Above and beyond the call of duty

Search for UKís leading secretarial stars comes to a climax

Office Angels can today reveal the winners of its coveted annual Executary of the Year Award.

Following a six month search and several gruelling heats where thousands of secretaries and PAs from across the country have battled it out to show why they are the UKís best secretary, Alison Lovett from London and Eileen Robinson of Stockton-on-Tees, are announced as the 2006 winners.

Nominated by their employees as a thank you for their hard work and determination, both Alison and Eileen have shown just how crucial they are in the smooth running of businesses across the country and demonstrate the increasing responsibilities of this group of professionals.

Throughout the competition, Alison, PA to Chairman of West Ham United FC, and Eileen, receptionist and PA to the director of IDEC Ltd, have revealed a cocktail of secretarial skills required to excel. From trust, organisation, financial acumen to warming people skills, advanced technological ability and an essential sense of humour, this years Executary winners are shining examples of the UKís PA and secretarial profession.

The established Executary Award scheme, now in its ninth year, was created by Office Angels, the UKís leading secretarial and recruitment consultancy, to recognise and reward the crucial role played by PAs and team secretaries in todayís corporate world.

Office Angels coined the term ëexecutaryí to describe the increased responsibilities of senior PAs and team secretaries, and highlight the variety of skills and responsibilities they employ. The scheme continues to showcase secretarial excellence, while giving managers the change to show their assistants just how much they appreciate them.

Alison Lovett has worked for West Ham United Football club for nine years, as PA to Chairman Terence Brown who nominated her for this award. ìHaving a great team of people around me is the most important aspect of my job,î says Alison, ìWhen Terence said Iíd been nominated I was very pleased. Everyone works so hard to make my job easier, thereís an excellent team behind the scenes, not just on the pitch.î

But itís time for Alison to be applauded according to the West Ham Chairman, ìAlison never stops smiling,î says Brown, ìover the last nine years she has been tested in all areas of her role, and each time she has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Her sparkling, outgoing personality is an asset to the club and we are immensely proud that her hard work and commitment has been recognisedî

Eileen Robinson who has worked for Idec Ltd, engineering firm in the northeast for the last 18 years, was also put forward by her company director, Robert Patterson. In her role as receptionist and PA to Robert, Eileen has thrives on being busy and works extremely well dealing with day-to-day pressures.

ìI certainly didnít expect to win, for the first time in my life I was speechless!î Eileen continues, ìMy role is hectic but very rewarding, Iím a real people person and through my job get to meet people all day long. From lots of secretarial work, to operating the switchboard and meeting and greeting, itís very varied.î

ìEileen thrives on being busy and works extremely well dealing with day-to-day pressures,î says Patterson. ìShe works on the reception of our business centre looking after 25 tenants, 2 directors and 10 engineers; she has excellent organisational skills and is very adaptable. She is extremely dedicated and will always work through her lunch or late after work to ensure her work is completed. Eileen is a critical person to our business, with the personality to carry it off. I was confident she would do well.î

Research conducted by Office Angels in support of the awards indicates that both winners posses the most highly valued secretarial skills. The poll of 1,500 UK employers showed that 93% of managers nominated trust as the single most important trait in their assistants. The second sign of secretarial excellence is the ability to organise, nominated by 88% of managers ñ a skill both Alison and Eileen have demonstrated throughout the selection process.

Paul Jacobs, Managing Director of Office Angels adds, ìDespite the award being in its ninth year, we are still overwhelmed by the pools of talented secretaries and PAs that are being recommended by their employers. The level of performance this year is phenomenal!î He continues, ìBoth winners should be immensely proud of their achievements, providing the backbone to their employers operations and providing other colleagues a bench mark on how the job should be done.î

Both winners will enjoy generous prizes, including an essential office kit supplied by Filofax, and a luxury, pampering break for two courtesy of Champneys.