Vanya Sagar
Chief People Officer Sionna Therapeutics
Vanya Sagar is the Chief People Officer at Sionna Therapeutics, where she leads culture, talent, and organizational strategy to support the company’s mission in advancing new treatments for cystic fibrosis. She brings extensive HR leadership experience from Affinivax, Sigilon Therapeutics, Biogen, and Massachusetts General Hospital, with a career spanning high‑growth biotech, R&D, and healthcare operations. Vanya holds an MPA in Healthcare Management and Policy from Suffolk University.
Seminars
The role of the CHRO and CPO has never been more complex or more consequential. As life sciences organizations navigate simultaneous pressures, from AI-driven restructuring and geopolitical volatility to talent scarcity and shifting employee expectations, the people function is being asked to do more, with less, faster than ever before.
In this candid, peer-to-peer discussion, a group of the most senior HR leaders in life sciences come together to share what is actually working, what isn’t, and what they wish they’d done differently. Expect frank conversation on how to maintain culture through relentless change, how to position HR as a true strategic partner to the C-suite, and how to build a people function that is genuinely fit for the future.
- How can small, fast-scaling biotechs preserve a unique, values-led culture while offering maximum autonomy?
- Explore how a “Flexible First” philosophy, grounded in deep trust, high impact in person connection points, and intentional cultural rituals has delivered 93%+ engagement, 100% employee advocacy, and zero regrettable turnover through the first years of scaling
- Learn how a people‑centered leadership approach, strong communication loops, and a dedicated “Progress Partners” change‑management committee created a highly loyal workforce that remains deeply connected despite distributed work
This interactive Q&A explores the relationship between data-led culture transformation and the values-led, trust-based approach to engagement, two complementary but distinct strategies that between them cover the full spectrum of what it takes to make culture change stick. Participants will examine which approaches apply most to their own context, and what combination of measurement rigour and human-centered design delivers the best results.
- How do you balance data and diagnostics with the intuitive, relationship-based elements of culture work?
- What does a genuinely flexible working model require from leadership, and where does it typically break down?
- How do you build accountability for culture outcomes into leadership performance, not just HR programs?
- What metrics best capture whether a culture transformation is genuinely taking hold?
