KARI LEETCH
Senior Vice President, Head of People & Culture
“It’s an honor to join Sutro at such a pivotal time. I’m inspired by the mission and the extraordinary talent across the organization, and I look forward to fostering a culture where people feel supported, engaged, and empowered.”
Kari Leetch has served as SVP, Head of People and Culture of Sutro since December 2025. She brings more than two decades of strategic human resources leadership across the biotechnology and life sciences industries, with deep expertise in organizational transformation, workforce scaling, and culture development that support high-growth companies.
Before joining Sutro, Kari served as Chief People Officer at CARGO Therapeutics, where she led the people and culture strategy through a period of rapid expansion and a successful $300 million IPO. She also built a scalable HR infrastructure and implemented modern systems that enhanced operational efficiency and strengthened employee engagement. Previously, Kari was Senior Vice President of Human Resources at ChemoCentryx (now part of Amgen), where she helped guide the company’s evolution from a development-stage biotech to a fully integrated commercial organization and supported workforce integration following its $3.7 billion acquisition by Amgen.
Earlier in her career, Kari held leadership roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Risk Management Solutions (RMS), and Cepheid, focusing on talent strategy, HR operations, and culture integration during periods of significant growth and organizational change.
Kari holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of San Diego and is a co-founder of the Biotech CHRO Sisterhood. She is also an active member of the Bay Area Human Resources Executive Council (BAHREC), Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and Women in Bio.