The PA Hub Leeds Conference
Friday 17th May 2024 - Hilton Leeds City
Headline Partner - LNER
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is on a mission to transform rail travel for the customers and communities we serve
LNER calls at 53 stations along the East Coast route, from London to Inverness and everywhere in between; Peterborough, the E.ast Midlands, Leeds, York, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh. Our vision as a business underpins everything we do and keeps us focussed on the future – “To be the most loved, progressive and responsible way to travel, for generations to come”
Contact our team to see how we can support your travel needs and learn more about our rail booking platform, LNER4Business.
Contact Anthony Woodall, Business Commercial Manager, for information: Anthony.Woodall@lner.co.uk.
We have organised a full day of informative learning & development with assistants in mind. There will be fantastic collaboration and networking opportunities throughout the day with your PA colleagues as well as relevant takeaways for your role, from our specially selected speakers to make you an indispensable assistant.
This is the 15th PA Hub Conference and as always we aim to provide high level relevant industry training to make you the best assistant that you can be.
Our conference is designed to involve excellent networking with aspiring and senior assistants alongside up-skilling and training from world class speakers. This one day conference helps PAs develop in the ever-changing role of the modern assistant with speakers chosen carefully to cover a range of topics to help you achieve personally and within your company.
Join us at our friendly and informative conference covering personal and professional development and take time out for ‘you’ at a reasonable cost in the North of England.
You will learn how to....
- Improve Inclusivity and Diversity Within Your Organisation
- Achieve Your Future Goals
- Believe in Yourself
- Live in the Present
- Set career goals
- Balance Work and Life
- Suit Your Skillset to Your Organisation
- Deal with Organisational Change
- Engage with Change
- Understand Your Impact as an Assistant
- Maximise LinkedIn for Success
- Build a Strong Network
- Avoid Fake Profiles & Unscrupulous Players
- Maintain Relationships Using LinkedIn
- Use the Power of Your Voice & the Impact it Makes
- Develop Your Voice and Be Heard
- Feel More Confident
- Use Non-Verbal Techniques Effectively
- Have a Holistic Understanding of the Modern Day Assistant’s Role
- Equip Yourself With Strategies and Insights to Enhance Your Potential
- Influence Others with Ease
- Connect & Collaborate With Others at All Levels
- Be Inspired and Motivated on Your Return to Work
OUR SPEAKERS
Marion Lowrence
Conference Host
Director - The PA Hub
Anthony Woodall
Headline Partner - LNER
Business Commercial Manager
Alison Lowe OBE
OPENING KEYNOTE - Improving Inclusivity and Diversity Within Organisations
Deputy Mayor for Policing & Crime Nominee
James Perryman
How to achieve your goals without losing yourself along the way
Director, Momentus Limited
Aliina Rowe
The Assistant Profession Defining a Role in Organisational Change
Executive Assistant | Organisational Change (PGDip) | Author
Judy Parsons
LinkedIn: It's Not What You Know But Who You Know! How To Network All Over The World On LinkedIn
The LinkedIn Lady
Catherine Bonner
Voices with Impact – Are you being listened to?
Managing Director, Ambient Tribe
Lucy Brazier OBE
The Modern-Day Assistant: Build Your Influence and Boost Your Potential - An interview with Lucy Brazier OBE
CEO, Marcham Publishing | International Speaker | Conference Chair | Expert on the Administrative Sector
Aaron Phipps MBE
CLOSING KEYNOTE - Blood, Sweat and Wheelchairs
Paralympian, Adventurer and Speaker
FULL SPEAKER INFORMATION BELOW
Headline Partner - LNER
Anthony Woodall
Business Commercial Manager
Anthony Woodall will be welcoming our audience to The PA Hub Conference.
Conference Host
Marion Lowrence
Director - The PA Hub
Marion will be your conference host for the day.
Read moreAbout Marion
Marion is a multi-award winning former PA, winning Yorkshire PA of the Year in 2011 and Pitman Super Achievers International PA in 2012. Marion worked in various administration and management roles for over 30 years building up her expertise and networks throughout this time including working for the Civil Service and NHS before joining Yorkshire Universities as a Senior EA in the higher education sector.
