Special assistance

It's a fine balancing act working for three men, although each is easy going. I did have some concerns last year - when David Williams joined as chief executive, I was asked to work with him as well as Laurence Isaacson and Neville Abraham - but it has turned out fine, as I stagger the times when I work with them all.

I wake up some time after 6.30am and have a cup of tea and a chat with my husband.

I take the 8am train from my home in south-east London and arrive at work at around 8.30am. That's when I work most closely with David, who comes in at the same time. We check our diaries and e-mails together and he goes off to various meetings that I've set up.

David has a heavy workload and is under a lot of pressure. Laurence is the most laid back. He is in by 9.30am and I go through a similar process with him. Neville is around only twice a week, so that's not a problem.

My job has many aspects to it. Throughout the day, I might be preparing board papers, attending management meetings, liaising with city brokers/shareholders and organising various conferences and functions.

After 10.30am, when Laurence has gone off to his meetings, anything can happen. This is a very hands-on job and I could be doing anything from organising a PowerPoint presentation to making the tea.

Recently during the mid- to late morning period, I've been sorting out our need for an internal public relations co-ordinator. Although we have agencies to handle our media relations, I think we need someone to oversee the whole approach. I've suggested that we do this and that I'll be the co-ordinator. I'm a people person and this side of things really interests me.

At lunchtime, at about 1pm, I'll either have a sandwich or eat out at one of the group's restaurants. We're all encouraged to do this so we can sample the menu and standards of service, and give feedback. It's extremely important - but it's also one of the perks of the job. My favourite of our brands is Livebait, which I think is more female-friendly because of the lighter meals it offers. And I also love fish.

In the afternoons, after 2pm, I check back with David and Laurence and make sure they are in the right places at the right times. Then there are the periodic jobs to tackle, such as preparing for our preliminary or interim results and helping to prepare our annual report. That can involve a lot of liaison with the printers and designers.

I'm also line manager for three other personal assistants in the department. Even though each has a separate area of responsibility, I make sure that no one person is snowed under with too much work. We all help each other out.

Apart from being organised and personable, the essentials for a PA are to have a sense of humour and to be diplomatic. Time management is a vital aspect of the job, but that's just a matter of drawing up a list of priority tasks and sticking to it. Obviously, the list changes and keeps growing but you just have to learn to think on your feet and stay one step ahead.

I'll normally knock off at about 6pm but we're a sociable bunch here. After work, I sometimes go out with the other PAs for a glass of wine and maybe discuss some work. Otherwise, I might eat out at one of our restaurants with my husband, Peter - he loves my job.

Sometimes, there are work-related functions to attend. For instance, at the moment I'm very much involved in co-ordinating events at the Covent Garden Festival, of which Laurence is the chairman. Tonight, I'll be at one of its functions, which means I won't get home until about 11.30pm.