Vanessa McDonald
IA
Summary
Dynamic leader specializing in digital transformation and organizational development. Recognized for creating and executing change management initiatives that align with corporate objectives, fostering a culture of agility, innovation, and accountability. A rather extroverted, cheerful person who is preoccupied with cultivating and maintaining warm relationships with those around them.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
SVP, Digital Transformation
WNS
02.2022 - Current
- Company Overview: Driving WNS’s largest global transformation engagement; recognized as a trusted advisor to C-suite executives, relationship builder, and key member of the firm’s high-impact ‘A-team’.
- Serve as the executive sponsor for all change management initiatives tied to all digital transformation and outsourcing client pursuits and engagements.
- Translate strategic priorities into actionable adoption roadmaps that accelerate business outcomes.
- Lead enterprise-wide transformation programs for companies across diverse industries and geographies.
- Partner with C-suite executives and board members to design change strategies aligned with business objectives and organizational culture; Serve as trusted advisor.
- Design and execute comprehensive communication strategies for large-scale organizational changes.
- Lead enterprise-wide change management frameworks (ADKAR, Agile, etc.) to support system implementations, process redesign, and operating model shifts.
- Design and oversee stakeholder engagement, communications, and training strategies for diverse employee populations.
- Ensure that transformation programs achieve measurable adoption, productivity, and cultural alignment targets.
- Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, providing insights on workforce sentiment, adoption risks, and readiness indicators.
- Coach executives and leaders to role-model desired behaviors and lead change with empathy and accountability.
- Anticipate organizational resistance and proactively design mitigation strategies.
- Champion a culture of agility, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Lead the development of internal change capability, including change networks and leadership enablement.
- Partner with HR to align change strategies with talent, performance, and leadership development programs.
- Define success metrics for adoption, culture, and performance.
- Establish measurement and reporting dashboards to track business impact of digital transformation.
- Ensure transformation delivers sustainable ROI through long-term behavioral and cultural integration.
- Drive practice revenue growth through strategic business development and client acquisition.
- Lead sales efforts including RFP responses, client presentations, and contract negotiations.
- Identify and pursue new market opportunities and service line extensions.
- Build and maintain a robust pipeline of qualified prospects and opportunities.
- Driving WNS’s largest global transformation engagement; recognized as a trusted advisor to C-suite executives, relationship builder, and key member of the firm’s high-impact ‘A-team’.
Senior Change Management Consultant
Perfecient
05.2020 - 02.2022
- Company Overview: High Profile Senior Consultant, playing a crucial role in spearheading and aligning large, highly sophisticated, cross-functional change management plans across a broad portfolio of initiatives with Fortune 1000 clients.
- Promoted from Change Management Consultant to Senior Management Consultant in May 2021.
- Critical contributor to business, behavior, and culture change processes by mobilizing, devising, and delivering change plans and strategies across highly complex channels.
- Cultivated advantageous, long-lasting relationships with clients at all levels regarding change delivery expectations and implementation by wielding immeasurable consulting, negotiating, and influencing capabilities.
- Continuously meet department, cross-department and enterprise-wide goals harnessing unprecedented leadership and change management expertise and consultation across various disciplines.
- Developed and implement change management strategies from gathered metrics, data driven insights and action plans to address complex and unique business objectives.
- Influenced and greatly contribute to the development of strategic business decisions and lead implementation of enterprise change management across all organizational levels.
- Highly sought after for reshaping the Change Management infrastructure and executing Change Management activities and driving innovative IT projects towards high levels of user engagement and adoption.
- High Profile Senior Consultant, playing a crucial role in spearheading and aligning large, highly sophisticated, cross-functional change management plans across a broad portfolio of initiatives with Fortune 1000 clients.
Change Management Consultant
Collins Aerospace
01.2020 - 04.2020
- Company Overview: Evolved and drove a structured methodology and led change management activity to assess change impact, identify, analyze risk and manage anticipated resistance. Consulting agreement ended due to Covid-19.
- Acted as a strategic coach for senior leaders and executives in helping them fulfill the role of change sponsor, while concurrently provided direct support and coaching to front-line managers and supervisors to reengineer transitional phases for their direct reports.
- Championed and consulted project teams on integrating change management activities into project plans; met change initiative project objectives on time and within budget by increasing employee adoption and usage.
- Impacted employees across the organization by driving faster adoption, higher utilization and greater change proficiency which resulted in increased benefit realization, value creation, and ROI.
- Evolved and drove a structured methodology and led change management activity to assess change impact, identify, analyze risk and manage anticipated resistance. Consulting agreement ended due to Covid-19.
