We spoke to Kerrin MacPhie, Chief Executive at The Meetings Industry Association, or mia as it’s commonly known. Kerrin took over the reins last November as the only salaried position within the association’s board of business meetings and events heavyweights… The mia is the largest, longest standing and most influential trade body operating within the UK business meetings and events…
read moreHow is the meetings & events industry awakening? We sat down with Emma Bason, Director of Meetings & Events UK at American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) to talk about getting back to business and what’s unique about her company. Emma Bason As a Meetings and Events professional, what do you enjoy most about working in this industry? Its…
read morePA Life sat down with Oksana Gabriel whose career progression has been phenomenal – she jumped from her first position as a junior assistant to an Office Manager in less than five years… Your strong event management skills and experience won you the Event Organiser Star 2025 award. Congratulations! Has this recognition made an impact in your professional life? Thank…
read moreOur latest Work & Life interview with Kerry Ferguson, Executive Assistant at Child & Child was originally published in PA Life Club member pages in the Winter 2025 issue of the magazine. The interviews feature active members of the Club who share experiences about their role as an EA, and what they enjoys doing when not working… Kerry’s journey to…
read morePA Life sat down with Allianz Stadium’s Business Development Manager Vincent Coles to learn about the recent changes to the home of England rugby stadium since it’s re-naming to Allianz Stadium, and what sets this iconic sporting venue apart from other stadiums… Let’s start with the rebranding of the world-famous stadium and the Home of England Rugby. How will the…
read moreOur editor met up with Roger Allen, Founder and Managing Director of a bespoke gifting concierge service that is The Midas I. Roger trained as an architect at UCL’s prestigious school of architecture, Bartlett, before working for a number of companies on projects ranging from large scale commercial buildings to retail design. This led him to an increased specialism in…
read morePA Life Autumn 2025 issue’s Club member interview offers insight into Heather’s fulfilling and inspiring role as a PA at Imperial College, one of the world’s leading universities… What does your role entail at Imperial College? I currently work as an administrator and PA to the head of one of the clinical research departments in the Faculty of Medicine. I’ve…
read moreSecuring a position as an Executive Assistant requires more than a polished CV and years of experience. Interviews are opportunities to demonstrate your professionalism, discretion, and capacity to support leaders effectively. However, even seasoned professionals can fall into avoidable traps during the interview process. Below, Lindsay Taylor from Your Excellency Limited outlines the most common interview mistakes Executive Assistants make—and…
read moreOur summer issue’s PA Life Club member interview features Bianca Nicolae, Personal Assistant at Imperial Hotels. Bianca’s talents and dedication on career journey from hospitality to a PA was recognised with the Rising Star Award 2024 at the PA Life Star Awards. What does a professional recognition such as this mean to you? Winning the Rising Star Award truly meant…
read moreFeeling nervous* before an interview? You’re not alone! The good news is that confidence isn’t something you either have or don’t have—it’s something you can build. Lindsay Taylor, Founder and Director at Your Excellency Limited discusses how these simple but powerful techniques can help boost your confidence before an interview, so you can feel self-assured and ready to impress… Power…
read moreIn PA Life Spring 2025 issue‘s Ask Abi column, Abigail Jones, a career EA, coach and mentor answers burning questions relating to the Assistants’ careers and roles sent to us by our readers. As a coach to EA’s and PA’s, the topic Abi is asked most about is how to start a job hunt, what to expect, and how to…
read morePA Life sat down with the British Paralympic rowing Champion, Naomi Riches MBE. Naomi, is not only known for her rowing, but she is an inspirational figure in the world of para and adaptive sports. She was born with a visual impairment, but re-defined expectations by winning six World Gold medals, a Bronze at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics Games and…
read morePA Life’s feature writer interviewed Steph Hind, the Co-Founder of Heka, an employee benefits platform designed to help all manner of organisations service their employees with flexible, tailored wellbeing offerings. We explored the topic of ‘Blue Monday’ with Hind, who shared her perspective and top tips for navigating this challenging day and the wider issues affecting mental wellbeing in general.…
read moreLouise joined Criton almost 2 years ago and since then her role has grown from part time EA to full time EA and Operations Manager. In 2020, Louise was a finalist at the PA Life Star Awards and in 2021 has contributed two articles ‘How to juggle home schooling while working as an EA‘ and ‘Joining the world of technical…
read moreSarah Szekir-Papasavva, Founder of Apt Virtual Assistance, comes from an artistic background, having studied a Masters Degree in Fine Art at the University of Leeds before building a career as a PA. Sarah trained as an Executive Assistant, followed by a Virtual Assistance course, before using her experience to start Apt Virtual Assistance. Sarah offers a range of high-quality administrative and…
read moreJoanne Manville Virtual Assistance has been running for over five years and has evolved from ‘just’ Joanne to a team of amazing VAs. In this interview PA Life speaks to Joanne about why she decided to become a Virtual Assistant, the South West VA Collaboration and essential tools she uses in her in day-to-day role. Make sure you don’t miss…
read moreEditor of PA Life Hayley Somerscales spoke with Niamh Smithers, Senior Executive Assistant at ESW and PA Life Star Award finalist for PA of the Year 2020… During the interview Niamh shares how she became an Executive Assistant, her current responsibilities, personal development, having dyslexia in the workplace and her advice to others with dyslexia. Make sure you don’t miss…
read moreYou’ve arranged to meet for a job interview, but how do you prepare? A superstitious bunch, us Brits will regularly depend on good luck charms to make us feel more confident when it comes to job interviews, deadline days and other stressful situations. I personally have never entered a job interview without first playing the James Bond theme through my…
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