Meet Leeds’ award-winning EA

It’s great when PAs are recognised for their hard work and can add an award to their career achievements. One such executive assistant is Laura Taylor, who is celebrating her new title of Leeds’ Best PA.

Laura, an EA at Deloitte, was chosen for the win by local car hire firm Arrow Cars. The company organised the competition to applaud the role of assistants throughout the city.

Laura says appreciation for the work she does as a result of winning the award has been her “career highlight to date”. She has received emails from her fellow Leeds assistants congratulating her and she says her bosses are very proud of her.

“It definitely gives a confidence boost to get this kind of recognition,” she adds. “As a PA, you stay in the background and don’t promote yourself, so it’s fantastic to have won an award.”

When asked why she thinks she won over some tough competition, she admits she isn’t sure and has heard it was a difficult decision for Arrow Cars to make. She puts forward a possible theory: “I have taken on many additional responsibilities outside my role. I am an event manager for our annual women’s networking dinners, which we host for our clients. I am also now PA to the North East marketing team, who were previously lacking admin support.”

What does Laura think it takes to be a great assistant in the 21st century? “A lot of flexibility, pro-activeness and a willing attitude,” she says. “The PA role is constantly changing, so you need to move along with it and I believe there’s always something new to learn.”

Laura’s advice for her fellow PAs is to devote time to personal development and “ensure you talk to your boss about your career aspirations so they can support you”. She also encourages them to join networking groups in their area. Laura, herself, is a member of Yorkshire-based PA Hub. That’s sound reasoning coming from Leeds’ best personal assistant.