EXECUTIVE PA MAGAZINE AWARDS 2010
Take inspiration from our Executive PA Magazine Award winners from last year and find out why you should be filling out your nomination form BY CATH JANES
We all have those in-the-bath moments where we daydream about winning an award for our hard work. That’s especially the case for PAs, who rarely get the recognition deserved for those admin-juggling acts, late nights and inevitable moments of blind panic. So when Jessica Doorbar was told that she had been shortlisted for the Executive PA Magazine PA of the Year award and was one of 10 potential winners she already felt as if she had won. So can you imagine how she felt when her name was announced as the winner on the awards night itself? “You won’t be allowed to publish the word that came
out of my mouth when I heard my name called out,” she says. “I never thought for a moment that I would win this award. I don’t think I slept at all that night because I was so excited. There are so many wonderful PAs out there who do such a great job so to win really meant something to me.” Jessica, who is the PA to Howard Scott, the leader of
the regulation team at PricewaterhouseCoopers, admits that she only entered the competition because her new line manager had suggested it. Yet when Jessica talks about her work it is clear why her line manager consid- ered her a safe bet for the title. That’s because while Jessica does the usual PA duties of diary keeping, travel- arranging and inbox management she challenges herself to push the boundaries.
derful and I just fell in love with the place. The people were wonderful and the trip ended on a high note too thanks to my boyfriend, Giles. He proposed to me in Raffles on our last night there
“Singapore was won-
”
“I like to leave my comfort zone when I am working and go that little bit further. So when Howard called me for help from a site one day, instead of dealing with it on the phone I went straight to the site and set myself up there. It’s about being proac- tive and about showing what you can do as a PA. I am passionate about the value that PAs bring to an organisa- tion and how it is they who hold things together, and that is something I demonstrate in my work.”
While the award has boosted her confidence it has also helped her gain recognition throughout PricewaterhouseCoopers and as a direct result she has been offered job opportunities and the chance
to work at a higher level. She is currently consider- ing her next move carefully however. “I want a role that I will stick to and I’m in no hurry
to make a decision. I am really enjoying the result of my win which includes a webcast I have done for PwC about the importance of the role of the PA in the organisation. It is being rolled out across the company at the moment which means the 763 PAs who work for PwC are hearing all about my work and my win which is great.”
www.executivepa.com » Apr/May 2010 » 19
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