Conference Program
The Corporate PA Summit program is designed to deliver content that is cutting-edge, highly beneficial, easily transferable, empowering and inspirational. It’s designed specifically to help you fulfil your potential and be the best you can be.
8:30 – ATTENDEE REGISTRATION
9:00 – OPENING REMARKS FROM THE CHAIR, LISA O’NEILL
Imposter syndrome is something we have all experienced at some point in our career. Whether you’ve believed you are too unexperienced, too young, too old, or too different – we all have a story of why we’ve felt undeserving of our place at the table in our role, team or organisation.
Imposter syndrome can make you question your value, which can prevent you from speaking up, contributing your ideas, and putting yourself forward for opportunities. Not only does this reduce your impact at work day-to-day, but it can also have a significant effect on your ability to progress in your career.
Sharndré Kushor is a young entrepreneur who has faced her imposter syndrome head-on, with tremendous success. In her first year of university, Sharndré co-founded a “unicorn” company, which now has a billion-dollar valuation. Her journey to leading a fast-growing, global start-up as a young female has given her rapid-fire lessons into the importance of backing yourself in business.
In this inspirational presentation, Sharndré will share how you can step into your potential, though:
- Overcoming your self-doubt so you can communicate confidently and effectively
- Backing your ideas and contributions, and owning your successes
- Developing a sense of belonging, so you feel worthy of your seat at the table
- Learning how to bounce back quickly from setbacks and failures
Have you ever wondered what you would truly be capable of if you had the time, space and resources to truly apply yourself? Maybe you aspire to be more successful, have more work-life balance or are ready for change, but aren’t sure how to make it happen.
Sure, you might have more success if you had more time and money. But, more often than not, the things that are holding you back are things you haven’t even considered – patterns and mindset blocks that affect your ability to achieve your goals.
This session will be led by world-record holder and Ultramarathon winner Freddie Bennett, who will draw on his 15+ years of experience in neuroscience, behavioural change and peak-performance psychology. Freddie will share how you can shift your mindset to gain the courage, confidence and clarity to change, grow, evolve and succeed.
You will leave this session with a renewed belief in your abilities and the tools to:
- Build the mindset to accomplish your goals and dreams
- Create the headspace you need to switch off and enjoy life
- Be truly seen and recognised by others for your contributions
- Find time in the ‘busyness’ of life to make things happen
10:45 – MORNING COFFEE
11:15
EA PRESENTATION: FIND YOUR PRODUCTIVITY SWITCH
In 2023, our schedules have never been busier. You may have found yourself time poor, stretched, and busy running from one thing to the next. It’s no wonder you feel like you’re not actually getting anything done!
Productivity is a big buzz word in this industry and we’re all striving to do more in less time, to the best of our ability. So how you use the resources around you to time-manage, streamline, and automate, so you can focus on the things that really matter?
An experienced PA professional will be leading this session and will share the strategies they use to help them get more out of their day. They will discuss how they use technology, work processes that supercharge their efforts, and role-specific skills that can help you maximise your productivity.
You will gain important insights into how you can:
- Make every hour count using the right tools
- Create more time to spend on the tasks that matter
- Make technology work for you (not against you)
- Avoid burnout by working smarter, not harder
12:00
HOW TO TACKLE HARD CONVERSATIONS
Difficult conversations are a part of life. When you spend all day, every day communicating, it is inevitable that you are going to be faced with personality conflicts, differences of opinion and miscommunications.
So, if it’s impossible to avoid these uncomfortable conversations, how can you hone your communications to get your point across, without adding fuel to the fire?
This presentation by will be led by an expert communicator, who will give you a framework to have courageous conversations and communicate effectively.
You will be taken through how you can:
- Be more outcomes-focused when you communicate
- Manage and communicate with disengaged people
- Give (and receive) feedback constructively
- Get things done quickly, without offending
12:45 – LUNCH BREAK
Ever get the feeling of being stuck in your career, not because you aren’t great at your job, but because it benefits others for you to remain where you are?
Perhaps you’d like to move into an EA role supporting a C-suite executive but you’re not quite sure how to position yourself to step up? Your inner voice may be questioning, “Do I have what it takes?”
Belinda Brosnan is a trusted leadership confidante to C-suite leaders with more than 18 years’ senior corporate experience and a further 10 years as an executive coach and leadership development expert. Working with senior leaders across multiple industries, Belinda has supported them as they transition into C-suite executive roles and navigate the pressures of leading an organisation and reporting to a board.
In this session, Belinda will help you:
- Rethink what it takes to progress in your career
- Explore your own leadership DNA
- Play to your strengths and get to the heart of what matters most
- Create a map to find your own path forward
- Show up as the most authentic version of you. Your BEST you!
14:30
THE EA AND EXECUTIVE TEAM: BECOMING A STRATEGIC BUSINESS PARTNER
The role of the Executive Assistant and Personal Assistant is rapidly evolving and is increasingly being acknowledged for the strategic and influential role they play in Senior Leadership teams.
This session will feature a dynamic Executive Assistant and Senior Leadership team member, who will share their experiences and insights into creating and maintaining a high-performance and high trust working relationship. They will share their perspectives on what is required to ensure a positive and successful partnership and offer practical tips on how EAs and PAs can become more strategic and visible in their roles.
During this conversation, you will gain valuable advice on:
- How EAs and PAs can crucially add value and expertise to their teams
- Managing relationships and ensuring your voice is heard
- How to navigate difficult personalities and complex conversations
- The hard and soft skills that EAs and PAs require to future-proof their careers
15:00 – AFTERNOON BREAK
You’re struggling and overwhelmed. The world is telling you to keep pushing and grinding – “never give up” – because that’s what it takes to make it to the top. But you’re feeling utterly exhausted and uninspired. You know wellbeing is important, but where do you start?
‘Peak performance’ and ‘wellbeing’ tend to be separate conversations, but they are more intertwined than you may realise. When you’re tired or sick, you’re less likely to be resilient or cope under pressure. So, it makes sense that by putting wellbeing at the centre of everything you do, you will be able to perform more consistently at a high level.
Brooke Neal is a mindset and wellbeing coach, as well as a former New Zealand hockey player, who uses her high-performance background to support thousands of people in sport and business. In this final session of the day, Brooke will share techniques to help you turn your inner critic into your inner coach. You’ll learn how to deal with nerves, avoid burnout and train your brain so you can perform well under pressure.
Brooke will offer simple, actionable steps to:
- Increase your mental fitness through mindfulness
- Perform more consistently through using wellbeing practices
- Boost your confidence in high-stress situations
- Build habits that help you get more out of your working day