Our General Advisory Board is made up of a group of volunteers, who come from a variety of backgrounds. All board members are members of the Association and have an undivided passion for the long term future of the profession.
Please note our board does not have or bear legal or fiduciary responsibilities for the running of the Association and purely act in an advisory capacity only.
They provide direction and advice on all aspects of EPAA UK’s strategy and long-term plans.
The board meets twice per year.
Chair
Dalya is an award-winning Executive Assistant with over 15 years of progressive experience within the EA/PA industry.
She has been EA to a high profile/high net worth Entrepreneur & Philanthropist since 2010 and has since been promoted to Director.
Dalya has a range of skills and responsibilities including managing complex routines, corporate travel management, event planning, extensive involvement in property/asset management and generally managing the day to day activities of the business within an extremely fast paced environment.
Dalya holds a certificate in First Line Management and a Diploma in Personal Assistance.
In 2013, she was 1st runner up in the Executive PA Magazine PA of the Year Awards and in 2014 won the Pitman Training Super Achievers PA of the Year Award. This has allowed Dalya to be invited as a guest speaker for many PA networking and training events throughout the UK and Internationally.
Outside of work, Dalya is professional singer, mum of 2 boys and a School Governor at her Son’s Primary School. In 2014, Dalya proudly raised over £9500 for charity by running 2 half marathons and successfully climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Deputy Chair
Louise has over 20 years’ experience as a Senior Executive Assistant and Business Manager, with significant experience in providing comprehensive support and guidance at Senior Leadership and C-suite level across multiple industries including Financial Services, Real Estate, and Executive Search. At Teneo Financial Advisory she enjoys a dual role, as Senior EA for the Yorkshire and North East team and a key member of their national Clients and Industries team. Louise is also proud to have trained as a Menopause Champion, and is an active member of a number of internal DEI groups.
A Fellow member of EPAA (Executive and Personal Assistants Association), Louise sits on the National Advisory Board as Board Member and Non-Exec Director. Passionate about raising the profile of the EA/PA industry, Louise embraces CPD and enjoys networking and developing relationships with her fellow EAs and industry leaders around the country.
She has a BA (Hons) Degree in English Literature from the University of Newcastle and has travelled widely, spending extended periods of time in India, South East Asia and Australia
Board Member
Board Member
Stephanie is an Equality Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) Business Manager within Mental Health and Social Care, working closely with Directors and key diversity leads in various areas, creating business process systems to implement best practice, manage conflict, and hold people accountable.
Within the Healthcare Industry, Stephanie previously worked as a Virtual Events and Digital Skills Trainer and Producer. She developed and delivered; Office 365 training programmes, innovative digital educational media and content, SharePoint Sites, an integrated application, change development, communication plans, and live virtual Executive Broadcasts from 2020.
Between 2017 to 2020, she became a Personal Assistant and then worked as a C-Suite Executive Assistant for multiple directors within Acute Medicine, Corporate Affairs, Workforce Strategy, HR and Operations. She provided data and clinical management towards the NICE peer reviews, and then comprehensive high-level corporate administration, event planning and project management in ED&I diversity events and conferences.
Stephanie is certified with Microsoft as a; Service Adoption Specialist (MSAS), Innovative Educator (MIE), Certified Trainer (MCT) and an Office 365 Specialist (MOS) Expert, with the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) as a Trainer. She has a Diploma with Pitman Training Ltd as a Professional Executive Personal Assistant.
For the last 15 years, it has been her personal mission to empower, contribute and advocate in the professional career development of her peers, as well as those with protected characteristic mentioned in the Equality Act 2010, including race, sexual orientation and disability.
She is passionate about using her influence, integrity, skills and experience to promote better business onboarding, the development of clear concrete career pathways, enabling people to rise as leaders and inspire others to control their own narrative.
Board Member
Mark joined OVO around 8 years ago and before that was a director level PA at Tenovus Cancer Care, working in the third sector.
Mark's PA career started at Lloyds Banking Group where he worked for 16 years in Retail Banking/Group Marketing, providing key executive support to a number of directors.
Mark is a highly motivated, organised and structured individual, able to juggle multiple priorities, work to tight schedules and meet deadlines without compromising quality.
Mark is a key member of the Field Services Leadership team who oversee the operations of over 750+ engineers and supports colleagues helping customers with smart meters, solar panel installations and electric vehicle charging solutions. Working towards their Plan Zero goals - OVO's mission is to power human progress with clean affordable energy for everyone.
An advocate for male EAs/PAs/VAs, Mark is extremely passionate about breaking down stereotypes in the industry whilst providing a seamless end-to-end management of a directors' busy office #notjustagirlsjob
Outside of work Mark has a love of architecture, design, and fashion and is also a keen baker who loves developing new recipes for artisan sourdough bread with his two starters Cynthia and Nixon.
Board Member
Victoria has worked within the legal sector for over 18 years and has a wealth of experience in many areas of law. She also has extensive knowledge of large-scale event planning and has organised conference teams in jurisdictions all over the world. Victoria is also qualified in PRINCE2.
