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About APMP Fellows Ceri Mescall
CeriMescall

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Ceri Mescall, CPP CAP ES-M BW-M APMP Fellow (Class of 2020)

Managing Director, Strategic Proposals Canada









Bio

Ceri Mescall is the Managing Director of Strategic Proposals Canada. She works with clients on upcoming and live deals, proposal capability development, APMP certification courses and proposal training. Ceri is a proposal and bid thought leader - a presenter/panelist, podcast guest, article author/contributor, and awards judge. She holds all four signature Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) certifications plus the Executive Summaries and Bid & Proposal Writing micro-certifications and is an APMP 40 Under 40 award winner (class of 2019).

Ceri has 15+ years of progressive experience in bids and proposals, predominantly in professional services, Facilities Management (FM), and workforce solutions. Over her career, she’s enabled clients and employers to secure over $1 billion CAD in sustainable, profitable work. Ceri has played leadership roles within high-performing bid and proposal teams in Canada and the UK. She has collaborated with sub-vendors in Canada, the US, the UK, India, Australia, and across Europe. She’s worked for and with corporations, partnerships, family-owned businesses, start-ups, and solopreneurs.

When she's not winning work, she's planning her next adventure (Ceri's visited 35+ countries so far), enjoying nature on her doorstep (beautiful British Columbia in Western Canada), and watching international rugby union (she's an avid Wales supporter!).

What does being an APMP Fellow mean to you?

  • I’m honored to have been recognized for my contributions throughout my career in the bid and proposal industry.
  • I’m proud to be in such great company – 100+ thought leaders around the globe.
  • I’m conscious of the responsibility that comes with the title – using an abundance mindset to share knowledge and leading practices to help others succeed.

What's your best memory from attending an APMP event?

Delivering my Ignite presentation to hundreds of peers on the final morning of BPC Dallas 2022. The Ignite format is five minutes and 20 slides - each slide automatically advances every 15 seconds. My presentation - “It’s Been Emotional,” - was about the curiosity, pride, relief, freudenfreude, and belonging we experience when working on proposals.

What advice do you have for a proposal professional entering our field?

  • Be curious: See the opportunity in every interaction (beyond the immediate task). Ask open-ended questions and listen actively. Expand your network to proposal-adjacent functions (e.g., capture, sales, marketing, account management, client experience).
  • Be versatile in the way you communicate: Flip the script from “treat others as you wish to be treated” to “treat others as they wish to be treated” – this could include varying comms methods (e.g., video call, text, DM, email), level of detail, level of (respectful) challenge.
  • Be your own advocate: Control the narrative by writing and delivering your personal elevator pitch that shows your understanding of your stakeholders’ pain points and the outcome they’ll receive by working with you. Track your accomplishments week by week and present the highlights in advance of performance reviews.

 

Without APMP, I would not have the tools or knowledge of the industry to have the career I have today and the success I have experienced.
Liz Megli
Liz Megli, CF APMP
This was my first APMP event, and I was wholly impressed. The energy in the room reignited my passion for this industry, and I can't wait to get back to my team to implement what I have learned.
Brittany Guzman
Brittany Guzman, CF APMP
The certifications, starting from the foundation to the professional level, help individuals from diverse timeframes in their careers.
Mayura
Mayura Ravishankar, Proposal Associate
For the first time since I started my career, I felt like I was not alone in my struggles to meet deadlines, wrangle SMEs, and answer impossible questions. I’m grateful to have this community to share our wisdom and experiences.
AnthonyRossi
Anthony Rossi, CF APMP
Being a part of APMP, I get access to the knowledge and experience of great leaders and mentors from the community. I have learned a great deal from the webinars and conferences I attended on diverse topics from career progression in Proposal Management, trends (such as automation) in PreSales to achieving work-life balance, and handling burn-outs – all real-life experiences.
Kulkarni Shubhada photo
Shubhada Kulkarni, CP APMP
The Executive Summary is the key element of each proposal, literally the most important part of the response next to the price – this is why my focus was on this micro certification. Understanding the principles of Deal-Strategy, Win-Strategy, Competitor-Analysis, Ghosting, Persuasive Writing, Features/Benefits/Discriminators, and many more is essential and beneficial for so much more than just the Executive Summary.
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Florian Lamisch, CF ES-M APMP
During my association with APMP, I have been fortunate to have met and gathered wisdom from several industry stalwarts.
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Karthik Koutharapu, CP APMP
Receiving Practitioner-level certification boosted my confidence and validated my experiences and professional growth in the bid and proposal industry. The badge is something that I see each day, and it motivates and encourages me to keep networking, learning, and elevating others in our combined professional development goals.
Kim Ruff
Kim Ruff, CP APMP
Acquiring the executive summary micro certification has helped to build my confidence in producing best practice Executive Summaries. I also benefit from the social media badge for my LinkedIn profile and certification to add to my resume. Both of these allow me to verify my Executive Summary capabilities.
LauraRispin
Laura Rispin, CP ES-M APMP
The time was a good investment, and I expect to reap benefits now and in the future!
Kelly Erickson
Kelly Erickson, CF APMP