12th World Administrators Summit Supplement

The World Administrators Alliance

The World Administrators Alliance is a non-profit trade association. We represent Administrative Professional Associations, Networks, Professionals and industry partners across the globe.

To guide, develop, influence and elevate

the administrative profession.

The aims of the WA-Alliance are to Guide, develop, influence and elevate the administrative profession.

With the support Of administrative associations and networks around the world, the WA-Alliance will build a global community to enable administrative professionals the world over to speak with one voice.

We are proud to bring you this supplement to the 12th WA-Summit, held online on 15 & 22 October, 2022.

The WA-Summit is a working meeting, held every two years around the globe. The Summit brings together leaders of Associations and industry stakeholders to discuss, find solutions and action issues and challenges facing the administrative profession.

Message from the Chair

Helen Monument

Welcome to the 12th WASummit Supplement, brought to you by the WA-Alliance Communications Team.

First of all I’d like to thank everyone who attended the online Summit on 15th and 22nd October. It was wonderful to welcome 55 Delegates from 25 Countries and even though we were all sitting behind our screens, there was still a wonderful atmosphere of collaboration and the enthusiasm was palpable.

For the first time, we increased the number of accredited Delegates from three to five per country. This gave much more scope for more representatives from Associations from the same country to join and be much more engaged. We were also able to give Delegates a choice of discussion group, rather than randomly allocating them as we did in the past. This enabled those with a particular passion for a topic to really become engaged and contribute fully to the topic that was closest to their heart.

Discussion Groups

Most of the Delegates were from WA-Alliance member organisations and I was very pleased to see so many Observers joining us. Being an Observer is a great way to find out more about what the Summit is all about with perhaps a view to becoming a Delegate next time.

As usual, we asked in our preSummit survey for input on what the focus on the Summit should be. Results showed that there were four clear areas that were of concern to all: mental health in the hybrid world, lack of awareness of the profession, the need for increased technological skills and the next steps for the Global Skills Matrix.

Outcomes

One of the advantages of having an online Summit spread over two days, is that with a week in between there was time for the Facilitators to work with their note takers on a summary of the outcomes that were presented on Day 2.

We were delighted to welcome our four industry experts as facilitators this year.

Of course, these discussions are not simply ‘talking shops’ and for us to effect change, we need concrete outcomes to turn into attainable goals. As well as their tried and trusted facilitation skills, the facilitators also brought a wealth of experience of the profession to the discussion. They helped us to see the big picture and understand the perspectives of administrative professionals around the world.

The discussions were lively and engaging and led to some exciting actions and outcomes that were shared with everyone on Day 2.

In the ‘What Next’ chapter, you can see what plans have been made to take these four topics further.

The full Outcomes document is posted on our website

Our Facilitators

Heather Baker

After over 20 years working as a secretary and then PA, Heather pioneered the training of Office Professionals when she established Baker Thompson Associates in 2000. She now enables PAs, EAs and administrators of all levels around the world to achieve their potential for their career development and the success of their organisation.

Lucy Brazier, OBE

Amy McKeown

One of the world’s leading authorities on the administrative profession, CEO of Marcham Publishing, specialist publishers of Executive Support Magazine, Lucy’s passion is for the Assistant role to be truly recognised as a career and not just a job. With access to the most forward-thinking, passionate and knowledgeable administrative business leaders in the world, as well as personally meeting and speaking to literally thousands of Assistants over the last 10 years, Lucy’s knowledge of the market and what Assistants all over the world are facing on a dayto-day basis are second to none.

Amy is an award-winning Mental Health, Health & Wellbeing, and Women’s Health consultant with more than 20 years of unparalleled experience. She coaches organisations of all sizes, putting into place evidence-based, measurable and sustainable strategies that are as innovative as they are effective.

Liz van Vliet

Based in Australia, Liz is the founder and trainer behind My EA Career, a thriving business that helps executive assistants develop the skills they need to POWER up their potential and their career.

Discussion Groups

The Global Skills Matrix was Launched in September 2021 and has been hugely successful so far. There have been over 5000 Downloads of the report from the dedicated website and over 45 free webinars have been given by Helen Monument and Lucy Brazier to Associations, Networks and organisations In 16 countries. This is just the beginning. Work still needs to be done to spread the word further, and to convince HR, Executives, Trainers and Recruiters of the benefits of having a well-skilled business Support function.

