DM Summers
DM Summers
CONSULTING LLC
Consulting LLC
Case Studies:
Proven Transformation Success
These case studies represent enterprise transformations I led as a Senior Director at GSK. They are not DM Summers Consulting client engagements. Spanning cybersecurity culture, global study-delivery operations, and Regulatory and R&D transformation, they demonstrate a repeatable approach to complex enterprise challenges:
DIAGNOSE → ALIGN → DESIGN → MOBILIZE → EMBED → IMPROVE
Having led these transformations from inside a complex, global and highly regulated enterprise, I understand what it takes to navigate organizational realities, align leaders, build capability and embed change while the business continues to operate.
This firsthand operator experience informs the practical solutions, advisory support and six service pillars offered through DM Summers Consulting.
Enterprise Cybersecurity Culture Transformation
GSK needed to strengthen its global cybersecurity posture and embed risk ownership across approximately 140,000 employees in 130 countries. The challenge was cultural as much as technical: changing behavior, accountability and organizational trust at enterprise scale.
MANDATE
Originally engaged to diagnose the cultural and behavioral drivers of cybersecurity risk and develop GSK’s first enterprise Information Protection culture strategy; subsequently asked to lead implementation and embed the strategy globally.
THE APPROACH
- Partnered with Royal Holloway, University of London on a two-year culture-research program, using behavioral insight, employee research and pilots to identify effective interventions.
- Created and led a multidisciplinary Center of Excellence spanning communications, training, project management and change management to implement the strategy, establish and operate enterprise phishing simulations and embed new capabilities and behaviors.
- Designed targeted education and accountability interventions — including simulated phishing and behavioral analytics — to reduce repeat-risk behavior without relying on disciplinary measures.
- Shifted ownership of phishing risk into the business through executive performance reporting, business-unit risk plans and accountability across risk boards, business risk owners and local compliance leaders.
IMPACT
US: 34% → 9% | UK: 28% → 6% repeat-fall rates over three simulation waves
Among employees in the individual-tracking program, the transformation strengthened enterprise risk ownership and created a sustainable culture of accountability; the program remained active approximately a decade later and was showcased to peer organizations worldwide.
TRANSFERABLE CAPABILITIES
Enterprise culture transformation • COE design & leadership • Behavioral insight & experimentation • Risk governance • Executive alignment • High-performing team leadership
"Dena designed and delivered a complete culture change programme at GSK. She changed the way people think about cyber security and their behaviours. She took advice from academics in the fields of psychology, sociology and criminology and undertook rigorous scientific experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of different types of intervention, before rolling out interventions to the 150K employees and contractors at GSK. I am sure that I will work with Dena in the future and I would welcome the opportunity."
Robert Coles
Chief Information Security Officer
Global Operating Model Transformation — Study Delivery
GSK aimed to integrate siloed study-delivery workflows for various research initiatives across global divisions. The goal was to boost operational speed and maintain rigorous compliance, safety, and quality standards within a complex, strictly monitored industry landscape.
MANDATE
Create one enterprise operating model across Pharma, Vaccines and Global Health and all therapeutic areas; establish global process ownership, governance and performance disciplines; and build the organizational capability required to operate and continuously improve the model.
THE APPROACH
- Unified the operating model supporting 560+ studies and served as enterprise Global Process Owner, integrating end-to-end study delivery, contracting, portfolio governance, resource management and quality oversight.
- Applied continuous improvement, process redesign and targeted technology enablement to improve end-to-end study-delivery cycle time.
- Built and led a 70+ person global Center of Excellence across the US, Canada, UK, Belgium and India, creating a scalable global delivery model and expanding capability in India.
- Established the management infrastructure required to sustain the model, including written standards, decision rights, KPIs, management monitoring, risk controls, audit readiness, escalation pathways and continuous-improvement disciplines.
- Established enterprise portfolio governance for prioritization and resource-to-demand decisions; introduced dashboards and automated completeness checks that increased data-completeness compliance from 72% to 96%.
- Directed full-service provider strategy and transition governance while sustaining portfolio delivery, quality oversight and team cohesion through repeated reorganizations, leadership transitions and resource reductions.
IMPACT
560+ studies | 70+ person global COE |
~25% faster cycle time | 72% → 96% data completeness
Created a repeatable enterprise management system that strengthened quality, compliance, patient safety and portfolio decision-making while sustaining delivery through significant organizational change.
TRANSFERABLE CAPABILITIES
Transformation Leadership • Operating Model Transformation • Portfolio Governance • High-Performing Team Leadership • Global Process Ownership • Performance & Quality oversight • Resource Management • Provider Strategy
"She has been the driving force behind a fundamental transformation of our supported-studies organisation, harmonising fragmented processes across the enterprise, establishing a global centre of excellence and building a strong culture of accountability and continuous improvement. The results have been exceptional: markedly faster study delivery, stronger quality and compliance, and significant organisational impact."
Tamas Suto
Head, Data Generation and Scientific Communications
Global Regulatory Transformation — Operating Model, Digital Enablement, Change & Adoption
GSK embarked on a multi-year global Regulatory transformation spanning organizational redesign, process simplification, governance, capability, new ways of working and the adoption of Regulatory Veeva Vault. Success required coordinated change across people, process and systems — not a technology rollout alone.
MANDATE
Lead and implement the people dimension of the end-to-end transformation, integrating organizational readiness, leadership mobilization and sustained adoption across a highly matrixed global R&D organization.
THE APPROACH
- Diagnosed the combined impacts of reorganizations, process changes, roles, decision rights and technology releases, translating them into end-to-end change journeys for affected functions, roles and countries.
- Designed an impact-based change model that differentiated support by the scale and complexity of change; integrated communications, training, leadership engagement and voice-of-customer feedback across the programme.
- Mobilized senior leaders and a cross-functional change network to build understanding, address resistance and embed new processes, responsibilities and ways of working.
- Established a consistent engagement rhythm — including executive updates, targeted communications, newsletters and interactive forums — to connect workstreams and prepare teams for phased implementation.
IMPACT
Maintained business continuity and organizational stability through a complex, phased transformation. Following the success of the Regulatory programme, selected to diagnose, design and lead change for the broader R&D rollout of multiple Veeva Vault platforms.
TRANSFERABLE CAPABILITIES
Strategic transformation • Operating model design • Digital adoption • Change management • Stakeholder mobilization • Business-IT integration • Senior executive advisory
"What impressed me the most was Dena's agility in determining what interventions were required instead of following a standard, softly, softly approach. She was also extremely effective engaging senior leaders as well as driving recommendations for the wider R&D project"
Daniel Pitman
Programme Head, Regulatory Transformation
2021 & 2023
GSK Ahead Together Award
GSK's highest enterprise performance award for global transformation impact
Credibility & Recognition
A legacy of excellence built through transformation leadership and measurable enterprise impact.
4 times
GSK Platinum Awards
Recognized for outstanding leadership and delivery excellence across global programs
4 times
GSK Gold Awards
Honored for exceptional performance and sustained results in enterprise initiatives