Marion has presented to various groups of PAs throughout the UK and overseas and loves to network both in person and through social media.
Marion was the Founder of Yorkshire Universities Internal PA Network which led her to set up The PA Hub with her husband and business partner Jon Lowrence. They now run 4 independent networks in Yorkshire, North West and North East running over 40 PA events a year including networking meetings, training and development sessions, digital events, conferences, showcases and PA Awards.
Marion was previously Events Director for Executive Support LIVE team, having run events internationally in London, Johannesburg, Auckland, Wellington, Sydney, Washington DC, Atlanta & Silicon Valley.
Marion was the lead delegate representing the UK at the World Administrative Summit in Frankfurt in October 2018 and digitally in 2021 and 2023 and continues to support and promote the profession internationally.
OPENING KEYNOTE - Improving Inclusivity and Diversity Within Organisations
Alison Lowe OBE
Deputy Mayor for Policing & Crime Nominee
Alison, is a Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Nominee, in West Yorkshire, and is a passionate advocate for enhancing inclusivity and diversity within organisations. In her talk, she will share insightful strategies and practical solutions for fostering a more inclusive and diverse workforce. Drawing from her extensive experience of over 30 years in the Third Sector, Alison explores the critical importance of these values, not just as a moral imperative but as a driver of organisational success. Her presentation is a compelling personal story and call to action, offering attendees actionable takeaways to create more equitable and dynamic workplaces while being inspired and motivated by Alison’s personal journey.
Learning Outcomes
- Understanding the Value of Inclusivity and Diversity
- Practical Strategies for Implementation
- Creating a Culture of Inclusivity
About Alison
Alison is a Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Nominee in West Yorkshire. She previously started her role as DMPC in July 2021 until 2nd May 2024 where she was appointed by the Metro Mayor, Tracy Brabin, because of her extensive voluntary sector, political and policing experience over a 30+ year period.
Alison worked in the Third Sector for more than 30 years, most recently as Chief Executive of Touchstone, a Mental Health Charity working across West Yorkshire.
Alison has been involved in local government for 29 years and was a councillor with the Labour Party. Alison was also the Chair of the Police and Crime Panel, the body that scrutinises the performance of the Police and Crime Commissioner and represents the interests of all the 2.3 million people across West Yorkshire. Alison was the Deputy Lord Mayor of Leeds in 2003-4 and was made an Honorary Alderwoman of the city in 2020. In this role, Alison was asked to review Leeds statues following the BLM protests.
Alison is a Non-Executive Director with Leeds Community Health NHS Trust.
Alison Lowe holds an MA in Medieval Studies from Leeds University and a BA in History and was given an Honorary Doctor of Laws in 2022.
She was also awarded an OBE in the January 2022 Queen’s Honours List.
How to achieve your goals without losing yourself along the way.
James Perryman
Director, Momentus
In the pursuit of happiness and success, it can become normal to pin all of your hopes and dreams to a destination.
A destination where your goals are met, life is balanced and where you have reached “happy”.
A moment where your version of ‘high performance’ is a reality.
Or is it someone else’s destination that you’re trying to reach?
What if your happiness and success could be related to your ‘here and now’, where the destination happens as a result of who you are, what you are and everything you know and can offer?
Are you ready for your moment?
Learning Outcomes
- Achieving your future goals comes from believing in yourself and the actions you take today.
- Everything you’ve learnt, experienced and done in the past, is what makes the present you.
- ‘High performance’ should be a way of living in the present, more than a measure of the future.
About James
James Perryman is a speaker, trainer and coach, working with individuals and businesses to help them discover their potential, and increase their performance.
Prior to this, he enjoyed a 20-year career consulting and delivering change across the span of business areas, engaging with leaders and influencing a culture of growth and development.
In addition to speaking at events, James provides coaching to increase people’s resilience, productivity and self-esteem, and runs training courses focussing on personal and business development, leadership and high performance.
