Webinar: The New Hybrid Workplace: Creating Fair Policies

BioSpace was thrilled to host a virtual panel discussion to hear how workplaces are transitioning to hybrid workplaces. We discuss how to create policies that are fair for both remote and local workers; vaccination policies; travel policies; communication strategies and managing employee relations in regards to these changes.

We heard insightful advice from panelists from Athersys, Kyowa Kirin North America, Aristea Therapeutics, Flexion Therapeutics and Bolt Biotherapeutics.

Ms. O’Sullivan joined Athersys in October of 2020 as Sr. Director, Human Resources. She is responsible for developing and executing the human capital strategy for the organization, which includes strategic talent planning, talent acquisition, employee engagement & development and creating a culture of high performance to enable growth. Ms. O’Sullivan brings to Athersys experience in the fields of Operations and Human Resources within the medical device industry. Prior to joining Athersys, she has held positions of Human Resources leadership at Stryker, STERIS and ConMed, where she partnered with leadership teams across 19 countries through leading change, organizational design & development and building & engaging teams that drive business outcomes. Ms. O’Sullivan holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and an MBA from Leeds University Business School in Leeds, England

Britt Byers joined Kyowa Kirin in January 2021 and was appointed SVP, Head of Human Resources for North America. Over a 25 year career, Britt has held senior roles spanning the pharmaceutical industry, with Sanofi and Novartis, as well as in the financial services sector, with Bank of America. Her experience includes a wide range of HR roles with deep expertise as a Strategic Business Partner to Commercial teams, R&D and global functions as well as Shared Service leadership with oversight for HR Operations, Call Center management, Occupational Health, Meeting & Events Management, Multimedia Studio and Travel and Expense. Mrs. Byers also serves as a board member for a private nonprofit agency, JBWS, that provides safety, support and solutions for abuse and aims at the prevention of domestic violence. Britt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at Susquehanna University and a Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology at Kean University.

DeAnne Reid, Director of Operations and Business Development, has deep experience in successfully leading Operations across a range of industries. At Aristea, she is accountable for Finance, HR, IT and Administration. Prior to joining Aristea, she led administrative planning for all functional areas at Ardea Biosciences and managed specific projects including FDA Advisory Committee preparation and two successful Business Development deals. Prior to joining Ardea, she held administrative and operations roles at Genentech, The Advantage Network and Tang Capital Management.

Julie Green has served as the Vice President, Human Resources for Flexion Therapeutics since 2018. She has more than 25 years of human resources and leadership development experience ranging from small start-ups to Fortune 500 companies spanning the Pharmaceutical/Biotech, Aerospace, Internet, IT and Management Consulting and Retail industries. Prior to joining Flexion, she led her own HR consulting firm which provided strategic human resources and recruiting services to a wide range of life science organizations. Earlier in her career, Julie held roles of increasing responsibility and HR leadership positions at Hamilton Sundstrand (a United Technologies Company), Cubist Pharmaceuticals, and AstraZeneca. Julie earned a B.S. from Union College and an MBA from Babson College.

Wesley Burwell joined Bolt Biotherapeutics in 2021 bringing more than 20 years of experience building and driving HR strategy for clinical-stage life science companies. Prior to Bolt, Wes was a senior HR leader at Global Blood Therapeutics where he supported the company’s exponential growth from early development through commercialization, led talent acquisition and established programs to foster learning and development and employee engagement. Over the course of his career, Wes has held leadership roles in both life-science and technology companies, was founder of a successful recruiting and HR consulting practice and served on the boards of directors of several non-profits focused on healthcare and education. He is especially passionate about building mission-driven organizations with strong cultures and diverse, inclusive workforces. Wes earned his M.B.A. in international business from the University of San Francisco and obtained a bachelor’s degree in human resource management from Golden Gate University.