International Women’s Day Celebration and Panel Discussion
March 5 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
In celebration of International Women’s Day our PA Forum partners at Clays are kindly hosting an event to bring together our community to experience their newest event space, to engage with some of our valued partners and to join us, as we hear from Caroline Marshall (Upsource), Ruth Grosvenor (Thyssenkrup), Ashleigh Shervorn-Grant (Eversheds Sutherland) and Lucy Nicholls (The PS Events Group) about their experience their personal and professional career journeys to date.
Included is 2 x Free drinks per person and canapés and it is FREE to attend for any Executive and Business Support Professionals.
Introducing our panel for the evening:
Introducing Caroline Marshall, Founder of Upsource
“Caroline Marshall is the founder of Upsource, a multi award-winning Virtual Assistant agency and a growing community of fractional, high-calibre Business, Executive, and Virtual Assistants. Upsource provides personalised, strategic support to entrepreneurs, startups, scale-ups, and SMEs, offering services across Outsourced PA/EA, operations, financial admin, HR, and content.
Upsource is driven by a clear vision: to become a globally recognised standard in high-quality, flexible assistance.
Caroline began her career in Personal Assistance, Business Support, and Events. She entered the Assistant industry in 2010 and moved to Virtual Assistance in 2016, first as an employed VA, before launching her own agency in 2020. Her hands-on experience and deep understanding of the assistant role have shaped Upsource into what it is today.
At the heart of Upsource is a belief in genuine connection. The team prioritises building trusted relationships with clients, fostering a collaborative internal culture, and contributing to the wider administrative community.
Caroline is passionate about positively challenging outdated perceptions of admin professionals and embraces innovation to continually improve the way support is delivered. With a strong focus on high-calibre service, Upsource is known for understanding the unique needs of every client and delivering exceptional, tailored solutions. The last 5 years has seen significant growth, and Caroline and Upsource has been featured in the Metro, Daily Mail, Grazia, Stylist, Waitrose Magazine, and The Guardian.
Caroline also curates The Agenda, a monthly newsletter for the Assistant community. It offers resources, industry updates, networking and upskilling opportunities, and reflects her commitment to giving back and supporting others in the field.
Her personal journey through motherhood, redundancy, the pandemic, and entrepreneurship inspired her to launch the ‘Bump to Business Owner’ podcast, where Caroline shares the real stories of founders who are also mothers, exploring how they navigate business and life.”
Introducing Ruth Grosvenor, Executive Assistant & PA of the Year 2025, thyssenkrupp
“Ruth Grosvenor is an Executive Assistant with over 20 years’ experience supporting senior level Directors and Executives. Ruth began her career at 16 working full time in a call centre, for Forte Hotels, learning all about customer service. She progressed to an administration role and found her love of all things organisation. Ruth then worked towards her goal of becoming a PA and was given an opportunity in 2006 to become PA to the Director of Housing at Bromford; a central England Housing Association. This was the start of a wonderful career and Ruth has never looked back.
Always championing the role of the EA and highlighting the impact that effective business support can have on an organisation, she prides herself on ensuring everyone in the workplace feels valued and respected. In her current role as EA to the CEO of thyssenkrupp Materials UK, Ruth has built a leadership role for herself, securing a seat at the table and being recognised as a trusted business partner to her Executive. She has led significant, business-wide projects, from internal communications to organising and delivering the company’s annual all-employee event – a standout career highlight. Ruth’s approach is rooted in honest, direct and thoughtful communication, allowing her to cultivate strong, productive relationships at every level. She goes to work each day to make a difference.
Last year, Ruth was nominated and became a finalist in the West Midlands PA Awards and was recognised as PA of the Year 2025. Something, even post event, Ruth shares she still feels like an imposter about! Ruth has always felt she is “just doing a good job” and even 6 months on is still in shock that she has been awarded such an accolade!
Outside of work, Ruth is wife to her childhood sweetheart, a devoted and busy Mother of her two sons and a support to her husband who runs his own business. After the awards Ruth was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia and has been balancing being a wife, a mum and a C Suite level EA between hospital appointments. Ruth loves life; she loves being busy, she finds her role incredibly rewarding and even through her recent diagnosis continues to endeavour that each day is filled with joy.”
Introducing Ashleigh-Shervorn Grant, Legal PA, Eversheds Sutherland
I have been working as a Legal Personal Assistant for just over seven years at a busy international law firm, supporting Partners, Legal Directors, and Paralegals. The role is fast-paced and demanding, requiring organisation, resilience, and the ability to anticipate needs before they arise. It’s a position that carries real responsibility, and I take pride in being someone my team can rely on.
Alongside my core role, I have remained deeply committed to Diversity & Inclusion work, which has always been a passion of mine. Each year, I dedicate months of planning toward Black History Month, organising speaker events, office activities, colleague blogs, and securing support from allies, amongst many other initiatives. Even during maternity leave, I stayed actively involved in D&I work, attending events in London — sometimes on crutches — and assisting with event coordination while on leave. For me, it was important to maintain a sense of identity and continue contributing to something I genuinely care about.
I am also involved with Amicus, reviewing “Murder One” cases, and working alongside clients seeking well-deserved compensation through the Windrush Scheme. These experiences have deepened my commitment to supporting justice and inclusion, both inside and outside the workplace.
I am a proud mum to a 22-month-old boy and returned to work after 12 months of maternity leave. That transition was both rewarding and challenging. Being a career mum in a busy law firm is not easy, and I don’t pretend it is. It takes planning, sacrifice, and constant adjustment. But I strongly believe that motherhood and ambition are not mutually exclusive. Mums can have a career while raising a family.
Like many women, I navigate professional responsibilities alongside personal challenges, but I remain focused on creating a stable and positive future for my son and myself. My journey so far has been shaped by resilience, determination, and a commitment to showing that it is possible to pursue the work you love while building the life you want.
This promises to be an exciting and very popular event so book your free ticket below before they go and celebrate some amazing women ahead of International Women’s Day with us
