EA PROFILE
Please tell us a little about yourself ... I ’ m a 36-year-old who is mum to a five-year-old French bulldog , Winston . I grew up in the country ( Regional Victoria ) but my career has taken me to lots of exciting places , including Brisbane , Sydney and Melbourne . I am passionate about arts , culture and entertainment . Forging strong connections with people and immersing myself in as much self-development as possible in order understand other people better are my key motivators in life . I love building , maintaining and nurturing close relationships . In doing so , I feel like I grow a little more each and every day .
How did you become an assistant ? Like many EAs , I started my career at the front end of a business on reception . I provided support to our accounts team as part of that role and ended up transitioning into an accounts role as the next stage of my career progression , but didn ’ t love it . I persevered with data entry and accounts reconciliation hoping to find a gateway into something that was more aligned with my outgoing personality and ambitions . That came some years later at EY when I was working in an administrative support role in their finance department . After just under six months , an opportunity became available to provide right hand EA support to two senior partners . I had no directly relevant EA experience but I did have an unwavering eagerness to learn and prove myself as capable . The firm saw the potential in me that I saw in myself and backed me all the way , knowing full well that they were taking a bit of a risk on me . I threw myself into every opportunity to learn , took regular counsel and advice from other EAs , and the rest is history . That was 16 years ago now and I haven ’ t looked back !
Have there been any major challenges you have overcome ? I ’ ve moved around quite a lot from city to city which has presented many challenges when starting fresh , largely unsupported and away from familiar surroundings . I ’ ve had to build brand new social networks from scratch , which really involves putting yourself out there and being bravely vulnerable . My ability to proactively engage with people confidently and authentically has been an integral part of EA life . Ultimately , this role is about building , growing and nurturing relationships to get things done and supporting your leader to do the same .
Tell us about your role at Anthem … Our business was founded and acquired by my boss Vas Katos and built from the ground up during the global pandemic . With that history , I share his passion to ensure that the business he ’ s worked so hard to give life to continues to prosper successfully . It is small so moves at pace and everyone is accountable , flexible and agile . We don ’ t have the layers of support to absorb streams of individual focus as is the case in other industries – we ’ re all in it together and roll up our sleeves to ensure the job gets done . I work side by side with our CEO and leadership team to ensure their time is being managed effectively in line with critical business planning and upcoming deliverables . Some project management and event management also form part of my role , alongside some research and of course , a large amount of documentation management .
How do you find the work / life balance ? It can be challenging but by my own admission – I can be my worst enemy in this regard . I have had to make myself more accountable here , which is a skill I ’ ve learnt over many years . You can easily let your day fly into the late hours of the night with a running list of things to do but securing and maintaining appropriate boundaries makes me better in my role and happier in my role . I deliberately plan a lot of personal engagements ( even if that ’ s finishing a few chapters in a book !) and make myself stick to them .
What do you rely on most to do your job ? My phone . I literally , could not do any part of my job without it . It is glued to me all day and all of the time .
What ’ s been your career highlight and why ? When I worked at News Corp I was supported to pursue my passion for writing and was given the opportunity to have many opinion pieces published in the editorial section of major metropolitan mastheads . I dedicated this audience opportunity to advocate and push for reform for those experiencing mental illness . That ’ s been one of the proudest moments in my career .
What ’ s the most important thing you ’ ve learned about the assistant role ? I ’ ve learned that context is a fundamental part of service delivery in this role . When you understand why you ’ re setting up a meeting or what the outcome of a priority may have for the business , you ’ re far more likely to align with purpose and passion in your delivery – generating a satisfying result when you succeed in executing that . Being curious , asking questions and understanding the ‘ why ’ is critical for career-driven EAs . Don ’ t assume you ‘ shouldn ’ t know ’ – ask questions and showcase your willingness to not just ‘ do ’ but understand why you ’ re doing what you do .
What ’ s surprised you most about the role of an assistant ? How instrumental the role is in the successful running of a business . Essentially , you work in partnership with your leader , and you are the glue that holds everything together .
If you could change one thing about the assistant role , what would it be ? I ’ d love for more men to feel empowered to pursue EA roles . The stereotypical female secretary is absolutely a thing of the past and just as women are entering industries that have been traditionally male dominated , I think it ’ s time that we give men the opportunity to step up as EAs and show executives the value they too have to offer in this career . S
Winter Issue 2024 | Executive PA 51