I have always had a strong work ethic. I started my working life aged 14 in retail after school and at weekends.

On leaving school I fell into full time work in administration. Everyone seemed to want to work in a bank and I decided it was office life that appealed to me.

I had the good fortune to work for a small family run telecommunications company for 13 years. The owner became a mentor and friend. He took me under his wing and expanded my horizons. I learnt about all aspects of office management and gained experience in accounting, payroll, projects, HR and how to drive a forklift truck! It gave me a great insight and gave me the knowledge and the confidence to test the water for alternative roles. However, I found my best fit and what I enjoyed most was the role of an assistant, which as most assistants will know, also encompasses all of those other roles – whether working on a special project or simply as part of the daily tasks – with the possible exception of driving a forklift truck!

It was on that basis I decided to continue along the PA/EA career path.

I subsequently gained experience in a variety of roles and businesses to progress from Admin Assistant, Secretary then to PA and EA. In this position your job title is likely to be determined more by who you are working for, than your own ability. Your manager’s journey is very often your journey as their assistant. I am fortunate that through my good judgement and maybe a little luck, the managers I have chosen to work with share my destination plan.

I have always enjoyed the variety that the position of EA brings and if my job continues to offer this, I would not change it. Working at Dell over the last 16 years has never disappointed. Due to the constantly changing landscape, there is always a new skill, system or process to learn which keeps me motived and interested. I have moved around within the business with my managers, learning as I go and building on my network of contacts within different teams along the way. Most recently in the UK working for the SVP &GM but prior to that for 12 years working with our Europe Middle East and Africa teams