Nobody was prepared for the negative impact that the pandemic would have on the world of work. Some loved the autonomy of working from home during lockdown. Others suffered from feelings of isolation or felt excluded from their usual activities. The Delegates’ discussions were open and honest, with plenty of story sharing of struggles with wellbeing during lockdown and beyond. Returning to the office was a challenge for some, while others felt a sense of relief that things were ‘back to normal’. The discussion on mental health has come out of the shadows and we are much more aware of the importance of setting boundaries, listening to our bodies and putting ourselves first.

Technology training was high on the list in our pre-Summit survey. With technology moving so fast, it’s vital for administrative professionals to stay ahead of the game. It’s no longer sufficient to leave the technology learning to others. If we are to remain relevant, then we need to be proactive, keep learning and make sure that we engage with it in the office – as users, but also as Ambassadors, so that we can fully support our peers and our Executives. Becoming a Technology champion in the office is an obvious way to increase our professional development and to increase the recognition and appreciation that comes from excellence.

This was by far the most popular choice of discussion group, which Is a reflection of how we are feeling about the visibility and awareness of the profession. The WA-Alliance campaign

#THECAREERBEHINDTHEJOB started mid-2021 and has attracted much attention within our community. The next stage of the campaign will focus on engaging with Executives, HR, Recruiters and Professional Trainers in order to change the way that they look at Administrative Professionals, showing them the enormous diversity, scope, value and impact of the role.

What Happens Next?

The Global Skills Matrix is the most ground breaking resource to come out of the WA-Summit. This Task Force has some clear goals and actions to be getting started with.

WA-Alliance Sponsor: Helen Monument

Lucy Brazier (UK/Spain)

Trish Butera (Australia)

Molly Denham (USA)

Daniela Fasano (Italy)

Cathy Harris (South Africa)

Eth Lloyd (New Zealand)

Melissa Mahoney (USA)

Terri Mullan (USA)

Angela Parker (Germany)

Silvia Salomon (Italy)

Pepita Soler (Brazil)

What Happens Next?

A global pandemic brought mental and physical wellbeing in the workplace to everyone’s attention. This Task Force will come up with strategies that will help Administrative Professionals the world over.

Roland Adjei (Ghana)

Dedi Belotti (Italy)

Ingrid Dumon (Belgium)

Susan Engelbrecht (South Africa)

Bonnie Low-Kramen (USA)

Katie Mercier (USA)

Angela Parker (Germany)

Margaret Wong (Barbados)

WA-Alliance Sponsor: Barrett Shaw

What Happens Next?

This Task Force will build on the work started by the WA-Alliance Awareness Campaign team, taking it to the next level.

WA-Alliance Task Force Sponsor: Chris Stewart

Dedi Belotti (Italy)

Marcia Burrows (Barbados)

Silvia Cominotti (Italy)

Molly Denham (USA)

Franziska Deutsch (Germany)

Susan Engelbrecht (South Africa)

Daniela Fasano (Italy)

Cherie Laker (USA)

Terri Mullan (USA)

Nathalie Richardson (UK)

Aliina Rowe (Germany)

Julia Schmidt (Norway)

Carla Sefanut (Italy)

Shirwyn Weber (UK)

What Happens Next?

Administrative Professionals need to keep up to date with the fast-changing world of technology. The discussion group came up with some innovative ideas that will be turned into actions by this Task Force

Liz Koloko-Green (France)

Eleni Rizikianou (Greece)

WA-Alliance Sponsor: Katherine Vaillancourt

Roland Adjei (Ghana)

What Happens Next?

Another outcome from the summit is a proposal to establish a fund offering support and financial aid to underrepresented and underprivileged communities globally for their attendance at the WA-Summit every two years.

This proposal was made by Eth Lloyd, former chair of the WA-Alliance Advisory Council. It comes from the recommendations made in the Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging report presented at the Summit in 2021.

One of the recommendations from the Harassment in the Workplace Report, published in 2021 was for the WA-Summit to create a workplace anti-harassment pledge, that could be adopted by associations and networks and published on their websites with a special logo. We will be sharing this with WA-Alliance member associations who can apply to receive a copy of this pledge and logo.

A Task Force, led by the WA-Alliance Finance Officer, Ursula Wartha has been created to determine what form this fund should take and how it would be administered. They will present the final proposal for approval by WA-Alliance members at the 3rd AGM in 2023.

