Canberra, 30-31 October 2024

Agenda

Day One

08.30 Registration

09.00 Chair’s opening remarks

09.10 Keynote address:

Mastering Professionalism: The Power of Planning, Preparation, and Tenacity for Unstoppable Growth

Strategic planning for success
Using the art of preparation
Cultivating tenacity and resilience
Learning to back yourself

Leigh Sales AM is one of Australia’s most recognised and respected journalists. For almost twelve years, she anchored the ABC’s flagship evening current affairs program, 7.30, as well as being the face of major news coverage for the network, including federal elections and budget nights. She has been a foreign correspondent based in Washington DC, and worked for TV, radio, print and digital. She is now the presenter of the ABC’s beloved Australian Story program. She co-hosts a podcast called Chat 10, Looks 3 with her friend, Annabel Crabb.

10.10 Building your network to support success

Developing high levels of trust and reputation to enhance your personal value
Sharing with and learning from your network to be the ‘early adapter’
Strengthening your social capital and your influence through your network
Leveraging your network’s talents to enhance your expertise

Corrie Fitch, Relationship Architect, Bond Builder, People Skills Mentor, Axiom Associates

10.55 Morning tea

11.20 Increasing your influence to lead as an Executive Assistant

Developing trust by promoting your integrity and reliability
Being the First Follower or Force Multiplier to amplify power and influence
Sharpening your strategic approach and business acumen
Building good relationships across the team to foster commitment to goals and objectives

Anne Lyons, Director and Founder, Challenge Your Thinking

12.00 PANEL – Leveraging high-level administrative skills to change direction

Knowing your ‘why’ to inform the desire for change
Identifying your toolbox of skills and how they will support career change
Evaluating your transferrable skills against desired role descriptions
Demonstrating your broader expertise by showcasing adaptable skills to leverage opportunities

Rachael Koorey, Executive Assistant to Pat Sowry – Office of the First Assistant Secretary – Infrastructure Division, Department of Defence

Linda Viskovic, Senior Executive Assistant, Australian Public Service

LJ (Laura-Jane) Bourne, Executive Officer, Australian Financial Security Authority

Tamara Hull, Project Manager, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority

12.45 Lunch

13.45 Becoming strategic as an Executive Assistant

Understanding what it takes to be strategic
Developing a managerial mindset
Managing your executive’s mindset to foster ready acceptance of your inputs
Strengthening business skills with training to create growth opportunities

Savannah Lukic, EA to First Assistant Secretary, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts

14.25 Understanding work design to improve efficiency

Identifying work demands to create a better work environment
Understanding different working styles to incorporate in work design
Designing work to encourage efficiency, collaboration, and collegiality
Demonstrating the value of good work design by walking the walk

Louise Carter, Principal Consultant and Organisational Change Management Lead, Chalfont Consulting

15.05 Afternoon tea

15.30 Understanding emerging technologies to improve productivity – an overview

Evaluating various software and apps to manage your workload
Streamlining expense reconciliation, capturing financial documents, and integrating tracking and reporting
Building visually appealing presentations, infographics, and visual content
Producing better engagement and outcomes through communication strategies, tailored writing styles, and rephrasing content

Speaker to be confirmed

16.10 SENIOR EXECUTIVE PANEL – Meeting expectations – how does my Executive Assistant do this?

Knowing your Executive to act as them when needed
Forward planning, problem-solving and communicating to prevent obstacles
Using great interpersonal skills to build stakeholder relationships and improve office culture
Mapping processes to meet deadlines

Lisa La Rance, First Assistant Secretary, Department of Infrastructure

Craig Mutton, Chief Digital Officer, Vice-President – Digital, University of Canberra

Mark Williamson, Executive General Manager, Clean Energy Regulator

Jennifer Anne, Branch Head of Gas & Liquid Fuels Division, Liquid Fuels Branch, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment & Water

16.55 Congress photo

Close of day one. Please join us for:

17.00 Networking drinks

Day Two

09.00 Chair’s opening remarks

09.10 Combining confidence and knowledge to boost your assertiveness

Stepping out of your comfort zone to increase self-confidence
Understanding the part information plays in being assertive
Creating ‘thinking time’ strategies to push back the bulldozers
Asking open and investigative questions to support your capability

Sue Read, Psychologist, Life Unlimited

09.55 PANEL – Thriving as an ‘exceptional’ Executive Assistant

Fostering strong and collaborative relationships across the organisation to building trust
Developing underestimated soft skills to enable greater organisational involvement
Finding your unique selling point
Developing your brand to enhance your value

Amanda Davies, Executive Assistant to Assistant Commissioner, Engagement & Assurance, Australian Taxation Office

Tamryn Marek, Senior Executive Assistant to the Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

Veronica Webster, Executive Assistant to Chief Digital Officer, Vice-President – Digital, University of Canberra

10.40 Morning tea

11.10 Managing your relationship with your Executive more intentionally

Adapting different communication styles and ways of working to create a ‘dream team’
Gaining awareness of your Executive’s goals and objectives and those of the organisation
Thinking like your Executive to anticipate their needs
Ensuring mutual success using effective communication.

Casey-Marie De Veau, Executive Assistant to Assistant Secretary, Transnational Crime Branch, Attorney-General’s Department

11.55 Enhancing your strategic value using Artificial Intelligence as your ally

Shifting your thinking to embrace a 21^st century mindset to boost productivity and performance
Exploring the myriad of AI offerings to help you create your AI support suite
Humanising AI for enhanced solutions
Creating a personalised reference library at your fingertips
Keeping up as AI evolves to continuously develop your career

Mario Halouvas, CEO and Founder, Mario Halouvas Productivity Professionals

12.40 Lunch

13.40 PANEL – Managing time and tasks to effect efficiency and productivity in your day for you and your Executive

Developing routines to prioritise your ‘best time’ to set up your day to allow you to tackle your ‘hit list’
Creating and triaging a ‘master list’ using strategic thinking, forward vision, and your executive’s consideration to focus on the ‘urgent’
Planning, prioritising and being goal-focused to demonstrate a can-do attitude and initiative
Establishing open communication, questions, and corporate knowledge to know who and what is important to timely completion of any task

Lydia Milosavljevic, Executive Secretary to Deputy Secretary, Simon Duggan, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Euphemia Chiriso, Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Indian Ocean Territories, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

Pippa Gargano, Senior Administration Officer, Western NSW Local Health District

Viktoria Pope, Executive Assistant, Wellington Shire Council

14.25 Conducting difficult conversations to encourage progress and growth

Understanding the person to adapt conversation tone
Providing feedback that encourages improvement
Planning discussions to allow flexibility of approach
Ensuring a satisfactory outcome for all participants

Edwina Swan,

15.10 Afternoon tea

15.40 Close of congress