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Assistant, Fixer & Time Protector

Tess Aldcroft

It's practically magic.
Hybrid approach, based in West London

I would describe myself as a generalist, the person you can turn to when you need help and do not know where to start. Diaries, inboxes, travel, invoices, suppliers, staff, events, and the never ending list of small jobs.

You hand over the list. I get it done, as if by magic.

Get in touch What I do
Who? Me?
Tess Aldcroft

A little about me. I'm originally from a small town in south Wales, and I now live in Brentford with my husband Jimi and our nine-year-old goldendoodle, Finn. In my spare time I do pottery, cook and go running. I go to comedy more than the theatre and I love a gallery.

What I do

A long and varied list, taken off your hands

Homes and households
  • Diaries, travel and appointments
  • Managing household staff and contractors
  • Finding and chasing tradespeople
  • Vet appointments and pet care
  • Groceries, gifts and returns
  • Insurance, utilities, filing and paperwork
Businesses
  • Inbox and diary management
  • Invoicing, suppliers and quotes
  • Customer emails and bookings
  • Office management without the cost of an office manager
  • Systems built to improve and automate the repeated work
Projects and events
  • Weddings, parties and corporate events, from first supplier to final invoice
  • House moves
  • Filing and archiving
  • Holiday and maternity cover
  • One defined project, with a clear beginning and a clear end
My experience

Fifteen years running diaries, homes and offices

Practical, day to day support for people who have run out of hours.

I have spent fifteen years being the person other people rely on, and almost none of those years looked like the one before it.

Tap a role to read more.

Saatchi & SaatchiTemp to PA to the Managing Director

I started as a temp in the HR department at Saatchi & Saatchi and left three years later as PA to the Managing Director, having learned the craft sitting alongside the assistants to the global CEO and President.

ExperianTwo to one diary across time zones

At Experian I ran a two to one diary for a Senior Vice President and the Head of Data Science, both of them overseas around half the year, and delivered an event for a hundred and fifty colleagues from around the world.

HarrodsPA to the Director of CRM and Personal Shopping

At Harrods I was PA to the Director of CRM and Personal Shopping. That is where I found out how far this work can actually reach. There is very little that cannot be found, arranged or fixed by somebody willing to make enough phone calls.

A private householdHome office and EA

Then three years with a high net worth individual, running their home office and acting as EA at their design and build company at the same time. Bills, renovations, household staff, private travel, and a filing system I built from nothing. Discretion is not a policy in that world. Discretion is the job.

GodivaMaternity cover for three international directors

At Godiva, the chocolatier, I covered a maternity leave supporting three international directors across London and New York, while juggling the needs of our Mayfair office.

Arrival JetGrowing a scale-up from 8 to 65 people

At Arrival Jet, an engineering scale-up building eVTOL aircraft, I helped the company grow from eight people to sixty five in three years, building the hiring, onboarding, procurement and facilities processes as we went.

Chelsea and Westminster A&ECoordinator, Emergency Department

In the Emergency Department at Chelsea and Westminster I worked alongside senior medical faculty, where there is no time and no room to manage egos. During my tenure as coordinator in 2024 it was London's best performing A&E, winning a grant of £150 million for the trust.

ExTrac AI LtdEA to the CEO

Most recently I was EA to the CEO of ExTrac AI Ltd, a defence tech AI company, where I built the infrastructure of the Office.

All of my experience adds up to one generalist who can give you back some time for the more important things.

My approach
Discreet
Your home and your private life stay private. Nothing personal ever leaves the house, and you will never hear a word about anybody else I work for, which is rather the point.
Non-judgemental
Every list gets away from everybody. Mine included. You will never get a raised eyebrow from me, only a plan for getting through it.
Flexible
A few hours a week, a defined project, ongoing support, or a retainer to keep the systems I have built running properly. Long arrangements very welcome.
Hybrid
I work from my own desk, from your home, or from your office, whichever the work actually needs. Based in west London, and able to work remotely for clients further afield.
Your advocate
On the business side I build relationships with the best people in every area I work in. Once your business is part of that network, I will keep connecting you with relevant work.
Yours to keep
Every system, note, process and login I set up belongs to you. If we stop working together, nothing leaves with me that you cannot find later.
The way I work now

I work with AI. You still get a human.

I use AI every day, properly, not just as a really good version of Google. AI means I work faster, but mostly I use it to eliminate repeated work and to build systems that do not need constant maintenance and upkeep.

I work to a set of AI principles, so we agree at the start on exactly what AI is and isn't doing for you. It will not be an agent left alone to order a thousand toilet rolls because it found a better price per roll. I would use it to build useful tools that make your life easier, like a single pane of glass summarising the day ahead. You will find it quietly taking care of repetitive work in the background.

I have been an EA How To Plus member since 2025. Keeping my skills current is something I take seriously, and that community is what I have to thank for guiding me towards better AI skills, and towards this generalist future.

Kind words

What people say

I can't tell you how anxiety free I feel now looking at my inbox.

Current client, private household

Tess is smart, resourceful, and incredibly capable, especially when it comes to Claude and Notion. She has a wonderful ability to figure things out, find thoughtful solutions, and create effective systems. She brings both skill and heart to her work, and she's an absolutely lovely person to work with!

Get in touch

Taking on a small number of clients

Tell me what is on your list and we will work out together whether I am the right person for it. No pitch, no pressure, and no charge for the conversation.

LinkedIn Book a call

I will get this straight away and reply personally.