Sandra Nowaczek | Leadership Business Partner | Bloom Procurement Services Limited
I started my career, when applying for a Business Admin apprenticeship in 2019 at Hartlepool Borough Council where I was pushed straight into the deep end of working alongside the Senior Leadership Team and Chief Executive as their Personal Assistants.
I quickly fell in love with the role and wanted to develop quickly. My organisational skills and confidence came naturally to me, and drove me to move on to my current role at Bloom Procurement as a Leadership Business Partner. I feel like this role has strengthened all my skills and taught me so many more, shaping me into an efficient EA.
I originally come from Poland and I love it! I love going back to see all my family and friends, living the culture and definitely the food! I have been in the UK for 16 years, so other than my surname, you probably wouldn`t know it. I have a little dog, which if you were to meet me, I would probably mention him in the first 2 minutes!! I like to take him on walks and I enjoy going to the gym!
Jenna Bristow | Executive Assistant | Barclays
I am a wife, a mother of two amazing children aged 8 and 14, and a fantastic Executive Assistant. My organisational skills are my most valuable asset, benefiting me both at work and in my personal life.
With over two decades of experience in support roles, I possess a wealth of knowledge and expertise in delivering the highest level of assistance, leading to enhanced overall performance and efficiency for myself, those I support and for the organisation.
Beginning my career as a Personal Assistant in 2003 after college, I have refined my skills over time and developed an exceptional understanding of excelling in this position. I play a crucial role in supporting my executives and their wider teams (currently c. 900 people) and contributing significantly to the organisation’s success. While presented with opportunities to transition away from support roles, I have remained dedicated to this profession, recognising its fundamental importance in every business.
I feel that being an Executive Assistant was my calling, as it aligns perfectly with my strengths and passions, offering a key platform for professional advancement, skill enhancement, and networking opportunities, all while allowing me to make a tangible impact and apply the skill set I have developed to other areas of the team/organisation.
Fiona Shea | Virtual Assistant | Fiona Shea VA Ltd
I started working in administration at the age of 19. I was quickly promoted from telemarketing to manage mailings and data transfers to clients, from campaigns.
From there, I landed my first role as a PA in London. Over 20 years I tried to gain as much training and experience available, grasping opportunities that took me out of my comfort zone, from facilitating training courses to recruitment and mentoring.
My final role was as Executive Assistant for the Group CEO of Legal & General, a FTSE 100 business and the UK’s largest Asset Manager. There, I worked with Sir Nigel Wilson through some challenging times, such as Brexit and Covid. Nigel was awarded a knighthood in 2022. We worked together for eight years, until his retirement at the end of 2023. Knowing this change was coming, I chose this opportunity to leave L&G and launch my own business as a Virtual Assistant.
I sought advice from a few VA’s I’d connected with over recent years, they gave me the support and encouragement to set up on my own. I did this over a few months before leaving L&G, utilising opportunities to connect with potential clients. My business launched on 2nd January 2024 and I am fully booked with three amazing clients who I met during my time at L&G. I am challenged and learning every day, I have a new network of contacts to lean on for support and advice, and I’ve forged lifelong friendships from my career in the City.
Catherine Harrison | Virtual PA | Bee-Assisted Limited
Cath Harrison (52), Derby, has been working since the age of 15, After an impressive career as a Personal Assistant of over 35 years, working in the private and public sector at businesses including tech giant Hewlett-Packard, Cath honed her experience and became the right-hand woman to her employers.
In 2020, at the start of the pandemic, Cath was made redundant and decided to take the plunge and launched Bee-Assisted Ltd .
Because of her leap of faith, Cath found herself as a new business owner later in life than most, despite this she took it in her stride to quickly become fully booked, utilising her 35+ years of experience as an executive assistant.
Cath now also offers support to new VAs, and in 2024 started training to be a VA Mentor. She has been a guest speaker at networking groups, in schools and other businesses across the Derbyshire region. She regularly appears on podcasts sharing her expertise.
Cath is a passionate advocate for disability support and improving accessibility, a cause close to her heart; her eldest son was diagnosed with hearing loss and mild autism at a young age and is now profoundly deaf and a bilateral cochlear implant user.
Izzy Duffy | Senior Business Operations Executive | Multiverse
I joined Multiverse straight out of school back in 2018 on a Multiverse Business Associate apprenticeship working in our Compliance team.
This role enabled me to get a good grasp of the foundations of the business and work with a number of our functions. This sparked my interest in project management and operations.
I then was given the opportunity transition into a Delivery Operations & Governance role, whilst undertaking my second Multiverse apprenticeship in Project Management.
In 2022, I then made the transition to our central Business Operations team to focus on delivering a range of cross-functional business projects (including process changes, internal launches, policy and strategy).
I now report directly to our Chief of Staff to support her in her role. My responsibilities include leading various cross-business projects (setting up processes for the business as we grow, system implementation, acquisitions, events), supporting cross-functional alignment and business planning and strategy. I also am trusted by leaders who are several levels above me to be their safe sounding board, as an extension of my role in the Chief of Staff team.
Charley Lucas | Work-Related Learning Officer | King`s Business School
I have a real passion in supporting young people navigate their career journey and this can be shown throughout my career to date.
I`m currently the Work-Related Learning Officer for the Careers team at King`s Business School where I support university students to gain real-life work experience so they are employability ready when they enter the world of work.
