Explore the Agenda
8:30 am Registration & Networking
Engagement at Speed: New Approaches to Energizing the Life Sciences Workforce
9:00 am Discover: Building a High Impact ‘White Glove’ Service Model with HR Business Partner
- How can HR shift from operational “order taking” to true business partnership during periods of rapid growth?
- Learn how Crinetics re-engineered its HRBP function, growing from 150 to nearly 600 employees in two years, by embedding HRBPs deeply in the business and integrating strategic partnership with employee relations to improve organizational design and workforce decisions
- See how a “white glove” HR service model, supported by an HR team of 25 and an HRBP ratio of <1:100, strengthened leadership alignment, improved talent deployment, and enabled the successful launch of Crinetics’ first commercial product
9:20 am Discover: Reenergizing Engagement Through Transparent, Employee Led Feedback at Octant
- How can life science organizations surface real engagement challenges when low attrition masks declining morale?
- Learn how Octant redesigned its engagement survey by shifting ownership to an R&D manager – driving authenticity, psychological safety, and crossteam alignment across a 60 person biotech
- See how this model fosters honest dialogue, reduces siloed thinking, and strengthens cultural resilience during industry uncertainty, offering practical steps any scaling biotech can replicate
9:40 am Develop: Elevating HR Impact Through Strategic Partnership & Transparent Feedback
Interactive Q&A Session
This session explores how HR can move beyond transactional tasks to become a true strategic partner during periods of rapid growth. We’ll examine how embedding HR business partners deeply within the organization and integrating employee-led feedback models can strengthen cultural resilience, improve organizational design, and drive authentic engagement.
- Shifting HR from “order taking” to strategic partnership for better workforce decisions
- Designing a high-touch HRBP model that scales with organizational growth
- Leveraging employee-led feedback to uncover hidden engagement challenges
- Practical steps to build psychological safety and cross-team alignment
10:00 am Action: Reimagining HR & Engagement for Organizational Agility
Roundtable Discussion
Building on the Q&A insights, this roundtable invites participants to share experiences and strategies for creating HR and engagement frameworks that enable agility and trust.
Together, we’ll explore how to balance operational excellence with cultural authenticity, ensuring HR and leadership alignment during rapid scaling.
- How can HRBPs embed themselves effectively without creating bottlenecks?
- What role does transparency play in sustaining engagement during uncertainty?
- How do you measure the impact of HR partnership and feedback initiatives?
- What practical steps help maintain cultural resilience as headcount grows?
10:20 am Networking Break
Accelerating Talent Strategies for Hypergrowth
11:00 am Discover: Optimizing Sales Hiring to Drive Hypergrowth & IPO Readiness at BillionToOne
- How can fast-scaling biotech organizations overcome misaligned hiring profiles and lengthy recruitment processes during hypergrowth?
- Learn how BillionToOne built a structured, data-driven recruitment strategy from scratch, aligning hiring managers on candidate profiles and streamlining interview stages to reduce time-to-hire without compromising quality
- By implementing these changes, BillionToOne exceeded quarterly hiring goals consistently, ensuring a strong sales workforce that supported IPO success and positioned the company for continued growth
11:20 am Develop: Optimizing Sales Hiring for Hypergrowth Success
This Q&A session explores how fast-scaling organizations can overcome recruitment bottlenecks and misaligned hiring profiles during periods of rapid growth. Learn practical strategies for building a structured, data-driven hiring process that accelerates time-to-hire without sacrificing candidate quality.
- Aligning hiring managers on ideal candidate profiles to reduce friction
- Designing a streamlined interview process that supports speed and quality
- Leveraging data-driven recruitment strategies to meet aggressive growth targets
- Ensuring sales team readiness to support IPO and long-term scalability
11:40 am Panel: The Human Side of M&A: What HR Needs to Get Right During Life Sciences Acquisitions
As life sciences organizations continue to scale through acquisition, HR is often the first function called on to stabilize culture, retain key talent, and keep employees engaged through uncertainty. In this candid panel, HR leaders who have recently navigated an acquisition share what really worked, what they would do differently, and how they balanced integration speed with safeguarding culture. Expect practical insights, honest reflections, and actionable takeaways you can apply to your next deal, or the one already on your horizon.
12:30 pm Lunch
1:30 pm Speed Learning
In this quick-fire session, each table will be hosted by an HR leader who will share the secrets of their most high-impact LEAP; you then get the opportunity to question the host before moving on to your next table.