Why Longstone VA?
I am proud to have worked at CEO level, providing support to the heads of global businesses in the financial services and not for profit sectors for over 20 years now. My extensive track record of managing their time, travel, events and offices across multiple time zones is proven and I can dovetail with your in-house teams seamlessly. I am known for treating everyone the same, looking for the positive and remaining unflappable and pragmatic in a crisis with the gravitas to achieve results.
About Me
I began my career providing EA support to the directors of small businesses. Looking for a more structured career path with increased opportunities for training and promotion, I moved into the Financial Services arena working for British American Financial Services/Zurich where I worked for 15 years. Principal roles were as a director-level EA and as Fleet Operations Manager, leading a team of 25.
I moved from there to gain experience in the public sector, working with the heads of the country’s first joint emergency services, an NHS primary care trust and a housing association.
An opportunity arose to move into the NGO world and I worked for the CEO of Oxfam GB for three years. During my tenure, I was EA and key lynchpin in the Directorate, spanning the period of several natural disasters including the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
In this role, I dealt with everyone from some amazing shop volunteers, heads of other renowned NGOs, celebrities, the royal household plus religious and world leaders.
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‘Head hunted’ to work in London, I joined EuroConex (now Elavon) in 2006. Working in Canary Wharf and The City, I enjoyed 12 years providing Executive Assistant support to the European President and then the Global CEO who was based in North America. In addition, I created and delivered an inaugural programme of annual reward and incentive events and went on to organise and manage delivery of all subsequent events, working closely with external events agencies in UK and on-site in multiple locations across Europe and in UAE, Africa and Russia. I also managed the Head Office EA team providing wider support to all the senior managers across Europe.
After getting married in 2016, I swapped London life for country living in a small rural village in Lincolnshire, where I have since worked full time from my home office.
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In 2018 I was again ‘head hunted’ and moved into the Private Education sector to work for a new global school and was privileged to work with some of the world’s greatest academic leaders. As EA to the Chancellor, I provided support throughout the period leading up to and during the opening of the first two campuses in China and the US and helped to deliver the first global event for over 250 faculty and staff in Switzerland.
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In 2021, I took the decision, partly due to the pandemic, to re-evaluate life and decided to take the plunge to start my own business. Hence, Longstone VA, a long-held dream, was realised!
Longstone VA is LCCI qualified, ICO registered and has Professional Indemnity Insurance and Cyber Liability Insurance.
