In just a few weeks we are presenting the 2017 Career Moves Office Support Essential Skills Workshop: Workplace Communication Tools for Today's Assistant.
Career Moves Office Support will be hosting a working breakfast at the Hoxton Holborn on Thursday October 12th, which is aimed at Assistants looking to take their skills to the next level.
As part of this event we are hosting a panel with some brilliant people. Today we introduce our first panel member; Declan Halton-Woodward, EA to Chief Executive Officer.
Declan is a multi-award winning Executive Assistant, having won the 'Private Individual PA of the Year' and 'London PA of the Year' Runner-up awards at the London PA Awards 2017; he currently works as EA to the CEO of Handelsbanken Wealth Management. Declan started his career as Business Support in a large private security corporation, quickly working his way up to an Assistant within the Executive Suite after which Declan went on to support an HNWI working across his business portfolio as his Private PA and Business EA, his main business interest being a medical communications and marketing firm.
Declan has a keen interest in the profession, particularly with relation to driving standards, decreasing the gender imbalance and increasing awareness of the importance of the assistant role. As such he is often asked to contribute his views and comment on topics within the industry, most notably for PA Life Magazine, Miss Jones PA and EPAA. Declan was named as one of Jump.Work's top 5 PA's to watch in 2017.
Declan has executed several high-level projects within the organisations he has worked, including sitting on a rebranding committee for the entire AS&K Group. He also developed and introduced a year-long wide-ranging training programme for junior staff, managed the process of opening a new office in Switzerland, managed the development of a new website and the implementation of a salary sacrifice scheme which saved the company over £200K in his tenure.
Away from work, Declan has a keen interest in international and national politics and to engage in this area he formed a debate club last year in which he acts as Chair. He also volunteers for the Royal British Legion annually to sell poppies, and dedicates some time to a non-profit organisation that aims to simplify politics to facilitate wider understanding and engagement.
And, finally, a Q&A panel with an amazing line up of Assistants who we will continue to introduce over the coming weeks. They will be discussing emotional intelligence within the workplace, and through open discussion will be offering insights and experience of how to be mindful of their Execs and their team's emotions.