We spoke to Sarah Daffy, EA to the CEO and leadership team at Anthem in Melbourne, and follow her journey from Regional Victoria to where she finds herself today.
Please tell us a little about yourself…
I’m a 36-year-old who is mum to a five-year-old French bulldog, Winston. I grew up in the country (Regional Victoria), but my career has taken me to many exciting places, including Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. I am passionate about arts, culture and entertainment. Forging strong connections with people and immersing myself in as much self-development as possible in order to understand other people better are my key motivators in life. I love building, maintaining and nurturing close relationships. In doing so, I feel like I grow a little more each and every day.
How did you become an assistant?
Like many EAs, I started my career at the front end of a business in reception. I supported our accounts team as part of that role and ended up transitioning into an accounts role as the next stage of my career progression, but I didn’t love it. I persevered with data entry and accounts reconciliation, hoping to find a gateway into something that was more aligned with my outgoing personality and ambitions. That came some years later at EY when I worked in an administrative support role in their finance department. After just under six months, an opportunity became available to provide right-hand EA support to two senior partners. I had no directly relevant EA experience but I did have an unwavering eagerness to learn and prove myself capable. The firm saw the potential in me that I saw in myself and backed me all the way, knowing full well that they were taking a bit of a risk on me. I threw myself into every opportunity to learn, took regular counsel and advice from other EAs, and the rest is history. That was 16 years ago now, and I haven’t looked back!
Have there been any major challenges you have overcome?
I’ve moved around quite a lot from city to city, which has presented many challenges when starting fresh, largely unsupported and away from familiar surroundings. I’ve had to build brand new social networks from scratch, which really involves putting yourself out there and being bravely vulnerable. My ability to proactively engage with people confidently and authentically has been an integral part of EA life. Ultimately, this role is about building, growing, and nurturing relationships to get things done and supporting your leader in doing the same.
Tell us about your role at Anthem…
Our business was founded and acquired by my boss, Vas Katos, and built from the ground up during the global pandemic. With that history, I share his passion to ensure that the business he’s worked so hard to give life continues to prosper successfully. It is small, so it moves at pace, and everyone is accountable, flexible and agile. We don’t have the layers of support to absorb streams of individual focus, as is the case in other industries. We’re all in it together, and we roll up our sleeves to ensure the job gets done. I work side by side with our CEO and leadership team to ensure their time is being managed effectively in line with critical business planning and upcoming deliverables. Some project management and event management also form part of my role, alongside some research and of course, a large amount of documentation management.
How do you find the work/life balance?
It can be challenging but by my own admission – I can be my worst enemy in this regard. I have had to make myself more accountable here, which is a skill I’ve learnt over many years. You can easily let your day fly into the late hours of the night with a running list of things to do, but securing and maintaining appropriate boundaries makes me better and happier in my role. I deliberately plan a lot of personal engagements (even if that’s finishing a few chapters in a book!) and make myself stick to them.
What do you rely on most to do your job?
My phone. I literally, could not do any part of my job without it. It is glued to me all day and all of the time.
What’s been your career highlight and why?
When I worked at News Corp, I was supported in pursuing my passion for writing and was given the opportunity to have many opinion pieces published in the editorial section of major metropolitan mastheads. I dedicated this audience opportunity to advocate and push for reform for those experiencing mental illness. That’s been one of the proudest moments in my career.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about the assistant role?
I’ve learnt that context is a fundamental part of service delivery in this role. When you understand why you’re setting up a meeting or what the outcome of a priority may have for the business, you’re far more likely to align with purpose and passion in your delivery – generating a satisfying result when you succeed in executing that. Being curious, asking questions and understanding the ‘why’ is critical for career-driven EAs. Don’t assume you ‘shouldn’t know’ – ask questions and showcase your willingness to not just ‘do’ but understand why you’re doing what you do.
What surprised you most about the role of an assistant?
How instrumental the role is in the successful running of a business. Essentially, you work in partnership with your leader and are the glue that holds everything together.
If you could change one thing about the assistant role, what would it be?
I’d love for more men to feel empowered to pursue EA roles. The stereotypical female secretary is absolutely a thing of the past, and just as women are entering industries that have been traditionally male-dominated, I think it’s time that we give men the opportunity to step up as EAs and show executives the value they, too, have to offer in this career.
