with both the business development and medical teams, which is the perfect role for me based on my studies. I have also been able to apply my knowledge from Penn; I’ve noticed that many day-to-day concepts are taught in MKTG101 and my engineering classes (e.g., Excel).

It is certainly new to me that people at my company (and seemingly in Singapore) have an evident divide between personal and professional time. Very few people at my company will take a working lunch, and some will go for lunch for up to two hours before returning to work, which I was not used to coming from a constant working culture at Penn. However, I have grown to appreciate this system greatly, as even the people that take the longest lunch breaks come back refreshed and ready to put their best effort toward the rest of the day (and seem much less burnt out). I am so excited to continue working at ASLAN and grow many business and interpersonal skills.