EA PROFILE
What are the most important parts of your role ? All of it ! My ‘ core title ’ is business assistant and in our company that ’ s like an EA i . e ., partnering and strategic thinking , as well as the usual skills of diary and inbox management , etc . I support two directors – one has a remit for 500 + people across five offices and the other runs an £ 80 million portion of the overall business . I ’ m part of the director ’ s leadership team , too . Arup is a real advocate for wanting its support staff to get involved ; to have a voice and to be curious about the business .
I also co team-lead the business support team in Leeds . And there are lots of other ‘ extra hats ,’ from being a brand ambassador ( ensuring people are using our brand correctly and consistently and answering any queries about it ) to supporting with the organisation of large-scale events .
Ultimately , my role is a minute-by-minute prioritisation and re- prioritisation of whatever is happening at the time . Managing the team and supporting two busy directors means its constantly shifting sands . Flexibility and agility are required in great quantities !
What ’ s your favourite thing about working for your company ? There are so many things I like and love about working for Arup . One is that the organisation is employee-owned , so everything we do is for us . In other words , we need to put energy and effort in to get success and job satisfaction out .
I also love the people . Everybody is friendly and inclusive . My colleagues are experts in their discipline but love sharing their knowledge so it ’ s a really collaborative environment and a great place to learn something new every single day .
Not forgetting the projects we work on – they ’ re inspirational and often innovative with sustainability being a key factor .
To what extent is there flexibility in terms of where , when and how you work ? Arup recently launched its ‘ Word Unbound ’ initiative , a hybrid work model that allows UK employees to choose their working days across a seven-day week . I feel really lucky to work for such a forward-thinking company .
What are some of your career highlights ? I was nominated for Executive PA Media ’ s PA of the Year a few years ago . I got runner up , which was a great honour . The award resides in my sitting room with pride of place on a shelf ! More recently , I achieved my Chartered Manager status with the Chartered Management Institute . I ’ m really proud of this – and grateful to Arup and my manager for supporting me through the process .
What training and professional development have you undertaken in your career ? Too much to list ! But I ’ d say that over the years I have balanced formal training , when applicable , with a lot of selfled learning . I think it ’ s important to balance the two .
What motivates you ? Aside from coffee and biscuits (!), helping others see their own potential then watching them put it into practice and really grow and flourish .
What advice do you wish an established assistant could have given you at the outset of your career ? Going back to the early 90 ’ s when we were usually called secretaries and I ’ d just left college , I would have said this can be a career . At the time I saw it as a job – something to do until something else came up . But it turned out I was pretty good at it and wish I ’ d realised that a bit sooner .
What ’ s the most important thing you ’ ve learned ? Firstly , communication is key ! Secondly , be curious . Learn about the company you ’ re in , understand other people ’ s roles and jobs , absorb the information and don ’ t sit in a bubble . Your role will mean so much more to you if you know the context of it – and you ’ ll become valuable to others if you have knowledge they can tap into . All round that makes for job satisfaction !
How do you see your role progressing ? Having just achieved Chartered Manager status , I hope to be able to move forward with more training in managing people and coaching / mentoring , whilst continuing to support my busy and business-critical directors . I just want to do my best no matter what role I ’ m in .
If you could change one thing about the assistant role , what would it be ? As a profession , I think we are most proficient in soft skills – but those are hard to quantify , especially in a commerciallydriven world . So , I think it would be that we are recognised more for just how valuable those soft skills can be .
Sue at the 25th anniversary of Arup in Leeds party
Finally , tell us a little about Sue out of work … I live in West Yorkshire with my husband , our cat , Purdy , some tropical fish , pond fish and a rescue turtle ! I have a geeky fascination for family history and a more recent ‘ hobby ’ has been volunteering at a local cats ’ protection re-homing centre . It ’ s taught me a lot about cats … And people ! Finally , I ’ m a bit of a back-seat ecologist – I love nature , trees , animals , birds everything fauna and flora . S
For more information on Executive PA Awards visit https :// executivepa . com / awards
Autumn Issue 2022 | Executive PA 51