EA PROFILE
“ Balance is also about setting your own boundaries .”
Executive PA magazine talks to Carla Mutis , personal assistant at Deloitte in Melbourne .
Tell me a little bit more about Carla I trained as a chef , play netball and basketball , and I ’ m very involved in the community . I volunteer at my church and at the Red Frogs Australia . I ’ m also a group leader for a faith-based group at Deloitte and host Alpha Australia for youths and adults in Melbourne . I ’ m really passionate about helping . I really enjoy seeing other people smile and achieving their goals . I love helping others feel relieved and grateful , or just at peace with the weight taken off their shoulders , knowing that you made their day easier .
How did you become an EA ? I kind of fell into it , and I ’ ve worked my way up over the years . I left the hospitality industry in 2018 and got my foot in the corporate world as a client services officer for the ATO during the Covid lockdown . We were flooded with all these new enquiries , helping businesses that were not able to operate and individuals who did not have an income – it was full-on . I enjoyed supporting the team and managing how we were going to manoeuvre . It was also around the time when MyGov was just implemented – we helped people use it , especially seniors .
After that , I worked as a secretary / receptionist at ServCorp at their 101 Collins Street office here in Melbourne . I also gained experience as an administrative assistant and office manager at Johnstaff , a construction development company . I started at Deloitte in April last year . It ’ s been great !
Tell me a little bit about your role at Deloitte Every day is different . I support four partners , each with unique needs , and I manage their diaries and travel requirements and help them thrive in their roles . Because the partners have a number of commitments every day and are often in back-to-back meetings , I focus on helping them to prioritise their commitments . I ’ m also involved in many groups , including social , private , client and faith-based events , so I have to manage my time appropriately . I try to plan my day as best I can while remaining flexible enough to take on additional ad-hoc or urgent tasks from time to time . I ’ m grateful that I know how to organise my time
DELOITTE
Deloitte Australia is part of the largest professional services network by revenue and number of employees globally and is one of the Big Four accounting firms with a team of over 13,000 in Australia .
deloitte . com / au and prioritise what is best suited to the overall success of the partners , the team and myself professionally .
What do you enjoy most about your job , and what are the major challenges that you experience ? My favourite thing to do is tick things off my list . It doesn ’ t matter what it is , if my list is being ticked off , it ’ s an achievement where I know I ’ m getting things done , not just for myself , but for those relying on me as well . If their lists are getting shorter , great !
A challenge would probably be being in the middle of busy people with competing schedules and trying to make it all work . But I also know how important the support we provide is to the work the partners do .
I also try to focus on building relationships outside of the partnership . The challenge for an EA , as with any role in the workplace , would be building those relationships with your direct manager and their wider team .
24 Executive PA | Autumn Issue 2025