Over the span of her career, Victoria has worked for C-Suite Management Teams and high-profile Senior Partners. She is currently working as a key member of the management team at Fox Williams LLP and is managing the Partnership Board, together with the COO and high level stakeholders, to ensure the firms strategic goals are achieved.
Victoria is also heavily involved in the training and up-skilling of Legal Assistants within her firm and has a real passion for the growth in peers.
In her spare time Victoria loves to exercise and has run 4 marathons, with her last one being the New York Marathon in 2019. She has also raised over £20,000 for the Lymphoma Association in recent years.
Board Member
Ayca is EA to the Chief Executive at Trust for London, a grant-giving organisation working to alleviate poverty and inequality in London. She has been working as a C-Suite PA/EA within the Charity sector for a number of years.
Previous to becoming a PA, she worked as an administrator at the Management Standards Centre and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Throughout her career, Ayca has held various voluntary positions and is currently Vice Chair of Governors at a primary school in Dartford.
Ayca is a Fellow of the Executive and Personal Assistant Association (EPAA) and is particularly passionate about advocating for those within the admin and EA/PA profession.
Outside of work Ayca enjoys reading, CrossFit and running, and is a member of the running crew Backpackers.
Fiona has been providing C-Suite support for the last 12 years. For the past 7 years she has been supporting Sir Nigel Wilson, Group CEO at Legal & General.
She began her career in Kent working in market research and was quickly promoted into the administration team where her journey up the assistant ladder began. Fiona has worked in a variety of industries, but her comfort zone lies in financial services.
Fiona has been a guest on podcasts for The EA Campus and The Assistant Lab. Fiona has also been a panel member on “The Future Assistant” by Practically Perfect PA and is looking forward to joining the EPAA team on a panel at the EPAA National Conference in London in June.
Fiona is a passionate EA and is keen to raise the profile of the profession, encouraging awareness among younger people.
Fiona lives in Somerset with her husband and their pets, Daisy the labradoodle and Marley the cat.
Board Member
Alex is a passionate and accomplished business services professional, with over 13 years' experience in the sport sector.
A former quantitative market researcher focusing on fast-moving consumer goods, Alex’s love for sport and excellent administration brought her to the sport sector nearly 14 years ago, and the start of her administrative career.
In addition to being friendly, solutions-focused, and a committed team player, Alex is enthusiastic about professional development and quality people management as well as elevating the profile of administrative professionals and challenging general assumptions prevailing the assistant profession.
She is a Fellow member of EPAA (Executive and Personal Assistants Association), Co-Chair of her internal LGBTQ+ network, and a spirited champion for both learning and development and equality, diversity and inclusion.
Alex has run the Race for Life raising money for Cancer Research UK for 26 years, a cause very close to her heart and is a keen sports person, despite not really liking running!
She has previously volunteered in positions such as coaching, recruitment, and public relations in a number of sports; played rugby for a local team, and tries to balance keeping active around work and life, and travelling with her husband!
Board Member
Kallie Halai recently joined Apis Partners as an Executive Assistant after working at Ecolibrium as an EA to the CEO and Arup as a PA to the PSITSI London Group Leader.
Prior to that, Kallie worked as a Personal Assistant to the Head of Consumer, Healthcare, Education & Business Services and the Director Strategy for Healthcare & Education, Africa & South Asia at CDC Group Plc (now known as British International Investments), UK’s Development Finance Institute. She’s an active participant in initiatives, driving for a carbon-neutral working environment in the organisation; in addition, writing articles, project managing various internal projects; creating and managing the Communication Plan for an internal network.
Kallie have an HND in Business and Marketing at London Guildhall University and BA Honours in Business Enterprise at London Metropolitan University (formerly known as London Guildhall University). I've recently completed the Mini MBA for Senior & Executive Assistants with Your Excellency.
Kallie has taken part in panellists’ events; a member of the Executive Personal Assistant Association and is the winner for the Rising Stars PA of the Year award 2022.
Board Member
Julie joined Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) in 2012 and is the Head of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office with leadership responsibility for the Executive Support Team. Previous to this, she worked in business support in both the private and public sectors including 12 years with the NHS in Scotland.
She graduated from GCU with an MSc in Human Resource Management in 2016 and completed the Oxford Women’s Leadership Development Programme in 2019.
She is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a Fellow of the Executive & Personal Assistants Association (EPAA) and a Member of the Association of University of Administrators (AUA).
Julie is the Organisational Endometriosis Champion for the University and volunteers with Endometriosis UK as a Support Group Leader, founding the first Ayrshire Endometriosis UK Support Group in 2022.
Founded in 2016 to bring together a range of executive and business support professionals and support them through a period of industry upheaval and transition, EPAA has now become the go-to organisation for support professionals in a diverse range of roles, all of whom provide invaluable support essential to the day-to-day running of any and every successful business.
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