A day in the life of Helen Le Poidevin - Executive PA @ PwC (April 2018)

Primary Responsibilities:

• I have recently been promoted to Executive PA which follow's Simon Perry's promotion to Territory Senior Partner (1st Jan 2018) who I support

• I also support Partner Roland Mills and our Chief Strategy Officer Leyla Yildirim along with three other Senior Managers

• I also have an active role in our Marketing team which includes event management, research and purchase of brand merchandise and maintaining our client contact database

• I lead the Sports & Social committee, controlling the budget spend and assisting with events when needed.  I am a coach to two members of the PA team and responsible for the team when the Office Manager is on holiday

 

No two days are the same in my role. I could start the day by setting up a business briefing at an external venue, organising various meetings for Simon to meet his key clients, followed by setting up for a client event on the golf course. 

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Morning routine: Once I have arrived at the office I log onto my laptop, grab a quick cup of coffee and open up the three inboxes that I manage.  As I have already checked my emails on the way into work I will check my executive's mailboxes first to see if there is anything pressing which I can do for them and anticipate what will take priority for the day ahead.  I have authority to read, reply and delete all emails when necessary which will save my executive time when they come into the office.  

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Work/life balance: PwC are flexible and encouraging when it comes to our working hours.  Although my core hours are 08.30 to 17.30 i'm usually in the office at 08.00 knowing that should I need to take a longer lunch or leave early my hours are covered.  I also like to work from home for a day every couple of weeks.  I try to leave on time as often as I can, I usually have something planned in the evening, however with this type of role, give and take is a must and sometimes I may have to work in the evenings.

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What is the most challenging aspect of your day or career? That's definitely trying to keep on top of the changing diary which can be very challenging.  With Simon's new role his diary is changing all the time and I need to prioritise his meetings.  I try not to book back to back meetings, I am currently working on an initiative at the moment to 'give back time' by reducing meeting time and encouraging walking meetings.  Simon's wellbeing is a priority and I need to make sure that he has the time to focus on what's important and how we can get the most out of our day.  This will include making sure Simon has time to eat lunch, minimising meeting time and making sure he does not have meetings every evening.

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What do you most enjoy about your career? I probably enjoy the learning aspects of the role the most.  I attended an EPPA workshop in conjunction with the Adam Fidler Academy in September which has really made me think about the role of the PA and where it is heading.  With this role, there is always something new to learn and we must keep up to date with technology so that we can help our executives and be the 'go to' person in the office.

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Technology: It is always challenging to keep up to date and stay relevant when it comes to technology.  PwC introduced Google 1.5 years ago which has been a big transition for the firm.  I was a Google guide for my team which we embraced well.  This has enabled teams to work more collaboratively together and change the way that we work for the better.

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I recently attended the International Women's day event which Nikki organised in conjunction with PwC/The PA Network Jersey.  I was blown away with the calibre of the panelists and found this event to be very inspiring.  Women in the business is close to my heart and one of our commitments to our staff.  I am in the process of reading a couple of 'women in business' books which I a looking to for ideas and inspiration.