A personal PA
Not your usual high-level EA , Judith Sharon Willett is a personal PA to Lord Harris of Peckham , owner of Harris Ventures Ltd , in Kent in the UK . We catch up with her as she celebrates ten years since being crowned PA of the Year at the Executive PA Media Awards …
Tell us about your career journey to date . I trained as a secretary at the BBC then moved on another company . At that time there was no such thing as maternity leave , so I was a stay-at-home mum for six years with my two children . I returned to work as a secretary at a brewery based in East London for nine years . Then I started working at Carpetright in 1991 in the buying department . I was offered the role of PA to the chairman and chief executive , Sir Philip Harris ( pictured below ). I remained in that role until Lord Harris ( he ’ d been elevated to the peerage in 1996 ) retired in September 2014 . He asked me to go with him and work privately at his personal offices in Orpington , Kent , so I did just that .
How interesting ! What are your main responsibilities ? Lord and Lady Harris are exceptional people , and they are extremely generous with their time and charitable donations . My role encompasses every asset of their lives and each day brings along its own challenges . I enjoy all aspects of my job but working on my own initiative is my greatest motivation as it shows the trust Lord Harris has to allow me this freedom .
He is an entrepreneur so has many interests and responsibilities which I am also involved in . He is a director of Arsenal Football Club , for example , which keeps him very busy . His son founded a company ( flooring specialists , Tapi Carpets ) in late 2014 and although I don ’ t work for it directly , I get involved with arranging its events and corporate gifting . My love has always been arranging events and I ’ ve organised some fabulous parties for both the business and the Harris family .
What ’ s been your favourite event to organise ? I ’ ve arranged many sales conferences ( 600 + delegates , so exhausting but very satisfying when it all goes well !) but my highlight would probably be Lord and Lady Harris ’ Golden Wedding in 2010 – an extremely special occasion for two special people .
What training and professional development have you undertaken ? My only professional training was at the BBC where I learnt to touch type and do shorthand . Apart from that I am completely self-taught , learning on the job . I ’ m quite proud that I can use the latest technology as so many of my age group find this a daunting prospect . I suppose I should say that life experience has been my training !
Tell us about your award win … I was lucky enough to win Executive PA Media ’ s PA of the Year award in 2012 and it was truly the highlight of my working career . I thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many of my peers and having the opportunity to travel around the country sharing my experiences . Winning gave me more of a sense of purpose and realisation that what I experience every day in my role was something quite special .
Back to work – how is the work / life balance ? I have always been treated like part of the family . Lord Harris is very generous and always shows his appreciation for what I do . Our office is very relaxed – everyone works hard but has fun too . Since the pandemic I ’ ve been working from
22 Executive PA | Summer Issue 2023