Nominations for the East Midlands PA Awards 2024 are now OPEN!

Are you supported by or do you work within a team that deserves recognition for the incredible job they do as a collective? The successful team will be a collaborative one that ensures any job is completed successfully and with impeccable quality and excellence.

Do they go above and beyond as a team and are they the epitome of the saying “Teamwork makes the dream work”? If so, the Team of the Year Award is the category for them as it aims to recognise teams of 3 or more from the same organisation or those who have joined forces to work collaboratively for a common goal.

We want to hear about how they have worked together to set and achieve objectives, supported one another through both the good and tougher times and how they have added value to your organisation!

The Business Support Manager of the Year Award aims to recognise those that champion and support the team they manage. This person will have gone above and beyond to support, motivate and encourage their team to develop an inclusive, positive and forward-thinking workforce. This person is the definition of leadership through advocating for their business support team.

Their job title might be anything including Team Leader, Office Manager, Administrative Support Manager, Lead PA or even Chief of Staff. There is no limit to the title, only that they have been the direct line manager for a business support function or department.

Using specific examples, we would like to hear how your nominated manager has supported you and/or your team, how they have gone above and beyond in their role and what makes them stand out from any other manager you have had before.

The Lifetime Achievement Award provides a unique opportunity to celebrate an outstanding individual who has maintained a career and made a significant impact in an Executive or Business Support Role for more than 20 years, across a single or number of organisations. The size and type of organisation is less important than the credentials of the nominee.

Please tell us about the incredible contributions your nominee has made that has really impacted and contributed to some defining moments throughout their dedicated career. How have they taken their years of experience to the next level and what impact have their achievements had on you and your business in the past or present day?

We want to hear about how your nominee has continued to evolve in a fast paced, ever-changing world and how they have supported the business through to success, whilst facing a wide range of professional challenges. Are you able to tell us how they have continued to develop their skillsets over time and how they represent the business and profession to the highest standard? We cannot wait to hear all about your nominee as we celebrate the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Rising Star / Newcomer of the Year Award recognises an outstanding newcomer who has started a new career as a PA or EA within an executive or business support role, including apprenticeships.

Tell us about the exciting journey they have taken so far and what impact they have made to your working life, the wider business and any exciting projects they may have championed. Why did your nominee choose this profession as a career path and what makes you proud that they are your PA or EA and trusted partner?

What has been their most amazing achievement to date? Have they implemented processes that have resulted in improved efficiencies, brought new ideas, skills and new initiatives or have they developed a close working relationship with you and how have they integrated with the wider team and networked and built the foundations of great relationships internally and externally?

Managing your own business can be challenging when you’re in charge of finding new clients, marketing, HR, finance and all the other core functions necessary to running your own company, alongside offering various support services to many business owners every day. We want to hear about your most defining career moments and achievements since setting up your Virtual Assistant business. How have you adapted your business over time to continuously provide exceptional services for your clients? What challenges have you met head-on along the way and how would you say your business differs from the rest? We welcome nominations from your clients (or yourself!) and would love to hear why you should be Independent VA of the Year.

Many executive and business support roles are evolving to include the overseeing and overall management of many different types of projects and events. The 2024 Project Champion of the Year will have been the owner of a project that has co-ordinated and encouraged the buy in of a team, managing a hugely exciting concept.

Has your Project Champion of the Year managed a challenging or impactful project? Has this been in addition to their normal day to day role and responsibilities.

This person will have worked tirelessly to bring together each element through fantastic ideas and communication, mindful of all the different elements that contribute to a chance for change to happen and encourage positive conversations.

We would love to hear more about a specific project, the more you can tell us about your nominee the better. What was the feedback from the various stakeholders involved, how was the success measured and what tools did they use to help them along the way? Using as many examples as possible, please tell us about the project, the biggest challenges and how your nominee overcame them.

The Administrative Professional of the Year Award looks to recognise those working in a variety of business support roles outside of the specific EA/PA role, including Office Assistants, Admin Assistants, Administrators, Receptionists, etc. These roles, which are integral to many organisations, should be recognised in their own right for the key part they play in the function of their business.

If someone you know in a business support role goes above and beyond or offers something totally different, is naturally intuitive or inspires others around them, we want to hear about that passion for the role and what they do to stand out from the crowd!

This category recognises outstanding contribution from business professionals working within a support function or administrative environment, regardless of role or job title. This Award celebrates their achievements, where they have used initiative in supporting others to improve the service delivered or gone over and above the role expectations and where they have delivered consistently high performance in a particular task.

Have they contributed innovative solutions to improve systems and processes within the team?

Are they a PA who has volunteered to write a CSR Policy or an EA who managed a CSR programme for their business, any duty or task which may not be considered part of their usual role? Whatever the task in hand, they rose to the challenge and delivered client service excellence effectively and efficiently, demonstrating their diverse knowledge and skillset.

We are welcoming nominations in this category from colleagues and business leaders, as well as self-nominations. Now really is the time to blow their own trumpet and show the world how proud they are of their achievements!

The PA of the Year Award recognises outstanding contribution from PAs to EAs supporting Board/C-suite Executives and Managing Directors; individuals who have worked in a support role for 3+ years to Senior Directors who have consistently gone above and beyond their day job.

This category would be suitable for an individual who has demonstrated passion and exceeded expectations notwithstanding pressures from a position at this level, worked on key projects that have not only delivered on the firms values and strategy but hit further goals or have established new working practices to improve service delivered by the wider team.

We want to recognise individuals who have shown excellence across their career and are a shining embodiment of the role. We want to hear about the highlights of their career and the positive impact they have made within the business. We cannot wait to hear from EAs and PAs from a variety of sectors at C-suite level. If your nominee can demonstrate outstanding commitment, dedication and passion to the PA/EA profession, this is the category for them.