Director of People Resources
World Class Industries
07.2018 - 12.2019
- Company Overview: Developed and executed the people strategy in support of the overall business plan and strategic direction of all organizations. Employee life cycle: recruitment, retention, onboarding, off-boarding, exit interviews, development planning, benefits planning, coaching and succession planning.
- Managed all employee relations issues in collaboration with organizational leadership; formulated resolutions for company-wide employee relations issues.
- Evaluated the competitive landscape and created strategies to adapt to changing market trends and foster a strong company culture that was supportive and inclusive to all employees.
- Worked closely with management and executive leaders to develop an effective structure exerting influence, programs, and solutions to maximize organizational impact and create an atmosphere of strong collaboration and connectivity.
- Flexed a strong muscle in staffing and recruiting needs through the development and execution of best practices, solutions, and business insights for hiring and talent management across the organization.
- Harnessed an instinctive ability to recognize, retain, and groom the talent within the organization; helped guide employees to reach their full potential through support and mentorship.
- Developed and executed the people strategy in support of the overall business plan and strategic direction of all organizations. Employee life cycle: recruitment, retention, onboarding, off-boarding, exit interviews, development planning, benefits planning, coaching and succession planning.
Chief Development Officer
MetaCommunications
05.2017 - 06.2018
- Company Overview: Proved critical for overseeing a broad range of business processes and practices throughout MetaCommunications, including strategic planning and alignment, program management, product development, sales growth, and financial benchmarking and management.
- Served on the executive leadership team, helping set, drive, and communicate organizational vision, strategy, and plans to strengthen business performance, operational excellence, and company culture.
- Developed captivating business development plans, including the go-to-market strategy and design; implemented processes to support business growth, through customer and market definition.
- Provided strategic leadership and implementation, oversight, and management of annual and multi-year development plans to drive critical successes of the organization’s mission and creative vision.
- Values-driven, sophisticated development professional; fueled continuous pivotal input in short- and long-term strategic and operational planning and positioning within the organization.
- Proved critical for overseeing a broad range of business processes and practices throughout MetaCommunications, including strategic planning and alignment, program management, product development, sales growth, and financial benchmarking and management.
Human Performance and Change Manager
Accenture
06.2003 - 03.2016
- Company Overview: On the forefront of Change Management workstreams during large transformation projects. Collaborated closely with diverse teams on an international scale and worked globally with respected Fortune 100 clients to deliver impactful change.
- Employed a communications strategy and created message development and delivery across various stakeholder and end user groups.
- Actualized viable organizational change strategies emanated from situational acknowledgement to detail, identified potential people side-risks, anticipated points of resistance, and designed specific tactical initiatives to mitigate future concern.
- Raised the bar on business and project improvements by closely measuring performances and developing ways to influence change and increase adoption.
- Sustained organizational change by garnering trust of clients and stakeholders alike and assiduously focused on the people side of change assembling conditions to facilitate in a fluid transition with miniscule resistance from adoption.
- Educated, influenced, aligned, and mentored clients, leaders, and project teams to drive effective change, handle resistance, and optimize the success of projects.
- Identified and escalated change plan gaps or deficiencies within projects or business groups and provided updates to leaders.
- On the forefront of Change Management workstreams during large transformation projects. Collaborated closely with diverse teams on an international scale and worked globally with respected Fortune 100 clients to deliver impactful change.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration and BGS in Psychology
University of Kansas
Lawrence01.2002
UG - International Business
CIMBA
Italy01.2002
Skills
- Change management and execution
- Client relationship management
- Organizational development
- ROI measurement
- Strategic planning and design
- Business process optimization
- Global implementation strategies
- C-suite collaboration
- Executive coaching
- Cultural transformation
Certification
- Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coach
- Perficient 2021 Leadership Fundamentals Program
- Benchmarks 360 Assessment Certification
- Predictive Index Practitioner
- Law of Attraction certified Practitioner
Volunteer Experience
- Women Lead Change (WLC), Steering Committee member, 2017, current
- 100+ Women Who Care: Hawkeye Chapter, Founder, 03/14, current
- ICR Iowa, Inclusive coalition member, current
Awards
- Person of the Year, Press-Citizen, 12/14, Iowa City, IA
- 40 under 40, Corridor Business Journal, 2015, Cedar Rapids, IA
Timeline
SVP, Digital Transformation
WNS
02.2022 - Current
Senior Change Management Consultant
Perfecient
05.2020 - 02.2022
Change Management Consultant
Collins Aerospace
01.2020 - 04.2020
Director of People Resources
World Class Industries
07.2018 - 12.2019
Chief Development Officer
MetaCommunications
05.2017 - 06.2018
Human Performance and Change Manager
Accenture
06.2003 - 03.2016
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration and BGS in Psychology
University of Kansas
UG - International Business
CIMBA
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