Tess spent a decade in elite and professional sport before moving into human spaceflight, commissioning as a British Army Reserve officer, and now training astronauts for international space agencies. In each of these environments, team dynamics, including not only selection of the right team members, but ensuring that the personalities within it work together well, are defining factors of the outcome. Drawing on her experiences in the Premier League, Formula One, Olympic and Paralympic sport, working at Space Agencies including NASA, and running a British Army unit of 100 soldiers, Tess unpicks the traits of teams who have succeeded at the highest level and the downfalls of ones who have not. In this talk, Tess provides insight into different selection processes and what they can tell you about how an individual or a group functions, as well as how to get the best out of your people. This talk is essential for those who strive for excellence within their teams, and are willing to learn from others’ mistakes to build a high-performance environment.

The role of an astronaut is widely considered to be one of the most demanding occupations in the world. They work at the forefront of human endeavor, pushing the boundaries of physical and mental performance. In this talk, Tess dispels the myth that astronauts are superhuman and explains how deliberate focus on one goal at a time can produce outstanding results. She describes some of the extraordinary effects of spaceflight on the human body, and how the way these are mitigated are similar to those for aging on earth. She explores the emphasis placed on team interaction and the importance of clear but considered communication. If you work in multinational teams, under time pressure, and want to be prepared should a crisis occur, you may face similar challenges to astronauts who live on the International Space Station. This talk provides a unique insight into a rarely examined group of high-performing individuals and provides tangible lessons from the way they operate.

The differences between men and women are still strongly reinforced in our everyday lives, despite workplace initiatives around diversity and inclusion. As someone that has almost exclusively worked in all-male environments, Tess brings a fresh and candid perspective to this on-going discussion. She discusses her experiences, ranging from being hired solely due to her gender, being considered ‘one of the lads’, being accepted completely as she is, being made to feel like an outsider, and not getting a role because she’s a woman. In this talk, Tess outlines the difficult balance of striving for success in a male dominated world and also being the difference she wants to see in the world for the next generation of women to follow. This is an important talk for those interested in a unique perspective on gender diversity, in having a frank discussion about the realities and challenges that continue to exist, and learning how it can be positively approached.