Meet our 2017 Page Personnel EA of the Year!

After a great deal of deliberation and strong competition across the EA and PA talent pool, we finally have our 2017 EA of the Year…Larissa Auditore, Executive Assistant to the CEO & Managing Director for icare, NSW.

A few of Larissa’s key achievements in her role include:

• Establishing the icare Executive Assistant Network, which provides professional development and mentoring opportunities to her peers and those assistants starting out in the profession.  This initiative was the first of its kind for the organisation in icare’s current and predecessor form. It gave Larissa a sense of pride to know that she’d built and could lead such a program, not to mention the essential coaching support it provides to the company’s assistants.  By establishing the icare Executive Assistant Network, the assistants are able to build on their professional skills & become more proficient and valuable to the organisation, which leads to a more collaborative and agile work environment and culture.       
• Taking an active role in developing a Talent Pool Program for the company’s administrative staff to help build skills, prevent attrition and increase motivation and confidence by providing them with continuing opportunities to experience and be exposed to other business areas on a rotational basis. This has been instrumental in helping to enhance the assistants’ technical and interpersonal skills, and their ability to build stronger relationships across the business. 
• Towards the end of 2016, Larissa consulted with each business area and developed an icare central planning calendar to capture activities, events, meetings and milestones across the business that could be shared on the intranet and updated in real time as circumstances change.  This tool has helped to build a cohesive culture at icare, as staff are now aware of planned activities and can be proactive to ensure business objectives are achieved. It has also assisted the CEO & Managing Director as Larissa has frequent conversations with all business areas to keep track of these activities - enabling her to understand the important issues and therefore proactively manage his diary and coordinate appointments in accordance with the business needs and priorities.
• icare is a large and fast-moving organisation, which frequently runs a plethora of company-wide events internally and externally with key stakeholders.  Larissa is directly involved in proactive and detailed business planning and event-facilitation with the Events Team, and network of assistants and senior executives from different business units – supporting these colleagues to run companywide events.
• Establishing and chairing the Sydney Executive PA Xchange, which is a non-commercial EA Group and acts in an advisory capacity to the Executive PA Magazine.

Larissa was awarded the title of 2017 Page Personnel Executive Assistant of the Year in a surprise announcement made by Page Personnel managers at her office in Sydney. As the 2017 winner, Larissa’s main prize is return flights for two plus five nights of luxury accommodation in Hawaii (Waikiki). She will also receive a gift hamper from T2, a Nutribullet, a gift hamper from Tilley Soaps, a 1-hour consultation and cookbook by Dr Katherine Iscoe and a Penguin book pack.

“I am humbled and honoured to receive the 2017 Page Personnel EA of the Year Award.  Winning this award is great recognition for our team of administrative professionals at icare.

“It is also recognition for my CEO, Vivek Bhatia, who sees the immense value that good executive assistants bring to the operation and culture of an organisation, and supports the fundamental role they play in driving the efficient running of the icare business,” said Larissa.

The Page Personnel EA of the Year competition aims to find and recognise the best executive assistant (EA) or personal assistant (PA) in Australia. As specialist recruitment consultants with expertise in placing support roles in the areas of accounting, customer service and office support, we understand the multiple skills required by employers when hiring an EA or PA and the many demands of these roles.

“Continue to build your knowledge by developing a broad understanding of the organisation you support, its strategic direction, as well as your relationships across the business,” advises Larissa.

“Also, focus on progressing your career by undertaking life-long professional development opportunities, but also see any mistakes you may make along the way as learning opportunities,” she adds.

The two competition runners-up who have each received a Webjet voucher, a Nutribullet, a gift hamper from Tilley Soaps, a cookbook from Dr Katherine Iscoe, a RedBalloon voucher and a Penguin book pack are:  

• Kim Gascoigne from VIC, Executive Assistant to Ken Boal, VP, Cisco System ANZ
• Nyssa Lambkin from QLD, Executive Assistant to the Asia-Pacific Internal Audit and Oceania Advisory Government & Public Sector Leader for Health, Human Services and Education

An EA or PA who is exceptional at their job is a valuable asset for any busy senior executive and this award was created to give those professionals an opportunity to be acknowledged for their hard work and efforts.

Please join us in congratulating Larissa – the 2017 Page Personnel EA of the Year!