2010 Administrative Professional of the Year
Tracey Simpson-Smith was awarded the 2010 title of Administrative Professional of the Year!! Tracey has been in administration positions for the last 18 years. Her experience is mainly in public sector organisations. For the last four years Tracey has worked at UCOL, (a polytechnic with campuses in the Wairarapa, Manawatu and Wanganui regions). Tracey is currently working as the Executive Assistant to the Chief Financial and Information Officer. Tracey has worked predominantly in PA/EA roles for the last 10 years both in the education and health sectors. Tracey has been self-employed contracting PA/EA services to organisations within the Manawatu.
Tracey is currently in her third year of being the President of the Manawatu group of AAPNZ. Tracey is an Associate member of AAPNZ and has held various committee positions for the Manawatu group including Newsletter, Editor, Vice President and member of the AP Day Team.
Tracey likes to encourage people within the administration industry to network with other people in the industry and to continue on with professional development throughout their career. Tracey also encourages people to get into the industry and acts as a role model to students coming through.
Administration is a passion for Tracey who describes herself as forever at work. “I am continuously writing lists and looking for areas of improvement, any holiday or mini project at home has its own file. Administration is not a skill you switch off from when you walk out the door at 5pm”.
Outside of work Tracey is a mother to Joseph who is six and is currently renovating her 1950’s villa. She enjoys yoga, fishing, cooking and crafts including knitting, sewing and scrapbooking.
- Atlantic Pacific American Express - 2010 APOTY BRONZE SPONSOR
2009 Administrative Professional of the Year
Debra Clark of Christchurch, was announced the winner of the 2009 AAPNZ Administrative Professional of the Year Award at the Conference gala dinner held in Takapuna, Auckland on Saturday 8 August.
Debra Clark, Founder and Senior Technical Administrator for AdminCorp Limited manages a portfolio of clients that are based all over Australasia. Specialising in remote team collaboration and effectiveness, Debra uses modern technologies to support and enhance productivity of those she works with.
Debra’s career in Administration spans over 20 years within varying sectors such as social services, iwi, construction, expansion, finance and so on. Her success can be attributed to an analytical and creative mind which allows her to quickly adapt to new situations and solutions and resolve issues quickly and methodically. She has a huge curiosity and thirst for technical knowledge and sees this as the way of the future. Debra works with many teams throughout her portfolio and also supports her community as the Treasurer of a local women’s refuge and also is the current President for AAPNZ Christchurch.
On a personal note, Debra is married to Brian and has two children, Amethyst (5 years) and Bailey (13 years). Debra and Brian are also CYF’s caregivers and have had some success stories with youth that they have cared for. At present they are taking a break to ensure a smooth transition into teen hood for their teenage son.
Debra says that having a full life requires discipline and planning and lots of family team work. This year Debra has Licensed AdminCorp and next year she will be furthering her technical knowledge at a local tertiary provider.
2008 Administrative Professional of the Year
Katherine Jones of Auckland, was announced the winner of the 2008 AAPNZ Administrative Professional of the Year Award at the Auckland Group’s APD function held on Wednesday 30 April 2008.
Katherine’s administrative background spans nearly 15 years. She is currently Executive Assistant to the CEO of an Industry Training Organisation and supports the activities of the Board of Directors. Katherine came to New Zealand in December 2006, and after a roller-coaster ride in the first year and a half, of not only settling into her new country, she also established herself into a role which was a promotion from previous PA roles. Outside of work, Katherine enjoys tramping, cooking and trying to keep fit. She recently established a tramping social club at work which had its first successful day tramp in the Waitakere’s, and with a current membership of six, she is looking to increase this over time.
2007 Administrative Professional of the Year
Vicki Faint was the winner of the 2007 AAPNZ Administrative Professional of the Year (in association with Receuitment Solutions) and has the good fortune to be the Executive Assistant to Dr Helen Anderson, Chief Executive of the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology. She has worked with Helen for the last two years. Before that Vicki worked in the private sector for 23 years.
Leaving school without many qualifications but with good typing, shorthand and English skills, it was assumed Vicki’s future was to work in an office. Her EA career started as a 16-year-old “office junior” for an accountant in Palmerston North. That young woman had little idea of the immensely rewarding and challenging 23 years that lay ahead! Vicki is still working in the same career and loving every moment of it.
Today Vicki strives to be the very best she can in everything she does. Her personal philosophy is to be honest, conscientious, positive, versatile, punctual, trustworthy and effective.
Vicki’s goal is to be respected as a competent and successful achiever, and to be employed in a position that provides a challenge to her capabilities and allows her to continue developing as an individual.
The highlights of Vicki’s career to date are:
2007 Administrative Professional of the Year
2004 Wellington PA of the Year
Public Speaking for the first time at an EA/PA Conference
Organising the Ministry’s Annual Stakeholder Functions
Winning this award was a very personal achievement for Vicki who is not the kind of person who would normally stand up and put herself in the limelight. But she had a goal of building her own self-belief and putting her name forward to be the 2007 AAPNZ Administrative Professional of the Year (in association with Recruitment Solutions), going through a panel interview and delivering a speech to 300 people have helped her move towards that goal.
Being a working mum Vicki has always put her family first no matter what, though as she has grown and developed over the years she has learned that it is also very important for her to do a few things for herself along the way.
Outside working life Vicki spends as much time as she can with her much loved son and husband. Vicki’s leisure time is consumed with the normal working mum “running around” syndrome and watching her son play cricket and soccer.
2006 Administrative Professional of the Year
- Elizabeth Signal (AAPNZ National President) and Moira Jones
Congratulations to:
Moira Jones of NZ Food Safety Authority
The winner of the 2006 AAPNZ Administrative Professional of the Year Award (in association with Recruitment Solutions) announced at the Administrative Professionals Day breakfast held at the Duxton Hotel in Wellington on 3 May 2006.
Check out Moira's update of how her year progressed.
