Lesley Knight, a PA from Ivinghoe in Buckinghamshire, has been named as the winner of the 14th annual ‘Britain’s Next Top PA’ Awards.
Lesley, who is PA to the Chairman at Chiltern Railways, beat more than 100 entrants to be named as one of six finalists in the competition.
The judges were told that as well as carrying out the day-to-day tasks of a PA, Lesley manages a team of secretarial and administrative staff and budgets for two offices. She also organises recruitment days for senior managers and graduates and takes an active role in the interview and selection process.
The awards aim to recognise and reward the excellence of these crucial members of staff who support the smooth functioning of businesses.
The judges were looking for excellence in a variety of areas including organisation, people skills and diary management. The finalists were presented with their awards by Helen Milligan, Apprentice runner-up and former executive assistant, at a ceremony in London last night.
David Clubb, managing director at Office Angels, said:
“Lesley was nominated for her commitment and dedication to her manager and for her willingness to take on responsibilities outside of her everyday role. She was also praised for her commitment to managing her team and her involvement in encouraging their career development.
“Lesley is a perfect example of the kind of PA we had in mind when we started running ‘Britain’s Next Top PA’; someone whose hard work is instrumental to the smooth running of her company and deserves to be rewarded for her efforts.
“There is growing demand for PAs to have consistently evolving skills sets and to be able to tackle increasingly wide-ranging roles, and we are proud to be able to reward the excellence of those people who underpin the UK’s businesses.”
Lesley was thrilled with the accolade, saying:
“It is great to see Office Angels recognise PAs for the work that we do. It is a real honour to be named as winner, especially as there was such a high standard amongst the finalists, and I’d like to thank my manager for nominating me.”
Partners for this year’s Britain’s Next Top PA Award include: CityJet, De Vere Group, APA and Speck.
