Equity as Strategy: Navigating Value, Risk, and Retention
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Program Overview:
Join us for an inside look at equity strategy from the CFO perspective. Two seasoned Chief Financial Officers with deep life sciences experience will share how they think about equity as a tool for driving value, managing risk, and retaining talent and what HR leaders need to know to align programs with business realities.
Equity compensation can be one of the most powerful tools for attracting, engaging, and retaining top talent in life sciences. But as companies navigate funding rounds, market changes, and shifting valuations, the way equity is structured and communicated can have a major impact on employee morale, retention, and business success.
This session will help HR leaders understand the different types of equity, why companies choose certain strategies, and how to anticipate the effects of market and organizational shifts. You will gain insights into how to use equity as a strategic advantage while also mitigating risk and sustaining engagement, even during times of change.
In the first 60 minutes, our presenters will cover:
- Different types of equity and when each is most effective
- Why companies choose certain equity strategies, with pros, cons, and expected outcomes
- The value, timing, risk, and impact of each equity type on employees
- How valuation, dilution, funding rounds, and market conditions affect equity value
- Strategies for keeping employees engaged when value changes
In the next 30 minutes, we will break into small table groups for peer-led discussions on topics such as:
- Equity and retention: when money is not enough, what keeps top talent
- Communicating equity value: best practices for transparency and trust
- Managing employee expectations during market volatility
- Designing equity for different growth stages: from startup to post-IPO and beyond
- Equity vs. cash compensation: finding the right balance for attraction and retention
- Retention through uncertainty: keeping employees engaged when valuation dips
- The role of HR in educating employees about equity: making complex concepts clear and motivating
This session is ideal for senior HR leaders, talent strategists, and HR business partners in life sciences, but all HR professionals are welcome. Whether you are refining an existing equity program or building one from scratch, you will leave with practical ideas, tested approaches, and a stronger network of peers.
Presenter Bios:
Brandi Roberts
Brandi Roberts has more than 25 years of financial leadership experience within the life sciences industry. Brandi is currently the CFO of Mind Medicine (MindMed), Inc., a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company developing novel product candidates to treat brain health disorders. Prior to joining MindMed, she served as CFO and Executive Vice President of Longboard Pharmaceuticals, where she helped lead the company through its IPO, multiple financings, and ultimately, its $2.6 billion acquisition by Lundbeck in 2024. Throughout her career, Ms. Roberts has played pivotal roles in scaling operations, supporting clinical development, and managing investor relations with leading investors, funds, and analysts. She has held CFO roles at Lineage Cell Therapeutics, REVA Medical, and Mast Therapeutics, and senior finance positions at Alphatec Spine, Inc., Artes Medical, Inc., Stratagene Corporation, and Pfizer, Inc. Ms. Roberts received her MBA from the University of San Diego and her B.S. degree in business administration in Accounting and Finance from the University of Arizona. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California and currently serves on the board of advisors for Life Science Cares San Diego, the board for the Association of Bioscience Financial Officers Southwest chapter and the board of Day For Change.
Trisha Millican
Ms. Millican brings over 25 years of experience in the life science industry leading strategic finance and playing a key role in generating over $3 billion in capital through public, private and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions and corporate partnerships.
Ms. Millican currently serves as the chief financial officer of Architect Therapeutics, Inc., a private drug discovery company, designing next-generation oral medicines utilizing a novel proprietary chemistry platform. Previously, Ms. Millican served as the chief financial officer of Metacrine, Inc., where she led finance and investor relations from company formation through an initial public offering. Prior to Metacrine, Ms. Millican served as the senior vice president of finance at Seragon and Aragon, private biotechnology companies focused on developing oral medicines targeting hormone-dependent cancers, where she played in key role in the ultimate sale to Genentech and Janssen, respectively. Prior to Aragon, Ms. Millican worked in various senior financial management roles at Zogenix, a pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing innovative central nervous system therapies where she played a key role in the initial public offering, initial commercial product launch and various debt and equity financings and corporate partnerships. She currently serves on the board of directors of ReCode Therapeutics and Life Science Cares, San Diego. Ms. Millican spent five years with the public accounting firm Deloitte LLP. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from the University of San Diego and is a certified public accountant in the state of California.
Tickets:
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- LifeHR Member- No Cost (Use Discount Code - LifeHRMember)
- HR Professional (Non-Member) - $50.00
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If you have any questions, please reach out to Allison or Phyllis at info@lifehr.org
**This session is open to HR professionals only. Vendors must be LifeHR Vendor Members to attend.