WA-Alliance Fund Task Force:

Ursula Wartha (Finance Officer) Dee Holmes (New Zealand)

Trish Butera (Australia)

Silvia Cominotti (Italy) Gina Theofilidou (Greece)

We pledge that: Our Association/Network/Organisation will not tolerate harassment of any kind. We have policies and procedures in place to deal with inappropriate behaviour. We support and maintain an environment of mutual respect and safety.

What Happens Next?

ADMINISTRA is a set of guidelines for Associations and for Individuals. It gives a framework for Associations to organise their priorities and to help them with their strategies for the development of their members.

Individuals will also find the goals of value when working on their own personal and professional development.

At each WA-Summit suggested changes to Administra will occur through discussions and be requested. Administra is then modified to reflect any new directions or additions by the next Summit.

Countries are asked at each WA-Summit to review a specific Goal of Administra and report on it as it relates to their country. This process enables Delegates to determine whether the Goal is still “fit for purpose” internationally.

Goal 4 was selected for 2022 and two country reports were highlighted and gave a summary of their progress against the goal: Market Association membership to encourage active participation of younger people.

AdmiNZ Delegate Sherie Pointon spoke about how AdmiNZ has engaged with secondary schools at a local level. The tertiary sector within Aotearoa New Zealand has been going through massive review and change and we are not yet clear as to how the profession will be supported in the future. To this end, AdmiNZ has engaged with the new Workforce Development Council to ensure we have a voice as the future is shaped for the profession’s qualification.

PANSA Delegate Susan Engelbrecht then gave a summary of how the Platinum Assistant Network is contributing to and working on attracting the future generations of assistants.

The Role of The Assistant in Change Management

At the Summit, we invite the submission of papers on topics that are relevant for Administrative Professionals. This year’s submission by Aliina Rowe was an insightful and educational paper, based on research for her academic studies: The Administrative Profession Defining A Role in Organisational Change. Supported by her executive, Dr. Oliver Engels, Chief Risk Officer and Managing Director Deutsche Boerse Group, Aliina talked about how we can elevate our role to include proactively building strong foundations for change. Her paper was extremely well received by the Summit Delegates. Thank you Aliina and good luck with your further studies.

Aliina shared the SMALL framework that we can all adopt:

• Small matters

• Mindset matters

• Acquire & Assess information

• Leverage information

• Learn

Aliina shared that in our roles we are already well positioned to support change efforts within our organizations:

• Focus on details, individuals, connections

• Create momentum to drive change forward

• Define your role in change

Read Aliina’s paper here

Our Delegates In Action

What the Delegates said….

I was most happy and honoured to be attending the 2day virtual World Administrators Summit on 15th and 22nd October 2022 as the Ambassador for IMA Spain.

These working meetings allow us to bring to the table the opinion and voice of our members in Spain. I enjoyed all the topics raised, the super presentations and the discussion groups, especially the one I participated in: The Career Behind The Job. Some many relevant points discussed and good food for thought taken!! I consider all these fruitful discussions and the network created a real gift for continued learning in our profession.

This was my third attendance at the WASummit and more than ever, I realize this event is a paramount moment to share best practices and to evaluate developments of our profession. Together, as a worldwide community, we are bringing, and we will continue to bring, innovation and adapt to the evolution of this role in the rapid changing labour market.

My experience at the 2022 WA-Summit proved to be a time of connection with passionate professionals who are committed to moving the Administrative Professional forward. Continuing to collaborate in an inclusive and diverse space will inform strategy resulting in powerful administrative professionals impacting every sector of industry around the globe. I am humbled and honored to be able to participate in such important work.

Carla Stefanut, Secretary.IT, Delegate from Italy

The WA-Summit is the result of hope, passion, diversity and inclusion working together to predict the future.

Mercier, CAP, Chair-Elect, International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), Delegate from the USA

Katie

Glòria Gratacòs-Cases, International Management Assistants (IMA), Delegate from Spain

Mohammad Almutairy, International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), Delegate from Saudi Arabia

What the Delegates said…

The WA-Summit provides a wonderful opportunity for administrative professionals from associations across the globe to meet to brainstorm and craft strategies to advance the profession. I have been attending these meetings since 2020 and find them to be a source of inspiration and encouragement and look forward to attending future meetings, perhaps in person, as time and resources permit. Kudos to Ms. Helen Monument, the Council Members and WA-Alliance team on their leadership and efforts on behalf of the profession.

