Congress Day One – 29 May 2024

08.30 Registration

09.00 Chair’s opening remarks

09.10 Creating better time management for your Executive Assistant and Executive partnership

Creating strategies to making more time in your day
Managing your Executive’s time to focus on strategic goals
Making time for you and your Executive to plan short- and long-term goals
Diverting distractions to minimise disruption in your day

Michelle Wright, Private Secretary to the Governor of Western Australia, Government House

09.55 Leveraging networking opportunities to strengthen your organisational value

Moving outside your comfort zone to broaden your circle of contacts
Developing engaging conversation openers
Cultivating contacts once made
Deepening connections in the work world by maintaining contact

Justin Barnes, Director and Founder, Rocket Launcher/Perth Networking Club

10.55 Morning Tea

11.25 Improving the Executive Assistant/Executive team by building a better relationship

Identifying the Top 5 qualities in Executive Assistants and Executives that promote productivity
Defining effective strategic relationships to develop a great partnership
Learning how to manage self and your Executive on days when stress takes hold
Approaching communication as a two-way street

Duncan Olde, Chief Financial Officer, Town of Victoria Park

Natalie Cameron, Executive Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer, Town of Victoria Park

12.10 Delegating responsibilities to benefit everyone

Delegating simpler tasks creates time for focus on major projects
Providing clear instructions when passing on tasks
Recognising that delegation does not confer accountability
Mentoring to create opportunities to delegate

Tim D’Arcy, Executive Director, PEPworldwide

12.55 Lunch

13.55 Translating Executive Assistant skills into project management to move upwards or across in your career

Creating efficiencies through coordination and multitasking
Remaining adaptable, agile, calm, effective to achieve results
Maintaining document management systems and being detail-oriented to maintain control
Tracking progress to monitor team performance, assess data and metrics, and adjusting when required

Liz Clarson, Senior Engagement Lead, Astryx

14.40 Working with your Executive as a strategic partner

Building great rapport with your Executive or stakeholders cultivates good relationships to support your strategic partnership
Tracking progress, collaborating with project teams, and providing insight to your Executive as a strategic partner
Being succinct, clear, and becoming a sounding board enhances communication with your strategic partner
Knowing the business to anticipate problems and solutions that arise

Leeane Alfano, Executive Assistant to the President, The State School Teachers’ Union of W.A.

Briony Sefton, Senior Executive Officer, Office of the Director General, Department of Finance

Marnie Mowatt, Executive Assistant to the CEO, Officer of the Auditor General WA

Rachel Korziuk, Executive Assistant to the President, APAC/Africa, Ausenco

15.25 Afternoon Tea

15.55 Aligning your mindset with your Senior Executive to strengthen your strategic partnership

Unpacking what is required within your strategic partnership
Listing the skills, experiences, and values that Senior Executives seek
Communicating effectively to foster a great working relationship
Using your social skills to be CEO’s strongest ambassador
Implementing effective and practical decision-making

Jamie Blanchard, Governance Manager, City of Stirling (Western Australia)

Sophie Woodley, Director, Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety

John Broons, Family Business Advisor, John Broons Advisory

Donna Bates, Founder and Managing Director, Donna Bates Strategic Consulting

16.40 Networking Drinks

Congress Day Two – 30 May 2024

09.10 Future-proofing the Executive Assistant role with emerging technology

Understanding Artificial intelligence: Friend or foe?
Harnessing the power of ChatGPT to work effectively and avoid the pitfalls
Mastering AI: Staying relevant as an Executive Assistant in the world of ChatGPT
Enhancing your value as an Executive Assistant by keeping your skills relevant

Stephen Doran, CEO, Bloom AI and Managing Director, EDGYX

09.55 Practising assertiveness as an Executive Assistant

Winning friends and influencing people by being firm but fair
Being proactive, not reactive in situations requiring assertiveness
Using your role to lead to demonstrate purpose
Influencing without perceived positional authority

Katrena Friel, Speaker, Mentor, Coach, and Founder, Refresh Your Thinking

10.40 Morning Tea

11.10 Identifying learning and development opportunities to grow in your career

Understanding your strengths and passions and how you can align them to develop a rewarding career path
Recognising and taking advantage of opportunities to use your initiative to broaden your experience
Demonstrating curiosity and commitment through continuing professional development and informal learning
Setting a course for success by formulating KPIs that work for you and Executives to ensure continued growth

Sue McComasky, Executive Assistant to Ashley Wright, Chief Executive Officer and Sheldon Krahe, General Manager – Western Australia Region, GHD

11.55 Manage your time, focus and technology to get more done

Mastering automation for routine tasks
Integrating key applications like Outlook, OneNote, and Teams for seamless workflow
Employing shortcuts for increased efficiency
The power of digital notetaking
Applying effective techniques to boost concentration at critical moments

Mario Halouvas, Director, Mario Halouvas Productivity Professionals

12.40 Lunch

13.40 Developing resilience strategies to manage health and wellbeing

Building trust to enhance confidential discussions with your Executive
Achieving balance in the face of emergencies
Fostering support networks away from work
Slowing your mind to manage stress, anxiety and burnout

Rebecca (Bex) Smith, Change Consultant, Speaker, Trainer, Cheerleader for Change

14.25 Modelling the future Executive Assistant

Comparing what the modern-day Executive Assistant brings to the table versus the traditional Executive Assistant
Generating the capacity to be proactive, anticipate needs, and get ahead of the tasks
Value-adding as an Executive Assistant by being the strategic partner
Adapting to the rapidly changing office environment’s work practices and technology

Rachel Horton, Executive Assistant to David Fyfe, Chief Executive Officer, Michelle Shepherd, Chair and Gary Peel, Chief Information Officer, Synergy

Jacinta Altham, Senior Executive Assistant, Mid West Development Commission

Sophie Menezes, Executive Assistant (ADG), Business and Corporate Services, Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage

15.10 Afternoon Tea

15.40 Prioritising multiple tasks to effect greater efficiency in your workday

Identifying task and stakeholder importance to create meaningful deadlines
Understanding the difference between deadlines to enable prioritisation
Recognising whether multitasking or focus should be your strategy
Knowing your peak performance time to prioritise complicated and simple tasks

Tess Maynard, Business Development & Events Administrator, GHD

Rhiannon Thompson, Executive Assistant, State Forensics, Mental Health, Public Health and Dental Services, Department of Health

Brooke Thorburn, Executive Assistant – Office of the CEO, Racing & Wagering WA

Kamal Bhabra, Executive Assistant – Vice-Chancellery, University of Western Australia

16.25 Close of Congress Day Two