Mary Mosope Adeyemi | Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Mary Adeyemi is a Credit officer (VP) at BAML, where she started her career in 2008 at the age of 20.
Mary started in banking via SEO London, a charity that helps organizations to meet their diversity needs. Since then, Mary has progressed through the ranks gaining both sectorial, product and regional experience. She is regarded as a top performer in her department, one who is ‘able to provide a balanced risk/reward assessment whilst building strong relationships with stakeholders at various levels’.
Her appreciation of her SEO pathway continues to fuel Mary’s passion for promoting social mobility, ethnic and gender diversity in the workplace.
Within BAML, Mary leads her department’s Female Forum, is a committee member on Multicultural Leadership Network (MLN) and mentors for the Africa Recruitment Program.
Outside of BAML, Mary is a Co-chair on the Alumni board of SEO London. This pioneering leadership role is one that Mary uses as a platform to gain further support for the SEO program in the banking industry and further create opportunity for social mobility.
Through key collaboration with sister Charity, SEO Africa, Mary is starting a Virtual mentoring program where young women in Africa, who are about to start their professional careers and experienced Female professionals in London, are given the opportunity enter into a mentoring relationship.
Mary holds a 1st Class bachelor’s degree in Accounting & Finance from Lancaster University and a Masters in Management from Imperial College. She is also a Chartered Accountant with the ACCA.
She is of Nigerian Descent, a singer; serving as a worship leader in her local church, an avid traveler and a fashion enthusiast.
Judith Payen | Barclaycard
Born to Haitian parents and raised as a first-generation American in a largely Spanish-speaking city, it’s safe to say I’m no stranger to diversity. I often hear the maxim “people like people like themselves”, but I find I am most at ease amongst disparate characters, and often go out of my way to seek them out.
I moved from the USA to Scotland at the age of seventeen to pursue a business degree at the University of Edinburgh (only after convincing my mother with a cost-benefit analysis!). I've since gained experience in a variety of settings (including The Scottish Parliament) before ultimately moving into financial services at Barclays. I was selected to join their two-year Future Leaders Development Programme offering graduates accelerated development and insight into roles and operations across Barclays through four six-month rotations. I currently work for the Managing Director of Barclaycard Payment Solutions, a recognised payments industry leader and advocate for gender diversity, as her Operational Planning Manager.
Since joining Barclays, I've not only learned about how start-ups are eradicating long-established barriers to entry in financial services, but I've also seen the ways that these upstarts are creating solutions to address the needs of the under- and unbanked in other markets. I’m still blown away by the size of this demographic; the lack of slick, accessible products available to them; and their resultant financial instability. With this in mind, pursuing an MBA seemed like a natural next step for my career to best equip myself to address these issues, and I set my sights on Harvard Business School (HBS), inspired by the HBS commitment to educating leaders who create value for society. I am fortunate to have been extended an offer to join their Class of 2019, and will matriculate in August this year.
Danni Li | Barclays
Ashleigh Harvey | RBS
Annie Mbako | BNY Mellon
Annie consistently exemplifies role-model behaviour, highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusion. Her passion, energy and ability to engage people have made her a catalysing force in fostering inclusion in Manchester and across BNY Mellon since she joined in 2008. Her career with BNY Mellon began in the Income and Tax division, before she moved to Corporate Actions in 2010, working with various teams before ultimately joining her current client-facing role.
In 2016, Annie was recognised as a Diversity and Inclusion Champion, one of the company’s most highly regarded and visible honours, for her stewardship of regional and companywide diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Annie does not view diversity and inclusion initiatives merely as business prerogatives but rather as fundamental human rights, which emanates from her own personal narrative. Born in Buea, Cameroon, Annie moved to Wrexham, North Wales at age eight. Annie recognizes first-hand the importance of fostering an ethic of responsibility for making the world more just, sustainable and inclusive.
Annie holds a B.SC. (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Manchester. She has also achieved an Investment Operations Certificate and Certificate for Risk in Financial Services.
Amanda Mooney | First Trust Bank
Sandra Sullivan | KPMG UK
Paula Moio | Time Family Office Ltd
An accomplished bilingual Executive Assistant, self-motivated professional and highly experienced in providing support at executive-level.
