PAs in the news

Management assistants can derive inspiration from many sources and there are few more well-respected or admired role models than consummate entrepreneur Richard Branson. So when one American business-owner met him on his private island of Necker she used the opportunity to formulate a few golden rules for personal success.

The manager of Atlanta-based VA agency EAHelp, Shannon Miles, says the encounter taught her to keep in mind that if there’s a demand for a service then there’s an opportunity for profit; to take care and recruit staff who you can trust to do the job properly; not to be afraid to travel along uncharted paths; to remember that it takes guts to up your business game; and to be more willing to put yourself out there in order to achieve your goals.

Elsewhere, PAs have been getting themselves into trouble once again, with Hollywood actress Meili Cady revealing in a new book that she was once the assistant to one of the heirs to the Samsung fortune, who embroiled her in a drug-smuggling operation.

Over the course of 14 trips on private jets, it transpired that Meili had unwittingly helped her boss transport more than 7,000 pounds of marijuana. The sorry saga ended with Asian socialite Lisette Lee being sentenced to six years in jail, while Meili struck a deal with prosecutors and managed to get away with 30 days in custody.

Meanwhile in Malaysia, a rock singer and his assistant have both been charged with possessing and taking banned substances. Popular singer Zamani Ibrahim and his PA were charged under Section 15 of the Dangerous Drugs Act and if found guilty could be fined up to RM5,000, (£910) or jailed for a maximum of two years.