Where people and strategy meet, Aylia Naqvi, the Global vice president of Human Resources at Sayari Labs, transforms human resources into a true engine of growth. With nearly two decades of experience at the intersection of people, development, and transformation, she has redefined HR as a strategic force in business success. She is passionate about enabling high-performing teams, navigating complexity, and positioning HR as a strategic catalyst for enterprise success.

Naqvi plays a pivotal role in building a scalable culture that supports the company’s mission—empowering public and private sector organizations with the intelligence needed to navigate risk, ensure compliance, and secure economic futures. As a global leader in supply chain and counterparty risk intelligence, Sayari powers safer commerce by mapping relationships between businesses and individuals in complex, opaque markets.

Since joining Sayari, Naqvi has played a critical role in driving the company’s growth. In one year, she scaled headcount by 78 percent, growing from 25 to 270 employees across the U.S., Canada, EMEA, London, and APAC. She has led the HR strategy through multiple high-stakes transactions, from Series A to Series D funding rounds and a TPG (NASDAQ: TPG) acquisition. Her efforts have positioned HR as a key strategic lever supporting Sayari’s global expansion and transformation.

“We are a mission-driven company operating in a high-stakes environment, so my team is constantly thinking about how we can continue improving our people and business,” says Naqvi.

 The smartest HR strategies are not built on data alone—they are built where insight, empathy, and innovation converge 

Under Naqvi’s leadership, Sayari has embraced technology as a cornerstone of its HR strategy. The firm uses analytics to make smarter workforce decisions, artificial intelligence (AI) to support talent matching and development, and automation to streamline processes—enabling more focus on human connection. For example, Sayari recently adopted the V2MOM framework, aligning vision, values, methods, and metrics to drive clarity across the organization. To support this, the company is rolling out Lattice, a performance management platform that integrates feedback, goal setting, and pulse insights—giving a holistic view of performance and investment areas.

Despite these technological advancements, Naqvi emphasizes the importance of pairing technology with human intelligence. The future of HR, she insists, is not AI versus HI (human intelligence) but the synergy of both—unlocking potential at scale.

Naqvi’s earlier roles helped lay the foundation for her impact at Sayari. At PNC, she honed her strategic thinking, workforce planning, and financial acumen. At Young Invincibles, she rebuilt HR structures, implemented equity-focused initiatives, and led a compensation audit that boosted employee satisfaction by 46 percent.

Scaling Culture through Clarity and Connection

At Sayari, Naqvi has elevated HR as a strategic growth driver, designing global infrastructure that scales alongside the business. She champions a total rewards philosophy beyond compensation, including equity, career growth, flexibility, purpose, and remote work. Transparency is central to her leadership—helping employees understand the rationale behind decisions builds trust, particularly during periods of change.

Additionally, Naqvi sees retention as a cost-saving metric and a commitment to preserving talent, institutional knowledge, and long-term resilience. Even when all perks can’t be offered, she believes transparency and trust can impact retention more than any benefits package.

“We are a mission-driven company operating in a high-stakes environment, so my team is constantly thinking about how we can continue to improve our people and our business”

She views this moment in HR as exciting—where the market is shifting toward a skill-based, more fluid talent landscape. In this new era, resumes and job titles are becoming less relevant than capabilities and potential. At Sayari, this shift powers efforts to identify internal talent, promote up skilling, and personalize career paths. “Your next top performer might already be in your company,” she notes. “AI can help you find them, but human intelligence helps you grow them.” AI-driven talent insights support succession planning and leadership development—creating long-term value across the organization.

Navigating global compliance challenges, Naqvi has further embedded legal and ethical standards into HR systems—from pay transparency to AI ethics—ensuring a values-driven, proactive approach to fairness and compliance. As an Executive Member of SHRM’s Executive Network and a member of Knoetic’s CPOHQ, Naqvi is recognized as one of today’s most forward-thinking HR leaders.

Naqvi’s leadership at Sayari exemplifies how empowered HR can build trust, shape organizational culture, and drive sustainable growth. For senior decision-makers and CXOs aiming to enhance their human resource strategies through technology, the path forward begins with purpose. As Naqvi emphasizes, it’s not merely about adopting new tools—it’s about enabling business outcomes, fostering clarity, and scaling culture. First, organizations must define the “why” behind their technology investments. Second, usability should be prioritized—technology should simplify, not complicate. The most effective solutions are those that teams readily embrace. Third, HR must be included in strategic conversations from the outset. When HR is aligned with the business early on, the results are far more impactful.

Ultimately, the most effective HR technologies do more than streamline processes—they scale culture. At Sayari, that vision is realized through transparency, human insight, and an unwavering commitment to people.