j
Holly Davies
Head of vice-chancellor ’ s office , University of the West of England
“ I like the variety of titles . And I think , increasingly , there is a shift away from PA towards EA . It feels more modern and in keeping with what a lot of roles do – supporting executives . But I do feel it ’ s difficult sometimes differentiating the hierarchy of executive support staff . Sometimes you end up with senior EA or executive officer or similar … Where does each one fit ?
My role is a bit different as I ’ m responsible for the executive office in addition to directly supporting the vice-chancellor at the university . My title ( head of vicechancellor ’ s office ) is very specific to my sector , and I do love it . I feel it articulates what I do ( leading the office ) and commands respect to what I do . That ’ s something that ’ s often very sadly lacking when people view you as ‘ just an EA …’ I think my title leads to people understanding the breadth of my role and that I ’ m responsible for the office as a whole – but perhaps not always that I ’ m a critical support to the vice-chancellor , too .
Career progression can be challenging for EAs and I said to my manager at a recent appraisal that I don ’ t know what I ’ d do if it wasn ’ t this ! For some , being a career EA is absolutely what they want but for others who want to progress , it can be difficult . Project manager type roles , for example , often require qualifications and specific , related experience , while chief of staff ( COS ) can be a monumental leap from EA looking at some of the job descriptions out there .
Often salaries don ’ t reflect the value of EAs , which adds yet another challenge . I think if there was a way of carving out some of what a COS does ( and , of course , having EAs heavily involved in this process ), it would justify salary increases and provide a stepping stone for career progression down the line .
In a changing world where tech and automation are becoming more important , we need to be clear on the value of EAs – and shout about it . We also need to keep evolving to keep the role relevant and meaningful for the future . We need to keep up with the latest tech advances and use them to our benefit to enhance what we do .
The world is changing and we need to keep up with it ! Fortunately , though , I think that execs are increasingly seeing the true value of their EAs . We are becoming recognised as someone who works alongside and in step with them , rather than beneath them .”
Caroline D ’ Souza
Security coordinator at The National Gallery
“ PA and EA titles have evolved from 30 years ago , as has the job role . I think it ’ s now more specific and specialised .
My job is a good example of this as I ’ m now security coordinator . I ’ m still supporting multiple managers and senior management and , with hybrid working , one-to-one meetings are very important . Troubleshooting skills are also critical . We need to be working on issues before the boss even realises , leaving them to concentrate on their job . But I also lead on any queries on vetting , access control and security . And I take on specialised projects – auditing contractor companies for Baseline Personnel Security Standard compliance , for example .
Where I work , The National Gallery , values its staff and knows how important it is for everyone to work across the board as one team . What I think should come next for the PA / EA role is a secondment to various departments or companies , thus gaining experience in different fields and decisionmaking on behalf of the boss .”
20 Executive PA | Summer Issue 2023