With the nominations now open for the 2026 Midlands PA Awards we asked previous winners to give an insight into their experience of being nominated and winning an award. For many of our winners, it often represents the culmination of a lot of hard work, overcoming setbacks and going through many personal journeys. Here, we hear from Kate Pallister who won PA of the Year in 2024 and she tells us about her personal experience.
If you’d told me a couple of years ago that I’d be standing on a stage accepting PA of the Year, I’d have laughed, apologised for laughing, and then quietly changed the subject. I’ve always been the type who naturally blends into the background—the calm organiser, the quiet fixer, the person who keeps things running without needing any spotlight. So when I found out I’d been nominated for the West Midlands PA Awards, my first reaction wasn’t excitement. It was shock. Then mild horror. Then the firm belief that someone had made a mistake.
I’d never seen myself as “award material.” I just got on with the job, did it well, and tried to make life easier for the people I supported. That’s it. So stepping into a process where I had to talk about myself, my achievements, and what I bring to my work felt… uncomfortable. Like wearing someone else’s coat.
But (and here’s the bit I didn’t expect) the experience changed me.
The first shift happened during the nomination process. Being asked questions about my strengths and the impact of my work forced me to slow down and actually acknowledge those things rather than brushing them off as “just what I do.” Then came the interviews and conversations with other nominees—people who were talented, warm, generous with their experiences, and incredibly relatable. There was no ego in the room. Just a group of people recognising the value of a profession that often goes unseen.
Each step chipped away at that reluctance I’d been holding onto. I found myself feeling proud, not embarrassed. Curious, not anxious. And as much as I still felt like a background person, something in me started to shift. I realised that fading into the background had never been about capability—it was about habit.
Then came the awards night. Walking into that room was surreal. I half expected to hover at the edge, doing my usual “blend in and quietly cheer for everyone else” routine. Instead, I ended up talking, laughing, connecting, and soaking up an atmosphere that celebrated people like me—the quiet powerhouses, the problem-solvers, the glue in the gaps. So many of us had the same story: we do a lot, we care deeply, and we don’t often pause long enough to recognise it.
I didn’t win that night, but I celebrated the people who did and the profession as a whole. It felt so good to be in a room with people who were genuinely cheering for each others success. And winning wasn’t the expected outcome anyway, it was the process of being nominated that had changed me.
Then I was nominated for the second year running and I got to experience it all again, with slightly less novelty but more familiarity. When my name was called as PA of the Year in 2024, it didn’t feel like a moment of “look at me.” The judges saw something I’d never really allowed myself to acknowledge: that I’m good at what I do. That my work matters. That I do, in fact, deserve to take up space.
Winning the award didn’t magically solve imposter syndrome or turn me into a spotlight-loving extrovert. But it did give me something more valuable: confidence that comes from evidence, not hope. A steadier sense of self-belief. And a reminder that stepping forward, even when it feels unnatural, can lead to something unexpectedly rewarding.
If you’re someone who shies away from recognition—someone who quietly gets things done and prefers to stay behind the scenes—I’d genuinely encourage you to consider nominating or accepting a nomination. Not for the title or the trophy, but for the growth that happens along the way. For the people you meet. For the clarity you gain about your own value. And for the moment you realise you’re allowed to be proud of yourself without apologising for it.
I went into the Midlands PA Awards expecting to stay invisible. I came out feeling seen. And sometimes, that’s all you need to take the next step with a little more confidence than before.
With the Midlands PA Awards set to be the biggest and best yet as we combine the East and West Midlands awards for the first time, you can find out more here. If Kate’s story has inspired you then all the details for nominations are out now, we can’t wait to find the next batch of award winners!