The first speaker at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation Thought Leaders Retreat was no longer an HR professional. And no wonder: Padma Thiruvengadam, a vice president of operations at Pfizer Oncology, used an extensive background in human resources to help lead the drug manufacturer’s oncology integration activities during a merger with Wyeth. Then, she moved on. She now drives performance of Pfizer’s oncology business units in the Asia-Pacific and Canada regions, and she offered strong words to HR professionals: