Desmond McKenzie
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
Toronto, ON, Canada
Toptal member since October 14, 2022
Desmond is a change and transformation leader experienced across a range of industries. For two decades, he's architected and guided change initiatives for corporations, governments, higher education, and nonprofits. This work involves processes and technologies, but at the core, people are those who determine project success or failure. Desmond brings field-proven methods and tools to help senior leadership, program directors, and project teams achieve success.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Leading Change and Transformation
Strategy Development and Implementation
Assessment, Coaching, and Training
Expertise
- Business Transformation
- Digital Transformation
- Executive Coaching
- Leadership
- Management Consulting
- Organizational Change Management (OCM)
- Strategy
- Training & Training Content Development
Work Experience
Director
Leadertree Inc.
- Helped clients build the effectiveness of their leaders, teams, and transformation processes. Provided targeted development, training, coaching, and tools for leaders in high-leverage roles and their teams.
- Designed, led, and equipped internal teams for strategy development and implementation.
- Provided toolsets, leader and team member training, an organizational change management (OCM) framework, daily and weekly coordination and support, and senior leadership guidance to ensure successful transformation initiatives.
- Acted as an authorized partner for Everything DiSC, focusing on the workplace, Agile EQ, productive conflict, leadership, and sales, and developing cohesive teams. Worked as a Microsoft partner, specifically as a service adoption specialist.
- Worked with clients that include organizations such as AWS, Scotiabank, and Tinuiti.
Managing Consultant
Tata Consultancy Services
- Architected, led, and coached strategic transformation initiatives for national and global clients.
- Focused on leadership, innovation, digital transformation, and ecosystem development.
- Assisted clients in developing mindsets, capabilities, and business processes needed to achieve breakthrough results.
- Worked with clients that included major financial institutions in the US and Canada, such as World Bank, State Farm, and CIBC.
Consulting Project Manager
Oracle
- Provided change and transformation leadership for companies and governments. Identified people-related risks and developed execution roadmaps to enable successful transitions for projects of between $5 million and $30 million.
- Designed and managed detailed plans for communication, training, and other actions to accelerate the achievement of business outcomes. Provided guidance and tools for executives and program leadership to aid their effectiveness as leaders of change.
- Developed service offerings and market strategies for the practice globally, including co-creating the OCM process for Oracle Unified Methodology.
- Architected and led the change and integration process for the Oracle/PeopleSoft merger.
Director of Client Services
Development Source | Friesen Kaye & Associates
- Developed and implemented a business development strategy for a North American consulting firm focused on training and performance development. Managed in-house and field-based consultative sales teams.
- Provided coaching and tools for executives and line management to strengthen their effectiveness as leaders of change.
- Achieved a certification in sales and sales management training based on Huthwaite International's proprietary research and intellectual property (IP). Delivered training in leadership, sales, and negotiation across North America.
Head of Sales Training
GlaxoSmithKline
- Created, coached, and managed all sales training activities nationally.
- Planned and executed product launches, annual sales strategies, and quarterly action plans.
- Created a customized research-based sales skills training program called Essential Selling Practices, implemented nationally.
Education
Master's Degree (Ongoing) in Adult Education
University of Toronto - Toronto, Canada
Graduate Certificate in Negotiation and Conflict Management
Harvard University - Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Bachelor's Degree in Economics
York University - Toronto, Canada
Certifications
Adoption Service Specialist
Microsoft
Five Behaviors of Cohesive Teams: Authorized Practitioner
Wiley
DiSC Assessment and Coaching
Wiley
Skills
Industry Expertise
Technology, Financial Services
Other
Negotiation, Collaboration, Leadership, Training & Training Content Development, Microsoft, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Management Consulting, Communication, Executive Coaching, Digital Transformation, Business Transformation, Strategy, Education, Team Building, Training, Stakeholder Engagement, Sales, Sales Training, Growth Strategy, Facilitation, Change Management, Business Process Re-engineering, Growth Strategy Consultants, Business Strategy, Organizational Design, Learning & Development, Employee Experience, Employee Engagement, Oracle, Employee Communication, Marketing Technology (MarTech), Travel, Conflict Resolution, Talent Strategy, Performance Management, Program Management, Sales & Channel Enablement, Sales Strategy, Business Process Optimization, Business Process Analysis, Process Mapping, Business Analysis, Workflow Diagrams, Project Management, PMO, Digital Transformation Program Management, Economics, Policy, Regional Development Analysis, Business Development
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