With 20+ years in the role, Tammy Tantschev, EA to the CEO at Envato (the global leader in digital creative assets) admits the most of her professional development and learning came from peers, managers or mistakes she made along the way…
Please tell us a little about your career journey, highlights and motivations.
I’d describe my career journey as an EA like a ‘choose your own adventure’ novel. I think one of the most attractive things about this career path is the way you get to work across industries and locations with ease. The skillset is highly transferable, and I like to take advantage of that. Highlights for me including working as the EA to the managing director of Red Bull Australia in Sydney and EA to the CEO and the chief inventor of REA Group in Melbourne, all the way through to working as EA to the head of media affairs at Saudi Aramco while living on a compound in Saudi Arabia (a job ad I simply found on Seek.com, by the way). It can be one of the most interesting and diverse career paths going if you are inclined to travel it and know how to steer it right – I think that’s one of its best kept secrets.
What do you look for in an EA role?
I seek out roles that will play to my strengths, which for me is working strategically with CEOs and their leadership teams and running my own projects and events. I aim to partner with my executive – and that means finding someone who works without a lot of ego and who will appreciate me as a professional peer. Personally, I do love to find an opportunity where I can work with a CEO and their team to reimagine and redesign the way they work together. This shouldn’t be underestimated when hiring an experienced EA. If, like me, you have 20+ years of this career on the clock then we have likely seen more CEOs and more executive teams at work than our own exec has. It would be crazy not to harness that information and put it into practice. Up close I have seen great leaders and leadership teams at work, as well as teams that struggled. And I feel I understand what that difference is. I can help a team put the right systems and habits into practice.
What training and professional development have you undertaken?
Most that I’ve learned that has been core to my professional development I have learned on the job either from peers and managers, or just the mistakes I made along the way. The latter I think being the most valuable. My most spectacular fails, and there have been a few, usually lead to my biggest transformations.
You have had some speaking engagements – can you tell us about your favourite?
After doing quite a few events I was invited to be a keynote speaker at the Hays PA Conference in Leeds, UK – they flew me over to speak to hundreds of UK-based assistants. It was an amazing experience and they were so wonderfully supportive. I was presenting alongside the former PA to John F. Kennedy Junior and the former chief of staff to Oprah Winfrey so that felt like quite the honour!
What do you get out of being a speaker?
I’ve always been very passionate about busting EA/PA stereotypes and encouraging my peers to think big when it comes to their potential and their roles. So, my key notes have been about challenging the status quo and, as I’m partial to a laugh, having some fun along the way. In my youth, I did some stand-up comedy and it turns out that skillset marries pretty well with corporate presenting! Also, the community is so supportive – one of my warmest memories is when I messed up on stage in Leeds and was mortified… Until the room full of assistants cheered me on and got me back on track. We really do look out for each other. I would have to say my favourite part would be when the presentation is done and I get to chat to delegates afterwards, continuing the conversation and sharing our ideas.
Why do you think assistant roles keep evolving?
That’s a big question. Technology is a true ally. Many of the administrative tasks that were the bread and butter of our roles when I was starting out are now totally redundant. Time management? Calendar management? There is an app and much more for that these days. I gave a presentation at a conference seven years ago titled ‘Assistants vs robots’ where I stated we were at a fork in the road. We let new technology make us obsolete – or we embrace it, use it to our advantage and take the opportunity to level up. I remember a few dazed faces at that time as I talked through the potential changes but I think especially in this age of AI it resonates clearly. The impressive thing about assistants is that we don’t shy away. We keep leading the charge and bringing our own change and I’m so proud of us for that.
Now, on to your company. What makes it stand out?
It’s a supportive and forward-thinking business. We take diversity, inclusion and employee wellbeing seriously and these are initiatives that anyone in the business can take an active role in. Envato is excellent at remote friendly, working which is a game changer for someone like me who is managing parenthood with full time work. Finally, in partnership with climate tech startup Trace, Envato became a carbon-neutral business in 2022. This goes beyond our physical offices and includes an estimate of the footprint for all our staff working flexibly around the world.
What’s your office Christmas party like?
Twice a year the business comes together for our ‘Envato Connect’ conference. It’s a multi-day event with a fun celebration night weaved in. Being a remote-first business means the atmosphere when we do get together in person is electric. We really get into the spirit and being on the planning committee I’ve enjoyed arranging conferences.
What are your top tips for senior level PAs looking to create a great culture in their organisation?
I think it’s crucial to identify the want or need before rolling out initiatives as it can be easy to prescribe what you think people want and miss the mark. Chat to people and understand what the opportunities are across the business and address them. Forming a social committee or getting involved in the one you have is imperative. Make sure it’s diverse enough to inform from all areas of the business. Get feedback and really listen, ask the right questions. Sometimes small, targeted projects where there is a keen need have a much bigger impact than blanketed company-wide events.
“I love to find an opportunity where I can work with a CEO and their team to reimagine and redesign the way they work together.”
Tammy Tantschev, EA to the CEO at Envato
