5th Annual Public Sector Executive Assistant Congress
Strengthen efficiency and raise your professional profile during times of uncertainty
28-29 October 2020, Canberra
Conference day one Wednesday 28th October
8.30 Registration and getting to know you discussion with your fellow executive assistants
9.00 Opening remarks from the chair
9.10 Keynote address: Taking ownership of your work and exerting influence
- Developing leadership skills and leading from within
- Dealing with management and leadership tasks
- Making strategic decisions and taking control of the situation
Georgeina Whelan, Commissioner, ACT Emergency Services Agency
9.50 Keynote address: Unleashing the power of women – realising your potential
- Can Women ‘have it all’ … and why do I keep dropping the ball?
- What are the barriers and obstacles to women’s progress?
- Gender equality in action – what’s your role?
Amy Haddad, Director, Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion, Coffey International Development; Former Assistant Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Morning coffee
11.00 Advancing your communication skills to influence others
- Engaging and influencing executives and colleagues
- Adapting your communication style to different situations
- Being assertive and supportive at the same time
- Managing misunderstandings and conflicts
- Influencing people in meetings
Ross Judd, Director, Team Focus
- Panel discussion: Supporting your executives during challenging times as a strategic business partner
- Showing initiatives and understanding your business during tumultuous times
- Developing your skills and positioning yourself as a strategic partner
- Understanding and prioritising your executives’ needs
- Breaking out of “I’m just an EA” and stepping out of the ‘EA’ box
- Being the voice of your executives during challenging times
María Rivarola, Executive Assistant to UK Defence & Military Adviser, British High Commission
Anita Grassos, Executive Assistant to Chief Executive Clinical Excellence Commission, NSW Health
Elizabeth Borst, Personal Assistant to General Manager, Wollongong City Council
Jessica Zdanowicz, Executive Assistant to General Counsel, Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- Uncovering the myths of emotional intelligence
- Why do we need to use emotional intelligence at work?
- Reading people’s body language and emotional cues
- Making emotions work for you instead of against you
- How do you develop emotional intelligence?
Rita Joyan, Career and Emotional Intelligence Trainer, Australian Delegate G20 YEA 2019
13.00 Lunch
14.00 Exciting Virtual Vacation: a fun session full of quick-paced breakout groups, challenges, discussions and meaningful games
- Afternoon tea
- Panel discussion: Taking control of your own career progression
- Mastering a range of skills to advance your career as a professional executive assistant
- Leveraging your experience to win a new role outside of the EA space
- Communicating openly with your executives to gain support
- Choosing the right career path
Liz Grimmett, Executive Assistant to Chief Data Officer & Assistant Secretary, Geospatial & Information Analytics, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
Kerri Clarke, A/g Executive Officer to Commissioner, ACT Emergency Services Agency
Samone Mason, Project Officer, Advocacy Services, Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- Building a positive workplace culture as a trustworthy executive assistant
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- Maintaining privacy and confidentiality of information
- Learning the skill of diplomacy when responding to sensitive topics
- Be a positive example
- Navigating office politics
Maria Larzabal, Executive Assistant to National Manager Corporate Shared Services, Services Australia
17.10 Closing remarks from the chair and end of conference day one
Conference day two Thursday 29th October
9.00 Opening remarks from the chair
9.10 Building resilience and raising mental health awareness
- Dealing with and recovering from work-related stress
- Handling sudden changes at the workplace
- Exploring approaches and tips to avoid burnout
- Developing self-awareness and self-care plans
Sue Read, Founder and Director, Registered Psychologist, Life Unlimited Psychology
- Group discussion: Break up room chats
- Using your position to create a strong and supportive EA network
- Communicating and collaborating with other EAs, executives and colleagues across business portfolio
- Are you coping? Building resilience and taking care of yourself and your executives
- Morning coffee
11.10 Using technology to build a paperless work environment
- Supporting a paperless workplace in a digital world
- Using technology to view, edit and distribute documents electronically
- Understand how OneNote and Teams work together to provide a seamless paperless environment
- What are the technologies best suited to assist your work flow?
Mario Halouvas, National Learning & Development Manager, Priority Management Australia
12.10 Panel discussion: Managing up to become the “boss” of your boss
- Anticipating your executives’ needs and exercising judgements accordingly
- Exploring practical strategies of people management
- Interacting with employees at every level
- Setting up objectives, goals and deadlines
- Dealing with uncooperative people on behalf of your executives
- Remaining firm with your executives in certain situations
Robbie Eason, Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary, People Policy and Employment Conditions, Department of Defence
Jessica Zdanowicz, Executive Assistant to General Counsel, Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Casey-Marie De Veau, Executive Assistant to Deputy CEO, AUSTRAC
Samone Mason, Project Officer, Advocacy Services, Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- Lunch
13.55 Building your personal brand and your online influence
- What makes a great first impression?
- How do you establish credibility both in person and online?
- The Roadmap Plan for clarifying and confidently communication your personal and professional brand online
- Practical and actionable steps that can be applied straight away using LinkedIn
Kirryn Zerna, Author, The Stand Out Effect
14.40 Senior executives’ panel discussion: What makes a successful executive assistant?
- What’s your vision of a great executive assistant?
- What are the top-notch skills you appreciate the most?
- Building a strategic business relationship with your executive assistants
- Getting advice from the top – what do your executives really want?
Chris Collett, Deputy CEO, Intelligence, AUSTRAC
Sara Goldsworthy, Executive Director, Partnerships and Engagement, Department of Premier and Cabinet NSW (tentative)
Tony Krizan, Executive Director Corporate Operations & Information, National Health & Medical Research Council
Kylie Galway, Chief Data Officer & Assistant Secretary, Geospatial & Information Analytics, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
15.30 Closing remarks from the chair and end of conference
All sessions will be recorded until 7 November. The session below are those that you will need to catch up on after your online group activities
Conference day one Wednesday 28th October
14.00 Exploring the opportunities of being a virtual assistant
- What is a virtual assistant?
- Working remotely to support your executives
- Using the ever-evolving technologies effectively for daily operations
- Overcoming challenges for virtual assistance
Ursula Kohler, Managing Director, Capital EA
- Applying project management skills at work
- Working effectively in dynamic project environments
- Creating and supporting high performing teams and work environments
- Effective project communication and influence
- Achieving great results using project resources and tools
Chris Nightingale, Founder and Director, Chris Nightingale Consulting
Conference day two Thursday 29th October
- Multiple Perspectives for Difficult Conversations
John Sautelle, Executive team coach; Author, Choose Your Stories, Change Your Life