Sara Bunn has built her career working at the intersection of people strategy and business outcomes.
Bunn is currently CHRO Judi Health based in New York City, a health technology company, benefits administrator and the parent company of pharmacy benefit manager, Judy Rx.
Previously, Bunn served for more than 12 years at Boston Consulting Group, where she was executive director leading talent deployment, performance management, culture initiatives and organizational design across BCG’s offices nationwide, co-founding the firm’s first North America Career Experience Team.
In conversation with StrategicCHRO360, Bunn shares her advice for fellow HR leaders.
One thing HR leaders commonly struggle with is tackling the perception that HR is more administrative than strategic. What have you personally done in your work to change that narrative with executive teams?
From my perspective, the only way to truly tackle this perception is to consistently anchor your HR initiatives to your company’s business outcomes—meaning that HR leaders have a clear line of sight into the priorities of the leadership team.
I’ve been very deliberate about positioning HR as a business partner by grounding every person’s initiative in outcomes that matter to the organization. Early in my relationships with executive teams, I focus on deeply understanding the business—our growth goals, financial realities and operational challenges so that my recommendations are practical, data-informed and clearly connected to results.
I also make a point of showing up with solutions, not just processes, and using data to tell a compelling story about how talent, engagement and leadership directly impact performance. Over time, that consistency builds trust. When leaders see HR anticipating issues, influencing decisions and helping drive results—not just executing tasks—the perception naturally shifts from administrative to strategic.
What is one initiative you’re currently working on at Judi Health that you believe will have the most meaningful impact on the business?
As CHRO of Judi Health, I’ve been hyper-focused on strengthening our organizational design and rhythm, so our business continues to scale without losing momentum.
One of the greatest opportunities for company development is deepened collaboration, communication and clarity from leadership on decision-making, which is why my team is building on our organizational frameworks so that avenues for cross-functional collaboration are actionable and clearly defined.
By maintaining our ability to make rapid, strategic decisions, we’re well-poised to enter the market faster, and internal teams have a more predictable path to their career development—key features for sustainable and accelerated growth.
One initiative I’m especially focused on at Judi Health is strengthening our people architecture to support sustainable, scalable growth. We’re in a rapid phase of expansion as an organization—growing our teams, deepening our capabilities, and elevating the sophistication of how we recruit, develop and retain talent across all functions.
What matters most to me is building systems and programs that enable our people to do their best work and feel valued for it because that’s how we drive meaningful business outcomes. In practical terms, this looks like modernizing how we attract top talent, enhancing development pathways so people can grow with the company and ensuring our leaders and teams have the tools they need to succeed.
When we invest in a high-performing, engaged workforce, it directly impacts our ability to innovate, execute on our mission and outperform our goals.
Benefits design has become a major lever for trust, engagement and financial well-being for employees. What is your philosophy around benefits design, particularly when it comes to transparency and vendor partnerships?
I tend to view benefits design through a dual lens: creating strategic value and building long-term trust. Employee benefits are one of the most tangible ways your teams assess whether organizations truly value them, both as individuals and contributors to the company’s mission.
When benefit structures are misleading or unnecessarily complex, that can effectively erode your employees’ confidence in executive leadership. Transparency in benefits design is a non-negotiable for all HR leaders. At Judi Health, we evaluate our vendors not only on cost and coverage outcomes, but willingness to explain their value, the science behind their structure and whether costs are clearly communicated.
At a time when benefits decisions matter more than ever, access to benefits that are fair, accessible and clear strengthens employee engagement and can reduce friction for HR leaders in the long run.
Looking back at your own career trajectory, what are some experiences that most shaped you as a leader today, and what advice would you offer other HR leaders to achieve this success?
The experiences that truly shaped my career in HR were the ones that required me to make decisions with imperfect information, while still holding myself accountable for employees and essential business outcomes. Moments like those taught me that leadership is just as much about framing good questions as it is providing answers.
Throughout my career, I’ve also been truly fortunate to work with other leaders who have often combined strategy with genuine care for their employees and the teams they work on. Blending execution with empathy is a model I continuously strive to bring to my own leadership day in and day out.
For HR leaders aiming to achieve this success, it’s imperative to:
Operate with a business mindset: Understand the levers that drive business performance and arm your teams with the right resources to improve them.
Ask hard questions: Not because they’re comfortable, but because they create context and clarity.
Practice intentional development: One of the greatest tests of leadership is whether the people around you are better for having worked with you.
