UK:JUDY WILLETT PA to Lord Harris of Peckham
How long have you worked as a PA? I started as a secretary 38 years ago (PAs didn’t exist then) but I have had the actual ‘PA’ title for the last 19 years.
How did you get into the office support industry? I left school with good O Levels and decided that I would like to work in an office rather than to stay on to study A Levels. I did my secretarial training at the BBC which I found to be a very good base for learning the necessary skills whilst being paid, a sort of apprenticeship I suppose.
What does a typical day involve? I can’t say I have a typical day, as each day throws up different challenges. I tend to plan what I think I will be doing during the day but something usually arises which sends me in a com- pletely different direction. This is probably one of the things I like the most about my role, it is never predictable and cer- tainly never boring!
What's been your greatest achievement as a PA? Winning the award for Executive PA Magazine | Hays PA of the Year last year has to be the proudest moment of my career and overall my greatest achievement so far. However over the 19 years of working with Lord Harris I have been given many tasks to complete and I am delighted to say that I have managed to rise to all the challenges set (so far!). It is very difficult for me to pick out one particular achieve-
ment and say that it was ‘my greatest’ as my role is twofold; partly Carpetright and partly Lord Harris’s private side. Within Car- petright one of my greatest achievements would have to be arrang- ing the annual Carpetright Sales Conference which lasted two days and comprised of several different events in one. The two days included a Training Day for approximately 60 delegates, a Manufacturers Dinner for over 100 guests, overnight accom- modation, an exhibition of carpet & bed suppliers, workshops and the Sales Conference itself for almost 700 delegates. This all had to be arranged from scratch and executed with military precision and I am very proud to say that each conference went strictly according to plan. I had a brilliant team around me who all worked extremely hard to ensure the events were a great success. On the private side I have to say that arranging Lord and
Lady Harris’s Golden Wedding Celebration was probably the most challenging but satisfying achievement as it was so very special and personal to them I wanted to make it a night to remember something that they could look back on as a spec- tacular occasion surrounded by all their friends and family.
What challenges do you face in your role? Every day is a challenge as I am given some quite extraordi- nary things to deal with. One minute I’m looking at office
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designs, Christmas parties, Board Meetings and the usual run- of-the-mill company things and the next I’m dealing with horses and show jumping events, House of Lords business, private planes, Arsenal Football Club, car collections, charities, politics and one of Lord Harris’s biggest commitments over the last few years his schools. I therefore need to be extremely flexible and knowledgeable in all genres.
What three words sum up your relationship with your boss? Respectful, humorous, friendly.
How many hours in your average week? In the past I did many more hours than contracted as Lord Har- ris was greatly involved in the political scene and this led to a num- ber of very long days but in recent times I try not to do any more than necessary. It is very much as and when required and I am ‘on call’ seven days a week should Lord Harris (or his family) need me.
How do you think your role in the UK compares to that of our PA of the Year in Australia? Oh now that’s a difficult one. I’ve never been to Australia so I don’t really know the way of life there but I would have thought that perhaps life in Australia might be a little more laid back. However I think the PA role is quite a universal one so I’m sure that the workload, challenges and expectations are extremely similar.
If you could work in another country, which one would it be and why? I think it would have to be an English speaking country as I’m
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