The Association of Celebrity Assistants in the UK just celebrated their 10th Anniversaryat an exclusive birthday bash hosted by The Dorchester. With representatives from theirLos Angeles & New York Celebrity Assistant equivalents in attendance and a new‘entente cordiale’ in place between the three organisations, Executive Secretary went tomeet the three leading ladies.DEBORAH SHAWCan we start with a little background information? Where are youfrom and what is your current role?My family are from London but I grew up in Kent. I am currently inmy second year of holding the presidency of the Association of CelebrityAssistants in the UK.What is your background?I trained as a buyer for Harrods then worked as a publicity manager forLynne Franks PR, during which time, amongst other things, I launchedMrs Fields cookies to the UK market and worked as a celebrity bookerfor press launches. In the early 1990s I went on a trip to Los Angeles and,after meeting up with several friends from my Lynne Franks days outthere, I decided this would be a great place to live and work for a while.I had a visa through my father’s company so I sold my flat in London andmoved there. I became a celebrity PA to an old Hollywood movie starand then moved on to working as a talent manager for actors. Ithen returned to England after spending 10 years in the USAand am currently working as a PA for a high-net worth.You are best known as the current President ofthe Association of Celebrity Assistants (UK).How did this come about and how has itchanged your working life?I had been to a couple of meetings when I lived in LAbut when I came back to London I was introducedto Joy Montgomery (the founding President of theUK branch) by a celebrity hairdresser friend of mine.We got along instantly and she invited me to join theboard she had put together. I was initially on the boardfor just over two years and more recently I was elected asPresident in April 2012. Since becoming President I have worked,with my Board members, to create and implement a clear action plan ofthe direction we would like the Association to grow in and what servicesit should provide to help the strong membership – after all, that is whatit was created for. I have met some amazing people and companies whohave become fantastic supporters of our group and gone out of their wayto help make our members lives easier. I have also been asked to speak inpublic, which I hadn’t really done before and was one of my biggest fears,and I am delighted to say I have started to overcome.What are the main changes you have seen in the time you havebeen in business?Technology! Also the role of a “secretary” which was mainly office basedand stuck behind a typewriter has evolved into being the right handman or woman behind executives, fulfilling roles from research andcreating presentations on PowerPoint to creative writing, global travelorganisation and understanding of technology. Most will get involvedin the organisation of their boss’s personal life as well. Social media isa completely new skill that some PAs have to understand and use – it’simportant to understand the difference between what is professional andpersonal!What inspires and motivates you?Being involved in projects I believe in and hopefully making a differenceby using my skills developed over the years. I love meeting new peopleand trying to find common ground to develop new friendships. I amalways looking to improve myself and am happy to pass on the newknowledge I have gained, if asked.What has been the highlight of your career so far and why?There are three! From a professional aspect, when I was a talent managerin LA, I met a young actor who was 12 years old who had somuch charisma and was filled with self belief. I felt he wasvery special and so I took him on as the first client inmy own roster and helped put him on a Disney showcalled Even Stevens – his name was Shia LaBeouf.Also from a work point of view it was a very proudmoment to become President of the <strong>ACA</strong>-UK. Ihave been involved with the organisation from thestart, so it was great for me that people had faith inme to drive it forward.On a philanthropic note, I had a couple of friends whowere gay and had caught the HIV virus in the mid to late1980s so I decided to go to the London Lighthouse charityto find out more about the work they were doing. I was so movedthat it motivated me into organising one of the first events for WorldAids Day in 1989.What are the main challenges facing the industry at the moment?Our industry (celebrity PA) can be isolating if you are working out ofsomeone’s home rather than an office. I think keeping up with newtechnology and software/apps is hard unless you’ve got someone aroundyou to keep you up to date. Also, and this is not a problem limited to thisindustry by any means, with new technology it is very hard to switch offeven when you are on your own time as we are always “online”. I knowso many colleagues who are on call even after they’ve left their employerat the end of a working day. Linked to that is the need to find a work/life balance which is hard in this industry. A key challenge we find inour roles is finding tried and tested suppliers to deliver a quality service.EIGHTwww.executivesecretary.com
PROFILE - DEBORAH SHAWBuilding up a directory for our members is one of the main objectives ofthe <strong>ACA</strong>-UK.What advice would you give someone just starting out as anAssistant?Pick an industry you are really interested in so you can enjoy learningmore along the way. Develop your organisational skills and your ability toproblem solve. Work for different bosses/employers so you learn how toadapt to different styles. The role of a PA is interesting and challenging,and it can be a very rewarding career choice for the right person.So what’s next for Deborah Shaw? Where do you want to be in 5years’ time?I have started a TV production company with my brother. It wassomething we discussed 20 years ago and never had the courage to do itat that time. My goal would be to eventually have an office in Londonand LA, so I get to see more of my friends there who I miss. I am alsomedia officer at a new heritage and educational charity so I am hoping togenerate national and international interest for their projects.www.executivesecretary.comNINE
Change language