James brings together his knowledge, skills and own experiences to show how self-awareness, self-belief and courage can bring enjoyment and success today, rather than waiting for it to happen tomorrow.
The Assistant Profession Defining a Role in Organisational Change
Aliina Rowe
Executive Assistant | Organisational Change (PGDip) | Author
There is a role for Assistants in building foundations for change within our organisations. We must commit to proactively using our skillset to engage in building strong foundations for change – not only for the organisations, teams, and leaders we support – but for our profession. This session will put you on the path to seeing yourself engaging in change in organisations in a new way.
This session is grounded in research from a journey in the academic organisational change arena, learning from administrative experts as well as meaningful interactions with assistants across the globe. We will discover ways the assistant profession adds unique value in building foundations for change and will cover how assistants are uniquely suited to engage in change within their organisations. We’ll delve into a new approach and framework to engage with change, inspired by the knowledge that it’s the SMALL things that matter as we go about managing change.
Learning Outcomes
- Learn how the Assistant role and skillset is uniquely suited to engage in organisational change
- Put organisational change in context of your own organisation
- Establish concrete ways to proactively engage in change in your organisation
- Understand your impact as an Assistant in organisational change
About Aliina
Aliina Rowe is a proud, experienced Executive Assistant who believes wholeheartedly in the unique and integral role of the assistant when it comes to good, meaningful, and impactful organisational change.
She is a certified Change Management Practitioner and has completed the Executive Diploma in Organisational Change from Warwick Business School with Distinction. She has authored articles on the topic of organisational change in Executive Support
Magazine, with a focus on how assistants are engaged in building foundations for change by creating nurturing, inspired and organised working environments alongside the executives and teams they support.
In 2022, Aliina was selected to present her paper “The Administrative Profession Defining a Role in Organisational Change” at the World Administrators Summit. She has continued her involvement in the World Administrators Alliance Summit Task Force and is also a member of IMA Germany.
A lifelong learner, Aliina is equally passionate about empowering assistants to further their own personal development as well as connecting with each other for support. She is also a founding member of the Assistant network in her company, steering assistant focused communications and activities.
LinkedIn: It's Not What You Know But Who You Know! How To Network All Over The World On LinkedIn
Judy Parsons
The LinkedIn Lady
It’s official. LinkedIn is the de facto platform for meeting and getting to know like-minded individuals both a personally and professionally.
But success requires a strong network. In this session we explore how to leverage LinkedIn as a powerful networking tool to support your career and personal aspirations.
We look at how to make the most of LinkedIn from the importance of your profile to expanding your network to increasing your visibility by joining the conversation.
Learning Outcomes
- How to maximise LinkedIn for success
- How to build a strong network and avoid fake profiles and unscrupulous players
- How to maintain relationships using LinkedIn
About Judy
An independent LinkedIn trainer, speaker and LinkedIn marketing specialist, Judy works with business owners to unlock LinkedIn’s potential, so they Get Found, Get Famous and Get Clients on LinkedIn.
Celebrating 10 years as The LinkedIn Lady, Judy is passionate about de-mystifying LinkedIn to ensure her clients make the most of the time they spend on LinkedIn, closing the gap between ‘just being on LinkedIn’ and making LinkedIn work effectively as a tool for generating inbound enquiries.
Voices with Impact – Are you being listened to?
Catherine Bonner
Managing Director, Ambient Tribe
Every time we open our mouths to speak, we make an impact…or not.
When we’re working as part of a leadership team, it’s easy for our voices to be left behind. So how do you develop a voice that people will listen to? How do we earn our right to speak? How will you use your voice to support your work success?
Our voice is one of the most powerful tools we possess, but it’s something we rarely talk about, let alone take the time to develop.
In this interactive session, we’ll explore tools and techniques to harness and develop your voice and body language to ensure you are heard and more importantly, listened to.
Learning Outcomes
- The power of our voice and the impact it makes
- How to develop your voice to make sure you’re heard
- Non-verbal techniques to look and feel more confident
About Catherine
Catherine Bonner is the Managing Director of culture & communications consultancy Ambient Tribe. She works with passionate entrepreneurs to help them master how they connect, engage and inspire the people in their business.
