Explore the Agenda

7:45 am Morning Coffee & Check-in

8:25 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

Doing More with Less to Build Resilient, High-Impact Lab Operations in a Volatile Biopharma Landscape

8:30 am Navigating Extreme Change: Lessons from Consolidating Lab Sites Amidst Rapid Transformation

Director, Site Operations, Bristol Myers Squibb
Laboratory Operations Manager, Bristol Myers Squibb
  • Case study example of consolidating geographically different sites into one building with less square footage and fewer people
  • Renovating lab spaces to accommodate new ways of working while operations were ongoing
  • Pivoting plans due to changes mid-project within strict timeframes while still meeting financial deadlines
  • Key lessons learned in managing through significant project challenges and workforce fluctuations

9:00 am Future-Proofing the Lab Operations Capabilities to Stay Valuable Through Organizational & Pipeline Shifts

Associate Director, GREW Lab Services Americas, dsm-firmenich
  • Explore how lab operations roles evolve as companies transition from researchfocused organizations into clinical and commercial stages
  • Learn which skill sets, competencies, and cross-functional knowledge are most critical for long-term career progression in lab operations
  • Understand how to adapt responsibilities and scope to remain indispensable during periods of growth, restructuring, or commercialization

9:30 am Strategic Prioritization in Lab Operations & Facilities Management to Balance Workload, Risk & Performance When Everything Feels Urgent

Senior Manager, Lab Operations, Talus Bio
  • Address knowledge gaps through cross-training, documentation, and transition planning strategies
  • Gain frameworks for allocating responsibilities and resources
  • Develop strategies to align expectations with leadership and end users during sustained periods of overload

10:00 am Morning Break & Speed Networking

The ideal opportunity to get face-to-face with many global lab ops and facilities professionals for important in-depth conversations.

Sustaining Workforce Morale & Service Excellence Amid Ongoing Volatility & Reduced Headcount

11:00 am Maintaining Lab Operations & Facilities Excellence Through Workforce Fluctuations Without Compromising Service Delivery

Senior Director, Laboratory Operations, Deep Genomics
  • Examine the operational and emotional impact of layoffs, hiring freezes, and prolonged uncertainty on lab operations and facilities teams
  • Understand how lab ops professionals can maintain visibility, recognition, and relevance in highly competitive job markets
  • Learn how to adapt roles and skill sets to cover critical organizational gaps while managing the same facilities footprint with fewer resources

11:30 am Session Reserved for Agilent

12:00 pm Roundtable Breakouts: Change Management Strategies, Leading Lab Operations & Facilities Teams Through Uncertainty in Biotech & Pharma Environments

Director, Site Operations, Bristol Myers Squibb

Biotech

  • Discuss strategies for supporting lab ops and facilities staff facing increased workloads after layoffs
  • Maintaining morale, engagement and service quality in constrained environments
  • Explore how ops leaders in biotech are redefining roles and priorities to keep science moving forward

Pharma

  • Examine the challenges of managing morale during restructures, site consolidations, and global workforce changes
  • Share best practices for leading through ambiguity within matrixed, regulated organizations
  • Learn how leaders sustain service excellence while navigating long-term change programs

12:30 pm Lunch Break & Networking

Strategic Facilities & Lab Space Planning That Protect Science Amid Uncertain Growth

1:30 pm Spatial Lab Design for Multi-Use & Future Adaptability, Facility Design for Flexibility, Not Perfection

EHS & Facility Specialist, Unnatural Products
  • Learn principles for spatial lab design that support changing modalities, teams, and pipeline needs
  • Explore multiple facility planning scenarios to prepare for expansion, contraction, or hybrid growth models
  • Understand the importance of preplanning, to be ready for when the time comes.

2:00 pm Session Reserved for Azenta Life Sciences

2:30 pm Optimizing Laboratory Space Through Data-Driven Design & Utilization

Director, Facilities & Engineering, Abbvie
  • Discover how reorganizing lab spaces based on function, adjacency, and real usage data can improve efficiency, safety, and collaboration
  • Learn how instrument-usage analytics and sensor data are enabling smarter decisions around equipment redundancy, space optimization, and resource reallocation
  • Explore the operational and cultural challenges of centralizing shared infrastructure (e.g. freezers, cryo storage) and practical strategies to drive adoption

3:00 pm Session Reserved for XiltriX

3:15 pm Afternoon Break & Networking

4:00 pm Panel: Lessons Learned from Expanding or Downsizing Facilities Without Disrupting the Pipeline

Site Head & Director, Lab Operations, IQVIA Laboratories
Laboratory Operations Manager, Kite Pharma
Laboratory Operations Manager, Bristol Myers Squibb
Senior Director, Laboratory Operations, Deep Genomics
  • Hear experiences navigating site consolidation, expansion and lab relocations
  • Understand true costs, complexity and downtime risks associated with lab moves
  • Learn how organizations protected scientific timelines while adapting their physical footprint

Translating Operational Value Into Financial & Cross-Functional Alignment to Secure Buy-In & Investment

4:30 pm Effective Project Planning to Manage Personalities, Expectations, & Cross-Functional Constraints

Senior Director, Operations & Site Optimization, Inotiv
  • Gain practical techniques for planning projects across diverse stakeholder groups
  • Explore common misalignments
  • Learn how to anticipate and manage conflicting priorities between science, safety, and cost
  • Improve project outcomes by setting clear expectations and accountability from the outset

5:00 pm Session Reserved for Elemental Machines

5:15 pm Translating the Value of Lab Operations Into Financial Language to Influence Leadership Decision-Making

Site Head & Director, Lab Operations, IQVIA Laboratories
  • Learn how to frame lab operations initiatives in terms of cost avoidance, risk reduction, productivity, and ROI
  • Understand what finance and leadership teams prioritise when approving operationalspend
  • Gain tools to justify investment in lab operations without relying on technical detail alone

5:45 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks

5:50 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks

Drinks Reception

Join the the drinks reception to further connect & network with like-minded peers, hosted by Polysense Solutions