Previous background involves working in non-for-profit and governments programmes; supporting young people and unemployed find job opportunities through interventions. For a number of years, I`ve worked with a wide range of young people through various educational settings. Some have been in primary school supporting young people (aged 9-11) with their attainment, confidence and punctuality. Some have been in youth centres raising aspirations through the use of sports, cooking, dance, and art. Others have been through my time at university providing outreach work to young people who weren`t aware of what university was (me being one of them when I was growing up).
Every role I`ve encountered in my career has always been about supporting young people. I know how amazing mentoring and role models can have on your life and I want to help young people feel they have someone out there to believe in them and to help raise aspirations.
Bo Kelestyn | Associate Professor | Warwick Business School
Bo is a design thinking academic and practitioner with a diverse teaching and scholarship portfolio.
Bo is an Associate Professor and holds multiple student experience and educational leadership roles at the University of Warwick, Warwick Business School.
Bo has designed and led a number of interdisciplinary modules on design thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship, and leads on The Guardian Masterclass on design thinking. Bo is also the creator of the Warwick Secret Challenge, a problem-solving workshop with elements of design thinking, which has become a key methodology to tackle innovation challenges at Warwick through authentic student-staff co-creation.
In May 2022, shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bo developed a vision for an educational leadership programme. Partnering with the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science and Ministry of Digital Transformation, Bo founded the first and only of its kind Masters level programme aimed at nurturing a cadre of educational leaders in Ukraine, supporting the rebuilding of the education system post-victory.
Bo holds several awards for her contributions to teaching and learning at Warwick. Having emerged into educational leadership from her doctoral studies, she was the first ever student to have received the Fellowship of the Warwick International Higher Education Academy (WIHEA), one of the youngest at Warwick to hold the Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), and first at WBS and only one of three at Warwick to hold the Fellowship of Enterprise Educators UK (FEEUK).
Antoinette Hamilton | Trust Digital Curriculum Lead | The Stour Academy Trust
Toni, serving as the Trust Digital Curriculum Lead at The Stour Academy Trust, has nearly two decades of rich experience in primary education, with a robust emphasis on harnessing technology to enhance teaching and learning experiences.
Her journey in education is marked by a passionate advocacy for inclusion, accessibility, and equitable opportunities, ensuring every child has the chance to succeed in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Beyond her role in the classroom, Toni has been instrumental in mentoring educators across various platforms, imparting her knowledge and expertise to drive forward the integration of technology in education. She has led numerous training sessions for teachers, shared innovative teaching strategies with school and MAT leaders, and extended her support to parents, reinforcing her commitment to a collaborative educational ecosystem where everyone is empowered to thrive.
As a recognised Microsoft Fellow, MIEE and a distinguished ambassador for renowned technology communities, Toni’s contributions reflect a profound dedication to fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation. Her engagements are not just about imparting knowledge; they are about creating a dialogue, encouraging critical thinking, and inspiring others to envision and build a future where technology and education converge to unlock unlimited possibilities.
Toni’s ethos is centered around the belief that technology is not just a tool for education, but a catalyst for creating more inclusive, engaging, and meaningful learning experiences. Through her tireless work, she continues to shape an educational landscape that values and nurtures the potential of every learner and educator.
Marie Hall | Executive Assistant | Barclays
My PA/EA career started in 1997 as a team secretary initially working my way up to PA to the Finance Director and designated cover for the Governor and Deputy Governors offices before relocating back to the Northwest in 2014 where I was PA For the Deputy Agent in a Satellite office.
After 22yrs service I was headhunted and went to work for a Global payments/FinTech company, based at their Manchester office, where I spent 3 enjoyable years working with to the VP of Global Operations Solution Consulting and VP of Global Billing, as well as being the site lead support and having responsibility for colleague engagement across the Manchester office. I won the Michaela Ferguson Burns award (a business award initiative) whilst working here for outstanding contribution.
I was then offered the opportunity to come to Barclays where I support Managing Directors, Directors, and their teams, within the Chief Technology Office. Alongside this day-to-day role I help lead on colleague forums and employee resource groups as I am passionate about colleague engagement and mental health and wellbeing. I believe that as an Executive Assistant we can bring much more to the business, and I look for ways to showcase this.
My spare time is spent as a volunteer, in my local town of Warrington, where I am one of the Turnstile Operators at Warrington Town FC. I also cohost a monthly supper for the women of Warrington for a local charity that has a focus on all things wellbeing and mental health. I work with this charity to lead wellbeing walks for their members and am involved in an annual suicide awareness event that sees huge numbers of people walk from darkness into the night to help raise awareness. I am an advocate for mental health and wellbeing having come through my own personal struggles and believe we can all make a difference.
Laura Oakes | Executive Assistant | Vialto Partners
I got my law degree in 2014 and worked as a fee earner in a law firm dealing with injury and fraudulent cases.
Whilst at the law firm I went on to gain my qualification as a chartered legal executive. Whilst I enjoyed my work, I had always been interested in the PA/EA world and believed my skillset would be right for the job.
In August 2022, I started working at Vialto and have never looked back since. I love the diversity of my day to day work life; every day is different and I love getting to work with and connect with so many people because of my role. A couple of stand out moments during my time at Vialto so far has to be coordinating an Immigration seminar at The House of Commons for one my partners and also getting to travel to New York to assist in the running of a client conference.
My only regret is that I didn`t make the move sooner! I really do look forward to seeing where I can go in my career and at Vialto!