Catherine works with entrepreneurs around the world to help them unearth their purpose, vision, and values (or as we like to call it, your Core DNA) and embed them across the business.
She’s not about cool marketing messages or flashy posters on the wall, but about helping entrepreneurs authentically communicate as they scale, learning how to deal with stakeholder management, brand reputation, and speaking to large audiences.
As a professional communicator and storyteller, Catherine has worked with entrepreneurial businesses for over 13 years, successfully helping leaders get what’s in their head into the hearts and minds of their people. Her experience spans a whole host of industries, from tech, not-for-profit, luxury and retail.
She’s also a mum of two and loves nothing better than stomping up mountains and reading a good book in her free time.
The Modern-Day Assistant: Build Your Influence and Boost Your Potential - An interview with Lucy Brazier OBE & Jon Lowrence
Lucy Brazier OBE
CEO, Marcham Publishing | International Speaker | Conference Chair | Expert on the Administrative Sector
To celebrate the launch of Lucy’s new book, ‘The Modern-Day Assistant: Build Your Influence and Boost Your Potential’, Lucy will be joining Jon Lowrence on stage for an exclusive Book Launch Q&A covering the learning objectives below:
- Gain insights into how the role of the assistant has evolved over time, and the significant shifts that have shaped the modern-day assistant’s responsibilities.
- Acquire strategies and tips for enhancing communication, ensuring clarity, and building strong relationships within and outside of the organisation.
- Learn how to effectively collaborate with executives, understand their needs, and become an indispensable asset to them.
- Discover methods to shift from just handling daily tasks to contributing strategically to the organisation’s goals and mission.
- Get a glimpse of what the future holds for the role of the assistant, the potential challenges, and the opportunities that will emerge in the coming years.
- Understand the unique stressors faced by modern-day assistants and acquire techniques to manage and mitigate stress effectively.
- Benefit from Lucy’s experiences and observations about the profession from both a local and global perspective, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of the role’s dynamics.
- Receive guidance on how to harness one’s potential, build influence, and grow personally and professionally in the role.
PLUS we’re offering an interactive Q&A Opportunity!
Engage directly with Lucy Brazier OBE, ask pressing questions, and receive personalised feedback and insights.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants should have a holistic understanding of the modern-day assistant’s role, equipped with strategies and insights to enhance their potential and influence.
Want to get your copy of Lucy’s book signed? You can pre-purchase it here and bring it with you.
Read moreAbout Lucy
CEO, Marcham Publishing | International Speaker | Conference Chair | Expert on the Administrative Sector
The visionary Lucy Brazier is one of the world’s leading authorities on the administrative profession. She is the CEO of Marcham Publishing, a global force synonymous with world-class conferences and training including Executive Support LIVE and Modern-Day Assistant, and home of Executive Support Magazine, the gold standard of training in print for administrative professionals. Lucy is passionate about ensuring the Assistant role is truly recognised as a career and not just a job, and is dedicated to supporting the development of both senior and aspiring administrative professionals. Her formidable training expertise and speaking style have given her opportunities to train, present and emcee events in over 50 countries at over 650 events, including Chairing the 2015 World Administrator Summit in Papua New Guinea and co-facilitating every World Administrators Summit since. Lucy has keynoted at almost every major conference for assistants in the world.
She has a unique overview of the role and where it is heading. With access to the most forward-thinking, passionate and knowledgeable trainers and administrative business leaders in the world as well as personally meeting and speaking to thousands of Assistants for more than a decade, her knowledge of the market and what Assistants all over the world are facing on a day-to-day basis are second to none. Lucy’s work in the field has led to thousands of assistants and executives working more effectively together.
