I have worked as an EA for the last for and half years within Core One Technologies, a financial IT company based in the city. Back in April 2011 I started as a team assistant to an office of 25 people but as time went on I started to get involved in finance, human resources and marketing along with the office management. Soon my role was growing quickly and even though this was all change it was exciting and kept be busy and interested. Since 2011 there have been several structural and management changes. Over the duration of my career here I have supported executive staff from the corporate controller, the managing director and the global head of sales aswell as ad-hoc support for both the CEO and COO. It’s been varied but again goes back to the ‘juggling’ concept and making sure that everyone is in the right place at the right time.
As an EA you’re not only there to support staff on a one to one basis or a team (depending on the company structure and needs) but you also find yourself processing invoices and expenses, whilst logging everyone’s holidays and preparing for the latest marketing conference while booking a flight for your executive to NYC – all at the same time! It’s a hectic role but there is so much potential to learn and grow. I learned to be ‘on top of my game’. Being organised and attention to detail are key as well as excellent communication skills. Increasing my self-confidence over the years has been instrumental, it now means I can handle any issues that came my way and need attention or a resolution at short notice.
As a small company all of us need to get involved and this could not have been a better learning curve. My roles within finance grew from AR in London to AR on a global scale and all AP for London aswell as processing expenses and raising customer queries. My HR role developed from basic HR admin to taking care of new starters; leavers, implementing new systems among employees to track their holidays. I worked directly with our HR director on payroll, pension meetings and healthcare benefits for employees. Marketing was broad – from ensuring that we booked the correct conference; logistics were booked and all collateral arrived at the correct time which involved liaising with 3rd party vendors. Again – just ensuring that everyone and everything was in the right place at the right time, reports were submitted before deadlines and everyone was on the same page. I am the sole contact for all of these departments within the EMEA region so quite a responsibility but one I grew to love! Project management skills were always at the forefront and something I have strongly built on and now very interested in specialising in.
Now – I am at a crossroads – our company has been acquired by a much larger global organisation and even though I am going across as an EA I am hoping to explore my options further and hopefully find myself working in a project support/manager role within the finance or HR sectors. I have built a strong skill set over the last four years which include strong organisational skills, excellent communication skills, a passion for being pro-active, thinking ahead and offering solutions as and when they are needed. I’m lucky that naturally I am super organised and like to have everything submitted before deadlines approach. Transition from an EA to a project support manager…..watch this space….!
This post was written by Louise O’Mahony
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