Day One

• How can HR leaders drive momentum across multiple change initiatives while avoiding organisational inertia?
• Explore Lonza’s bold people strategy launched in parallel with a new CEO, operating model, and business strategy, centred on building a future-ready organisation, leading capabilities, and an unparalleled employee environment
• Learn how Lonza is aligning talent, culture, and workforce planning to support rapid growth and AI enabled transformation, with early lessons on balancing ambition, credibility, and change absorption across a global enterprise

• How can HR leaders evolve beyond traditional boundaries to drive deeper cultural impact and operational synergy?
• Explore how ProQR Therapeutics restructured its leadership model by merging HR with seven operational departments, including IT, Facilities, QA, and CMC, to break down silos, improve communication, and foster a unified company culture
• Learn how this integrated approach led to measurable improvements, including an incredible ‘Great Place to Work’ score, a 2% reduction in sickness rates over three years and stronger cross-functional collaboration, contributing to a more agile and engaged workforce

This interactive Q&A explores how HR leaders are driving transformation by aligning talent strategy with operational integration and cultural evolution. Learn how bold leadership models and future-ready people strategies are helping organisations navigate rapid change, break down silos, and build environments that support growth and resilience.

• Aligning HR strategy with business transformation and new operating models
• Integrating HR with operations to foster cross-functional collaboration
• Building a future-ready workforce while maintaining cultural integrity
• Balancing ambition, credibility, and change absorption across global teams

This roundtable invites participants to reflect on how HR can scale its impact by integrating culture, operations, and strategic planning. Building on the Q&A session, the discussion will explore how leadership models and people strategies can be designed to support agility, engagement, and long term transformation.

• How can HR lead multiple change initiatives without overwhelming the organisation?
• What are the benefits and risks of merging HR with operational functions?
• How do you maintain cultural cohesion during structural transformation?
• What metrics best capture the success of integrated HR strategies?

Leave with actionable ideas to evolve your HR leadership model – balancing operational synergy, cultural depth, and strategic agility.

• How can HR teams help employees navigate layoffs while maintaining trust, motivation, and long term career prospects?
• Discover how Ryvu Therapeutics developed an outplacement program in response to a one-third workforce reduction, offering CV-building support, LinkedIn profile preparation, career coaching, and CEO-led networking opportunities
• With around 80% of affected employees successfully re-employed or starting PhD studies within six months, the initiative shows how thoughtful HR leadership and collaboration can strengthen both individual recovery and organisational resilience

• Discover how to architect a robust HR blueprint for small biotech organisations, mastering the complexities of operating across diverse European jurisdictions in a rapidly evolving business landscape
• Delve into the art of cultivating organisational agility, managing every facet of HR to create a destination workplace that attracts and retains top talent throughout Europe
• Gain insights into how visionary HR leadership and strategic partnerships can accelerate sustainable growth, ensuring seamless scaling and positioning your biotech for long-term success

This interactive Q&A explores how HR leaders can navigate complex transitions – whether downsizing or scaling – while maintaining trust, agility, and long-term impact. Learn how thoughtful outplacement strategies and holistic HR frameworks can support both individual recovery and organisational evolution.

• Designing empathetic outplacement programmes that rebuild trust
• Supporting career transitions through coaching, networking, and visibility
• Building agile HR structures across diverse jurisdictions
• Creating destination workplaces that attract and retain top talent

This roundtable invites participants to reflect on how HR can lead with empathy while architecting resilient, scalable organisations. Building on the Q&A session, the discussion will explore how to balance operational complexity with human-centred leadership in both growth and transition contexts.

• How can HR maintain motivation and trust during workforce reductions?
• What does it take to build an agile HR function across multiple jurisdictions?
• How do we measure the impact of people-first strategies on long-term retention?
• What role does leadership visibility play in shaping employee experience?

Leave with actionable ideas to lead HR through change – strengthening both individual outcomes and organisational culture.

• How can a biotech company safeguard its entrepreneurial spirit during a period of hypergrowth and commercialisation?
• Learn how Santhera embedded cultural ambassadors, prioritized hiring for cultural fit, and elevated employee experience as a strategic driver of scale
• Even while growing at record pace, Santhera preserved its core identity and strengthened engagement, ensuring culture became a catalyst rather than a casualty of expansion

• How can a life sciences organisation grow by over 50% in just one year while preserving its core culture?
• Explore how one organisation maintained cultural integrity during rapid expansion through a robust communication strategy, leadership alignment, and embedding culture into organisational reviews, spending 30% of review time on culture alone
• Learn how the successful internal rollout of a major partnership with Roche Pharmaceuticals became a cultural milestone, with positive feedback across the business and a culture survey showing consistent results despite the scale-up

This interactive Q&A explores how organisations can preserve and strengthen their cultural identity during periods of rapid expansion. Drawing on real-world strategies, the session highlights how embedding cultural ambassadors, hiring for fit, and aligning leadership communication can turn growth into a catalyst for deeper engagement.

• Safeguarding entrepreneurial spirit while scaling operations
• Embedding culture into hiring, onboarding, and leadership practices
• Using strategic communication to reinforce values during change
• Elevating employee experience as a driver of sustainable growth

This roundtable invites participants to reflect on how culture can be intentionally scaled and sustained during organisational hypergrowth. Building on the Q&A session, the discussion will explore how communication, leadership alignment, and employee experience can be leveraged to maintain cohesion and purpose.

• What cultural elements must be protected during rapid expansion?
• How can communication strategies reinforce identity across growing teams?
• What role should leadership play in modelling and scaling culture?
• How do you measure cultural health during periods of transformation?

Leave with actionable ideas to embed culture into your growth strategy – ensuring it remains a source of strength, not strain.

• How can organisations address an ageing workforce and lack of diversity in thinking and technology adoption?
• Explore Biogen’s strategic implementation of a two-year graduate programme, co-designed with graduates to ensure relevance and retention, aimed at reversing a trend of hiring only tenured professionals in an exercise to remain lean
• Learn how the initiative increased junior workforce representation by over 10% at minimal cost, empowered graduates to lead innovation in areas like Power BI and digital communication, and created lasting organisational impact through organic “reverse mentoring” projects

• How can a global organisation transform its learning and development strategy to drive measurable business impact?
• Explore Novo Nordisk’s journey to redefine its learning culture through a global framework, including how they diagnosed cultural barriers and began building a shared, deliberate approach to capability development
• Learn how the organisation is shifting from satisfaction-based metrics to outcome-driven learning, and how this foundational work is setting the stage for future ROI and competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving industry

This interactive Q&A explores how organisations are revitalising workforce diversity and learning culture to drive innovation and long-term impact. Learn how targeted graduate programmes and global learning frameworks are helping reshape organisational capability, shift cultural mindsets, and prepare teams for the future.

• Reversing workforce ageing and skill stagnation through graduate initiatives
• Co-designing programmes to ensure relevance, retention, and innovation
• Building global learning frameworks that move beyond satisfaction metrics
• Embedding outcome-driven learning to support strategic growth

This roundtable invites participants to reflect on how organisations can embed learning and development into their talent strategy to rejuvenate culture and drive measurable business outcomes. Building on the Q&A session, the discussion will explore how to balance generational diversity, digital fluency, and strategic learning design.

• How can graduate programmes be designed to drive innovation and retention?
• What shifts are needed to move from satisfaction-based to outcome-driven learning?
• How do you embed learning culture across global teams with diverse needs?
• What role does reverse mentoring play in shaping future-ready organisations?

Leave with actionable ideas to strengthen your talent pipeline and learning strategy – ensuring your workforce is equipped, engaged, and aligned with future goals