TMcD Project Management Business Partners

Thomas Burch

Deputy Head of Swiss Olympic Delegation to London 2012 Olympic Games, December 2012 (translated from the German)
“Tessa McDonald provided valuable support to the Swiss Olympic team both before and during the Olympic Games of 2012 in London. She supported the Swiss delegation (340 team members) in the organisation and optimal daily running of events. Tessa was one of 7 volunteers made available to the Swiss delegation as NOC (National Olympic Committee) Assistants. Along with her daily workload, Tessa also co-ordinated all the NOC Assistants. She allocated the shifts, sorted logistical issues, was the point person for the Swiss Team leadership and was not afraid of devising appropriate solutions for tricky situations.

We acknowledged Tessa to be very competent, supportive, calm, reflective, very in control in all situations, very well organised, forward-thinking and very loyal. It should not be underestimated that Tessa demonstrated all her qualities in the very specific and not always easy environment of the Olympics!

At this point we can only thank Tessa with all our heart and wish her much success in the future. We can do no more than recommend Tessa as a partner. If Swiss Olympic were to come to England again and need support, Tessa is the first person to whom we would turn."

Petra Frick

Corporate Director Marketing, Rx-OTC Switches, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, November 2011
“I first met Tessa when working together on the alli switch at GSK and it was no question whom to ask to do some project work when needing a project manager at BI. Tessa is a very experienced and knowledgeable project manager with a tremendous skill set. She never loses track even in complex and time critical projects. She helps project teams to understand the key challenges and critical milestones. When giving project management training, Tessa reacts very flexibly to the special needs of her clients. In addition it is also fun to work with Tessa and to speak some German from time to time."

Allan Stirling

Director, ascreative, March 2010
“Having had the pleasure of working alongside Tessa over a number of years, I have come to appreciate and value that rare mix she possesses of someone who can not only think at the strategic level but has a deep understanding and experience of what it takes to move from plan to delivery. Her ability to handle challenge and complexity with skill and good humour makes her understandably in demand both within and consulting to organisations I have worked with. When it comes to getting things done, she would always be at the top of my list."

Richard Newton

Director, Enixus Limited, March 2010
“Tessa is a strong and very experienced project management professional. She is flexible and pragmatic, focussing on what best achieves project goals. Her knowledge encompasses everything from PMO setup, project management through to programme management. She is both an excellent hands-on project manager and an advisor capable of helping organisations to develop their own project delivery capabilities."

Ian Busby

Director, HiveHealth, Healthcare Communications, March 2010

"I have worked with Tessa McDonald for over 12 years in various guises and on numerous launches, and in that time I have found her to be a huge asset to any project team. Her tenacity and energy is exactly what complex health projects have required and whilst firm and demanding, she is a joy to work with.“

Katerina Hasapopoulos
Account Director, Partners Andrews Aldridge, Digital Agency, February 2010
“Having worked with Tessa on a GSK brand launch and campaign work over almost 2 years, I found her to be one of the most down-to-earth and pragmatic Project Leads I have ever worked with. She is determined in getting any project she owns on the right path, that lands the project on time, efficient, and effectively, meeting all set up objectives. She is very well rounded individual, and a great asset to any project, and team. I hope to work with Tessa again in the future!”

Mike Lander

MD, Vision2Execute Ltd, Strategy Consultants, March 2009

"Tessa was the client side Business Strategy Director on a transformation programme we worked on with GSK. Tessa was an excellent member of the joint team with exceptional skills in analytical thinking, project/programme management and Consumer Healthcare sector strategic thinking. I would highly recommend Tessa.“

Feedback from Business Partners

Paul Wylie

Director of Strategy, London Mayor's Office for Policing & Crime, July 2018

"The London Mayor's Police and Crime Plan 2017-21 was the largest and most complex of all the plans produced by Police and Crime Commissioners. The plan covered how the Mayor would oversee the work of the Metropolitan Police Service, the role of the Mayor in convening local partners and the direct delivery of several million pounds of victims' services and criminal justice reforms. Tessa facilitated the detailed workshops of staff from the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime to identify exactly what each of the 170+ commitments meant in practice, what the key milestones were and who was in the lead and she helped build project management arrangements around each. Tessa brought huge expertise and great advice to this process, so that we got into a good programme management structure and rhythm of reporting. Staff commented on how supportive she was in workshops and outside them; she took away the outputs of each workshop to produce simple and clear products for staff to use on an ongoing basis. I am very grateful for the work that she did with MOPAC and I am now satisfied that we have robust programme management arrangement to deliver for Londoners."

Manfred Scheske

CEO, inFirst Healthcare, April 2018

"Tessa worked for inFirst Healthcare on three projects over a period of four years. She helped us outline the scope and deliverables in diverse areas such as product development and clinical trials, then guided inFirst and its third party suppliers through the planning process to identify the milestones and deadlines on each of the projects. She then followed up with regular reviews of project progress, updating actions and plans and making sure they were communicated to all relevant parties.

Throughout the years including some challenging times, Tessa remained professional, realistic and focussed on delivering the project objectives. She is flexible in the face of inevitable change and valuable to any project in her ability to outline the impact of delays on the critical launch timelines. We would not hesitate to recommend her participation and support on any project."

Marcin Milinski

Area Integration Manager, GSK CEE, November 2016

"On behalf of me and whole CEE organization I would like to thank You for your contribution to our Integration project. You have been providing strong PMO support and in the same time You were a source of inspiration to our MILs.

The results speak for themselves and You are a part of the success."

Petr Šopík

Project Manager, Walmark, February 2015

"Tessa is a very experienced and knowledgeable project manager with a tremendous skill set, able not only to think at the strategic level but has a deep understanding and experience of what it takes to move from plan to delivery."

Jiri Barta

Senior Brand Manager CZ/SK, Walmark, February 2015

"I know when I am expected to do what. It opened my eyes what all has to be done and whom all I need to involved into my project. I was afraid I will need to devote 2 days for the session and recover them somehow in later process. Now I am quite sure it has saved a month of my work!"