She was born in Luanda, the capital of Angola, raised in Lisbon but has been calling London home for the past 22 years.
After 10 years building a solid foundation for her career in Luanda working for several multinational companies, she is blessed with the birth of her twin daughters and decides to take the long road of emigration.
In London she reignites and truly embraces her passion, advocating for a change of perceptions and recognition of the PA role as respectable and credible as any other profession.
She works tirelessly to raise the profile of the Admin Profession in today’s demanding market alongside a likeminded network of professionals determined to break barriers.
Passionate about personal and professional development, Paula is always prepared to go the extra mile, share learning resources and determined to keep up-to-date with new career trends.
Perseverance, interpersonal and organizational skills are to be her key strengths, and she has an excellent aptitude to work at all levels, backgrounds and cross-cultures.
In September 2016 Paula designed and ran a two-day workshop for 60 Executive Assistants in her home country, Angola. It was the first of its kind organized for EAs of some of the most important national and foreign companies operating in the country.
A Fellow at the EPAA, a UK based guild. A IMA-UK and SW1 PA Network member.
In 2013 she was bestowed with a BBC News Award for her outstanding contribution to BBC News.
For 15 years Paula worked as a Personal Assistant at executive level at the BBC World Service. Her reputation got her headhunted for an Executive Assistant position at Time Family Office, the international private equity company where she’s been working since January 2016.
Melanie Sheehy | Citation
I have a very varied life with many strings to my bow. My main ‘work’ role is EA to the Chief Exec of Citation Ltd which is a private equity backed business in Wilmslow. I have worked with my current boss for 6 years moving businesses with him as he progressed in his career. My first PA role was 20 years ago, starting out at AstraZeneca and from there I have worked for the Co-operative bank and LateRooms, learning the role along the way.
Along side my role as EA to Chris Morris, I am also the Chapter Admin for the Young Presidents Organisation Pennine Chapter, which is a global network for Chief Executives. For this role I support 47 Chief Execs by supporting the website, events, networking and training.
My main passion though is the Manchester PA Network, a non-for-profit organisation established to bring together like-minded PA’s, EA’s Secretaries and Support staff to create and build long-lasting business relationships and friendships whilst raining money for The Christie. We have currently raised £75,000 and have pledged to raise £100,000 by 2020
In 2015 we organised the inaugural Manchester PA Awards and we are now in the process of organising the awards for the third year running as the success has been phenomenal.
I am also lucky enough to sit on the board for EPAA, Executive and Personal Assistants Association. This appeals to my second passion which is to support and mentor PA’s coming into the business to help them achieve the best of their ability as well as raising the profile of PA’s across the UK.
Outside of my work life my ‘real’ job is mum to 4 year old twin boys and a 20yr old step-daughter. We live in Hale with my boys, daughter, husband, cat, Eric-Cat-ona and puppy Bonnie
Katie McEwan | Ann Summers
Katie McEwan has been Executive Support Manager to Jacqueline Gold CBE, CEO of Ann Summers for 9 years.
Before taking the role for Jacqueline, Katie had quite a colourful career in television and film working her way up the ladder from production runner, to production assistant and finally production secretary. During her time in television and film, Katie was fortunate enough to work on a number of award-winning productions, including Waking the Dead and The Diary of Anne Frank for BBC 1 and the international box office success, Run Fat Boy Run starring Simon Pegg and directed by David Schwimmer.
Katie’s role working for Jacqueline is quite extensive and has grown in recent years to include people management, business project management and also the leadership of the Ann Summers Executive Support Team.
In the last few years, Katie has been incredibly fortunate to present at a number of conferences most recently including the Hays PA Network, the PA Hub, Manchester PA Network, ACE’s Scotland, the Office Management and PA Conference & OFFICE, as well as proudly judging the Executive PA Magazine awards in 2012 and the Hays High Achieving PA of the Year award 2013. In 2014 Katie was awarded the SecsintheCity award for Social Networking PA of the Year and finally, in late 2015 Katie took up the post of Chair of the Executive & Personal Assistant Association (EPAA) General Advisory Board.