Leading by example
Sarah Painter, PA to the Senior Management Team here at Jumar, recently won the ‘Lead by Example’ category in the 2022 PA Forum Awards.
Everyone at Jumar is delighted for Sarah to be recognised amongst her peers across the West Midlands so we asked her to tell us a little more about what winning this award means to her.
‘If you'd have met me 5 years ago and told me I would win an award for my role as a PA then I wouldn't have believed you. I've been involved in the PA Forum for the past 3 and half years and have been lucky enough to have gone through the PA Forum West Midlands PA Awards process for each of those years. In 2020 & 2021, I received internal nominations for the "Newcomer of the Year" category where I was fortunate enough to reach the finals in 2020 and reach the shortlist stage in 2021.
2022 was the year I decided to do something slightly different and completely out of my comfort zone. I decided to self-nominate for the "Lead by Example" category as when I read the criteria for the category it talked about an individual who goes above and beyond, demonstrates innovative ways of working, encouraging others within the organisation to celebrate change, positive change that has rippled throughout the business and made an overall impact. I instantly thought to myself "this is me" so I submitted my form without any hesitation. Fast forward to the 15th July where I finally got to hear my name as a winner and I am still in shock to this day. To win this award truly means the world as I am such a big believer in spreading positivity and helping people become the best that they can be so to be recognised for my "infectious enthusiasm" is something I'll never forget. From being involved in the West Midlands PA Awards, I have become a founding member of the PA Forum ASPIRE committee which focuses on building confidence in upcoming PA's, EA's & VA's as well as building a network for likeminded individuals that are in similar positions in their career. My confidence within myself professionally and personally has taken a huge boost as I now have more self-belief in my ability and each process has given me the chance to look back on my career so far and see what I have achieved which I'm incredibly proud of. Also, it has shown me that even if you don't achieve something first time round, if you persevere, remain positive and focus on your goal then anything is possible.’
Sarah has worked at Jumar for the past 5 years and is a huge asset to the team. Having joined with no office or administration experience, but with bags of energy and desire to be successful in a career that supports people, Sarah has gone from strength to strength.
We asked Sarah’s coach, mentor and line manager, Julie Pettigrew, EA to the CEO (Wendy Morgan) at Jumar, about Sarah.
‘Sarah joined Jumar with no administration experience whatsoever and we very quickly spotted her potential and promoted her to PA to the Senior Management Team. It has been an honour to watch Sarah grow and develop in her role, particularly over the past couple of years.
Sarah demonstrates the key attributes of resilience, confidence and integrity that are key for any PA role. Her positivity and passion shine through in everything that she does and always with that winning smile! Sarah’s multi-tasking abilities are legendary with a clear aim of delivering the company’s day-to-day needs. She has willingly received mentoring and coaching which in turn has enabled her to flourish. We at Jumar are proud of what Sarah has achieved - If Carlsberg did PAs Sarah would be it!’
Congratulations from everyone at Jumar once again, Sarah.