720 guests from across the Manchester Business Community came together last week to celebrate the hard work, dedication and passion that PAs EAs VAs and Support Professionals demonstrate within their roles.
Now run independently by the Manchester PA Network alongside event partner Make Events, the awards follow in the footsteps of the Manchester PA Network and are run on a not-for-profit basis, with all sponsorship funds contributing to what was an incredible evening raising money for The Christie hospital. Our headline sponsor UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones said “PAs and EAs play an incredibly important role in any business and are often the unsung heroes, so it’s fantastic to be able to pay tribute to them and the work they do. It’s a real honour to help celebrate their success and help to shine a light on the leading talent through the awards”
The 2018 winners were honoured at an exclusive awards ceremony held at Emirates Old Trafford, Holly Moore MD of Make Events said ‘Make Events would never miss an opportunity to work with the Manchester PA Awards and this year we went all out to make this the best awards that Manchester has ever seen’.
The awards hosted by Hits Radio presenter Gethin Jones were the most successful to date with nominations growing to over 150 from a range of Manchester companies. Entertainment was provided by the Halle Youth Orchestra and The Function Band.
Co-founder or the Manchester PA Network Melanie Sheehy said ‘if our first year as an independent awards has been this successful then we can only imagine what next year will bring. We are incredibly proud to be able to recognise the outstanding work in our profession and are already looking forward to next year’s awards. Nothing can be achieved without the passion and support of all of our members and they have worked incredibly hard over the last 12 months to help raise money for The Christie hospital, and help us reach our target of raising £200,000 by 2020’.
Co-Founders of the Manchester PA Network, Melanie Sheehy and Amanda Hargreaves were surprised by their fellow board members when they received their own award for Services to the Manchester PA Industry,
The raffle raised an incredible £5,300 for the Christie with a whole selection of prizes ranging from a limited-edition neon bee light to £1,000 worth of Selfridges vouchers donated by Alma Mater Resourcing.
The winners each received one of the most popular edition suitcases by KitKase and will attend an exclusive dinner at El Gato Nego Tapas.
The 2018 winners were:
- Best Event – Fiona Hardman, Guenther Bakeries UK Ltd
- Brand Ambassador – Jemma Carr, Victorian Chophouse Company
- Business Leader of the Year – Doug Hann, Indigo Planning
- External PA Network – Birmingham PA Forum
- Fundraiser of the Year – Jo Booth, Stocks 2015 Limited
- Internal PA Network – Arup UKIMEA Secretarial Network,
- Leader of the Year – Catherine Hunt, PwC
- Lifetime Achievement – Stella Corbett, Brother UK Limited
- Rising Star – Lawrence Adlum, KPMG
- Social Media Champion – Sam Johnson, SES Engineering
- Team of the Year – Chiesi Support Services Team
- Virtual Assistant – Jules Aston, Aston Assists
- UKFast Excellence – Sarah Muench, Sky
- Above and Beyond – Martine Tempest-Mitchell, Timpson/The Christie
- Special Recognition Award for Company Culture – Addleshaw Goddard
- Services to the Manchester PA Industry – Melanie Sheehy and Amanda Hargreaves – Manchester PA Network
- Manchester PA of the Year – Jo Wilson, Hall Brown Family Law
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