A Tsunami of Love

When we relaunched Executive Secretary as a global publication back in 2011, we were very clear that we wanted to create not just a magazine, but a community. Our profession was just entering into the period of change from which it has yet to emerge and we knew that connecting the world's Assistants with not only our authors & trainers but with each other was key to the magazine's success or failure.

Our strategy of driving the conversation via social media was groundbreaking for the publishing industry and resulted in us being nominated for several industry awards.

And of course launching Executive Secretary LIVE in 2013 allowed those who had communicated online to finally meet - friendships were cemented and assistants across the world finally began working together, as one, to change the perception of the Assistant role in business.

At the start, never in my wildest dreams, would I have envisioned the way our community could come together behind a common goal, but this has been proven again and again - not just with fighting for recognition for our profession but with helping each other.

Our webathon to raise money for leading Microsoft trainer was a revelation to me and showed the true power our profession has when it comes together.

Our concept to help Vickie was a weekend fundraiser that provided true value for money for the participants and raised much-needed cash to help pay for her treatment. What I was completely unprepared for was, as Kemetia Foley so eloquently put it 'a tsunami of love'.

From the first announcement, the industry pulled together and focused not only on the practical side of helping Vickie but on letting her know that we, as a profession, had her back. 

I have lost count of the number of emails we have had asking us to pass on support, and anyone who was part of webathon weekend, cannot have failed to have been moved by the intense feeling of camaraderie. Never have our profession's hashtags #OneProfessionOneVoice & WeAreAllInThisTogether been so true. 

$25,000 was raised and following the weekend, we reapproached all the speakers and most have given the thumbs up to allow us to resell the sessions. Watch this space for more details, coming soon!

My heart is full and I can't thank all of you enough that have put into our community in so many different ways over the last seven years. The stars are definitely in alignment and the world has never been such a small place for us all as a profession. It all bodes really well for World Administrators Summit in 2018 and I for one can't wait to see the outcome.

Onwards!

Lucy

Lucy Brazier is one of the world’s leading authorities on the administrative profession.

As CEO of Marcham Publishing, specialist publishers of Executive Secretary Magazine – a global training magazine dedicated to the professional development needs of senior and aspiring administrative professionals - Lucy works with the best trainers of Executive Assistants from around the world to deliver the most up to date and current training in the market.

Her passion is for the Assistant role to be truly recognised as a career and not just a job.

Her formidable training expertise and speaking style have given her opportunities to train, present and Chair in over 45 countries at over 400 events including Chairing the 2015 World Administrator Summit in Papua New Guinea. This has created much-needed discussions from encouraging Executive Assistants in Blue Chip companies to work towards becoming centres of excellence within their companies, to explaining why college students should see the Assistant role as a proper profession with a career path.

Lucy has a unique overview of the role and where it is heading. With access to the most forward-thinking, passionate and knowledgeable trainers in the world as well as personally meeting and speaking to literally thousands of Assistants over the last six years, Lucy’s knowledge of the market and what Assistants all over the world are facing on a day to day basis are second to none.

Contact Lucy at [email protected]