Her training and ongoing conversations have resulted in promotions, internal networks and career frameworks being created in some of the biggest companies in the world; college students seeing the assistant role as a proper profession with a career path, and businesses, HR and executives finally understanding how to measure performance to best utilise their assistants. The work being conducted worldwide with the publication of the Global Skills Matrix is one of Lucy’s key drivers, and she is working with some of the most recognisable companies on the planet to consult on restructuring and training their Business Support functions. In 2021, Lucy was awarded an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) from the Queen, for services to office professionals. She has also received an Honorary Fellowship to the Institute of Administrative Management – one of the oldest management institutes in the world, having inspired professional business managers and administrators since 1915 – in recognition of her work to drive the profession forward.
The Modern-Day Assistant: Build Your Influence and Boost Your Potential
Buy Book HereCLOSING KEYNOTE - Blood, Sweat and Wheelchairs
Aaron Phipps MBE
Paralympian, Adventurer and Speaker
Aaron talks about how he pulled himself out of an impossible situation as a teenager and became the best in the world at what he does. Be prepared to laugh and cry. This emotional rollercoaster will give you key takeaways and thoughts on how you can bring your own gold medal mindset into your own lives.
Learning Outcomes
Find out:
- What it takes to be the best at what you do.
- How to have a winning mindset.
- How to overcome adversity and challenge.
About Aaron
Paralympian, Adventurer and Speaker
Aaron Phipps MBE is a gold medal winning Paralympic champion from the Tokyo 2020 games. He plays the brutal, only full-contact disability sport, Wheelchair Rugby aka Murderball. His team went from being 5th in the world to the best on the planet, in the middle of a global pandemic!
He is a keen fundraiser and in 2016 became the first person in the world to scale Kilimanjaro on his hands and knees.
He has been voted in the top 100 most influential people in the UK with a disability.
Conference Prices
MEMBER
£149 (+ VAT)
For PA Hub Paying Members
NON-MEMBER
£199 (+ VAT)
For PA Non-Members
Please also join us at our pre-event on Thursday 16th May at 17:30 – 19:00 – at Banyan Leeds for a networking event, which is free to all conference delegates.
Booking details HERE.
Hilton Leeds City
Hilton Leeds City, Neville Street, Leeds, LS1 4BX
Our stylish guest rooms feature Hilton Serenity beds and a stylish bathroom with bath and shower.
Work in comfort at the desk with ergonomic chair. Complimentary WiFi is available to Hilton Honors members.
Upgrade to a Double Hilton Suite offering more space 35 sq. m./ 387 sq. ft. offering a double or king Hilton Serenity bed and some with separate living area with double sofa bed.
Enjoy a refreshing drink and a light snack in City 3 bar or enjoy a Piacetto coffee. Relax with friends and mix and match dishes from the Lounge menu.
City 3 restaurant has a relaxed ambience. Locals and guests at the Hilton Leeds City hotel enjoy modern dishes with a traditional Yorkshire twist.
We have 12 flexible meeting spaces including the Brigante suite which offers a private foyer area, bar and cloakroom. We also have a dedicated meeting floor with 6 meeting rooms.
Enjoy LivingWell Health club with fully equipped gym.
TESTIMONIALS
See what previous attendees said about our conferences:
The PA Hub Conference is always a worthwhile investment in your development and career as an EA/PA. This year's conference was no exception; the speakers were engaging, fun and relevant. I came away empowered and energised. Thank you to all the speakers and to Marion and Jon for organising.
EA - first direct
It was my first conference this year and was so pleased it was in my home town! The day was very well thought out and full of content and I came away buzzing with ideas and motivation.
Secretary - UNW LLP
Another fantastic conference organised by the PA Hub with insightful and interesting speakers. Also a fantastic pre-conference networking event the night before.
PA - University of Liverpool
The conference focussed on the value of PAs and who we are, as people and professionals. It was one of the most inspiring conferences I have been to and at the end of the day I felt empowered with enriched confidence, with key skills to take forward.
PA - Newcastle University
This was my first event hosted by The PA Hub and it was brilliant! From the selection of speakers to the venue and catering, the whole day had such as great atmosphere! Thank you!
Executive Projects Officer - NCG
Really enjoyed the conference with excellent content and venue!
PA - University of Liverpool
