Lesley Tewnion

Lesley Tewnion is an exceptional leader who excels at shaping complex global enterprise wide challenges into executable programmes through her collaborative style and analytical insights, and has extensive successes driving technology-enabled business change in the Lifesciences industry. She has broad expertise in strategy development, mergers, acquisitions & divestments, programme leadership, service delivery, communications and risk management. Most recently she was Head, Strategy Deployment, Core Business Services (CBS) at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) with responsibility for providing focus and structure for the development, execution and communication of GSK’s CBS strategy.

As Head, Strategy Deployment for CBS at GSK and a member of the CBS management team, Lesley played a key leadership role in the implementation of the recent GSK and Novartis transaction with responsibility for cross GSK governance of the transition service agreements between GSK and Novartis and for integration of the CBS functions. Prior to this she led GSK’s enterprise wide information protection programme to ensure key data across 120+ markets are appropriately secured for the protection of patients, consumers, employees and the company. Through strong engagement and partnership with key business stakeholders Lesley contributed to the reduction of GSK’s information risk with a range of solutions covering user education and awareness, targeted risk assessments, third party relationships, technology platforms and governance.

Previously at GSK, as SVP Global SAP Services Lesley had IT responsibility for the development and implementation of the strategic Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) programme. Firstly, through transforming the SAP function into a high-performance customer oriented organization and then partnering with Finance, Manufacturing and Consumer Healthcare business functions to create the business case for a major multi-year investment in ERP to simplify GSK’s operations globally. She was also instrumental in developing the strategy for integrating the global IT function and complex technology platforms at the time of the GlaxoWellcome and SmithKlineBeecham merger. At GlaxoWellcome Lesley had an accomplished career rising to senior level positions in IT.

Lesley has a BSc Honors in Chemistry from Aberdeen University and an MSc in Information Science from City University London. She has attended numerous executive leadership development programmes and most recently completed the Corporate Governance Director Education programme at Drexel University. She is a member of the Philadelphia branch of the Forum of Executive Women. Lesley served as a member of GSK’s US Contributions Committee which oversees charitable contributions with a focus on healthy communities and education. She represented GSK as a member of the Corporate Executive Board of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and as a Board member of the Philadelphia Education Fund with specific interest in STEM education.

Lesley moved with her family from the UK to Philadelphia in 2001 and became an American citizen in 2011.