As both an observer and a presenter at the WA-Summit, I can certainly say that the experience of participating over the two days was motivating and uplifting.

As a first-time observer, I felt incredibly motivated sitting virtually alongside experienced delegates who lead the way on how our profession will be represented and move forward into the future. Very quickly one could understand the purpose of the WA-Summit objectives and actions to be taken, and we were able to raise our hands to volunteer to continue the work together in the task forces. I couldn’t imagine a more purposeful and productive time together and I’m excited to be able to contribute beyond the WA-Summit.

As a presenter, I felt incredibly honored to be able to present my paper, supported by the Executive I work with, on how our profession plays such an important role in building foundations for successful change in our organizations. The interaction and reactions on the day, as well as messages I’ve received since, have been incredibly uplifting. I’ve been reminded of just how much we have in common – not only in approaching change, but also in how we see the potential of our role. We all want to feel our work matters and work in true collaboration.

Aliina Rowe, Observer and Presenter Assistant to the Chief Risk Officer at Deutsche Börse AG, Germany

Karen Forte, CAP-OM, President, Barbados Association of Administrative Professionals (BAAP / BAOP Secretary), Delegate from Barbados

Bonnie Low-Kramen, CEO, Ultimate Assistant Training, Guest

What happens when 80 committed and caring administrative professionals from 24 countries gather for 4 hours on Zoom? Riveting and compelling sharing, learning, collaborating, volunteering, and celebrating. Industry icons Helen Monument and Eth Lloyd were strongly at the helm of this 12th Summit and the future of the workplace is brighter and more assured because of it. I am honored to have participated in the shaping of the future and the telling of our professional story.

Thank you……

Events like the WA-Summit don’t just happen by themselves. As Administrative Professionals, we understand how much effort is needed, mostly behind the scenes.

The WA-Alliance is extremely grateful for the continuing support of our Council Advisor, Eth Lloyd, who was the Chair for the 12th WA-Summit. Her knowledge and expertise are boundless and we thank her for her for her contribution to the success of the WA-Summit as she expertly led us through the two days.

Another special thank you goes to Juanita Mort, our WA-Summit Project Manager, who made sure that all the administration and logistics for the WA-Summit went as smoothly as possible.

Delegates will by now have received their Certificates of Attendance. Some of them also completed our post-Summit survey. We have shared some of the feedback with you in this Supplement and will use it to continuously improve and fine-tune the next WA-Summit.

Finally, to everyone who gave of their free time to attend the 12th WASummit

Post-Summit Survey Results

Overall, how productive do you feel the WA-Summit was?

32%

Very Productive Somewhat Productive

68%

Following are some comments that were shared as to why attendees felt this way

• The material that was prepared is great and it is so important to exchange ideas, to see what our colleagues are doing around the world. It was my first Summit and I felt very happy to participate in an event that contributes a lot to elevate our profession in the market.

• Yet again we have demonstrated the power of collective, diverse discussions to achieve useful and constructive outcomes.

• The way the working groups were set up and 4 areas of focus were already known and on agenda ahead of time, the ample (not too little not too much) time for the working groups, the fact knew the week later would be discussing outcomes, and during meeting asking and getting volunteers. This is extremely productive in over less than an 8-hour time frame.

• It was good to learn about Administra and network with global colleagues.

• All the sessions were relevant, and the information discussed in the breakout rooms proved to be very rich. Solutions to the challenges faced were brought forward with the aim of moving this profession forward.

• We were able to achieve so much in just two afternoons both as individuals and as a team.

• It enabled me to see what WA-Alliance is actually all about and its mandates. At the national level, we look at what is best for our members, whereas WAA is really going outside the box, so to speak, and approaching the concerns from a whole different level.

What are your takeaways?

Great food for thought taken, to be shared with my country colleagues in order to get new ideas and inputs for the coming meetings.

World-wide there is a movement for Office Professionals to be recognised as a career not just a job. A slow but steady understanding of what we do and how important we are to organisations.

13th WA-Summit - March 2024

We are extremely grateful to the Association of Administrative Professionals New Zealand for their hosting of the 13th WA-Summit in 2024. Planning will start early in 2023, so we hope that Associations will take costs into account in their 2024 budgets to allow for their representation in New Zealand. We will be looking into the possibility of hybrid sessions, but this will depend on the resources available to us as well as the time-zone differences.

Your chance to make a difference