10 Eli Lilly HR leaders
Issa (Ye) Li, Executive Director, HR Strategic Business Partner, Commercial Leadership at Eli Lilly and Company, opens this list of ten Eli Lilly HR leaders, who also include two more executive directors and several senior directors and directors of HR business partnering. A reader can learn how HR leaders work at Eli Lilly from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Carolyn Smith
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, HR Strategic Business Partner - Product R&D · Eli Lilly and Company
Carolyn Smith has been Senior Director, HR Strategic Business Partner - Product R&D at Eli Lilly and Company since February 2025, based in Indianapolis. Carolyn Smith held the Eli Lilly roles of Director, HR Projects - Lilly Research Labs (2024–2025), Associate Director, HR Projects - Lilly Research Labs (2022–2024) and Associate Director, Global Procurement - Clinical Medical Regulatory (2019–2022).
Elisa L.
LinkedInExperience: Sr. Dir HR Business Partner - Global Manufacturing and Global Quality Eli Lilly · Eli Lilly and Company
Elisa L. has been Sr. Dir HR Business Partner - Global Manufacturing and Global Quality Eli Lilly at Eli Lilly and Company since December 2025. Elisa L. held the Cardinal Health roles of Sr. Director, HR Business Partner - Global Manufacturing (2023–2025), Director, HR Business Partner - Corp Legal, Regulatory, Compliance, & Global QRA (2020–2023) and Manager, HR Business Partner (2015–2020).
Elisa Vannucci
LinkedInExperience: Director HR - Strategic Business Partnership · Eli Lilly and Company
Elisa Vannucci has been Director HR - Strategic Business Partnership at Eli Lilly and Company since January 2026, based in Italy. Elisa Vannucci held the Eli Lilly roles of Director HR - Workforce Strategy, Talent Acquisition & Communication (2025–2026), Associate Director HR-Organization, People Analytics & Communication (2020–2025) and HR Manager/Business Partner - Manufacturing (2017–2020).
Issa (Ye) Li
LinkedInExperience: Executive Director, HR Strategic Business Partner, Commercial Leadership · Eli Lilly and Company
Issa (Ye) Li has been Executive Director, HR Strategic Business Partner, Commercial Leadership at Eli Lilly and Company since January 2024, based in Indianapolis. Issa Li held the Eli Lilly roles of Sr. Director, Human Resources - Manufacturing, Site Leadership (2022–2024), HR Director - Manufacturing, Site Leadership (2021–2022) and HR Director - Research, Development and Medical Affairs (2016–2018).
Kaitlin Duffy
LinkedInExperience: Executive Director, HR Strategic Business Partner - Verve · Eli Lilly and Company
Kaitlin Duffy has been Executive Director, HR Strategic Business Partner - Verve at Eli Lilly and Company since October 2025, based in Boston. Kaitlin Duffy held the Verve Therapeutics roles of Vice President, Human Resources (2025), Executive Director, Human Resources (2023–2025) and Senior Director, Human Resources (2022–2023).
Katie Gigante
LinkedInExperience: Sr. Director HR Strategic Business Partner · Eli Lilly and Company
Katie Gigante has been Sr. Director HR Strategic Business Partner at Eli Lilly and Company since February 2026, based in Denver. Katie Gigante held the Eli Lilly roles of Associate Director HR Business Partner- M&Q (2025–2026), Associate Director- Human Resources (2023–2025) and Manager- HR Campus Recruiting (2022–2023).
Kelly Blair
LinkedInExperience: Executive Director, HR Strategic Business Partner - Alzey · Eli Lilly and Company
Kelly Blair has been Executive Director, HR Strategic Business Partner - Alzey at Eli Lilly and Company since July 2026, based in Germany. Kelly Blair held the Eli Lilly roles of Executive Director, HR Strategic Business Partner - Manufacturing & Quality (2025–2026), Sr. Director, HR Strategic Business Partner - Product R&D (2020–2025) and HR Director, Taiwan (2019–2020).
Kirstin Kirn Crago
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director Human Resources · Eli Lilly and Company
Kirstin Kirn Crago has been Senior Director Human Resources at Eli Lilly and Company since April 2026, based in the San Diego area. Kirstin Kirn Crago held the Ventyx Biosciences roles of Senior Director Human Resources (2026) and Sr. Human Resources Business Partner (2024–2026), and was Director, Sr. Human Resources Business Partner at Bristol Myers Squibb (2022–2023).
Logan Schwering
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, HR Strategic Business Partner · Eli Lilly and Company
Logan Schwering has been Senior Director, HR Strategic Business Partner at Eli Lilly and Company since November 2025, based in Houston. Logan Schwering held the Eli Lilly roles of Sr. Director - HR Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestitures (2024–2025), Associate Director, HR Mergers & Acquisitions (2023–2024) and Associate Director, Contract Development (2021–2023).
Sara Betsalel
LinkedInExperience: HR Director Israel Cluster · Eli Lilly and Company
Sara Betsalel has been HR Director Israel Cluster at Eli Lilly and Company since August 2025, with a profile headline of HR Director Israel, Cyprus & Malta, and has held the title HR Strategic Operations and Innovation Director, CEE & Israel since June 2024. Sara Betsalel was HR Director Israel at Eli Lilly and Company (2013–2024).
Choose the right perspective
Pick the person whose own title is closest to your question, such as HR for manufacturing and quality, research, commercial teams or one country. Check each person's start date and earlier employers to judge how much of their view comes from Eli Lilly itself.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How have you supported a business leader through a reorganization, a site expansion or an acquisition?
- 02What did you focus on first when you took on HR leadership for a new site, function or country?
- 03How has HR work differed between the manufacturing, research and commercial teams you have supported?
Reaching Eli Lilly HR leaders
How can I contact one of these Eli Lilly HR leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: Eli Lilly and Company, based on profile data retrieved on October 19, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Eli Lilly HR leaders?
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What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these Eli Lilly HR leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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