Who we are

Who we are or Overview

Established in 2022, Institute of Executive Assistants (IEA) – Africa is an international quality membership based community of executive and personal assistants, administrative, management and executive support professionals, team assistants, secretaries, office managers, and virtual assistants which is dedicated to helping members advance their careers in a demanding and ever-changing business environment.

IEA-Africa is your profession’s home. We are here to serve your profession’s best interests and to ensure that you are kept updated, motivated and informed. Your status as a professional will be enhanced the minute you are a member of an association such as IEA-Africa. We are in the 21st century! The world has changed drastically… your profession just as much.

• You need a professional home that communicates with you through various platforms.
• You need an association that respects you as a professional.
• You need to be a member of a professional representative community that understands your profession.
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We project a professional, strong and authoritative image and give recognition to the strategic position members occupy at the workplace and which is recognized and valued by the business community.

Vision

Our vision is to create a network for Africa’s executive-level assistants and administrative professionals working in both private and public sectors, and to support their personal and professional development based on excellence and professionalism.

Mission

We strive to provide administrative professionals the support, opportunity to learn, grow and thrive by encouraging all members to add to their individual competencies, advance their leadership skills, realize their value in the workplace and community, and have confidence to excel in their careers by offering cutting edge resources and high-quality member events that increase the members’ level of professional knowledge and broaden their outlook.

Core Values

• Professionalism – to service our members so that their expectations and needs are met and satisfied.
• Best Practice – to conduct our work in a manner that keeps up to date with new developments and is in line with current trends and best practices.
• Open: Transparent, share knowledge, lifelong learning, supporting one another.
• Respect and Integrity – to deliver our work in a manner that is ethical and based on honesty, trust and respect for diversity.
• Growth-focused: Individuals growing professionally and personally; IEA-Africa growing to meet, anticipate and exceed the needs and/or challenges of members and workplaces.
• Collaborative: We work with individuals and employers to increase the value of the executive assistant and administrative professional.
• Passionate, vital, committed: To lifelong learning, supporting to knowledge sharing, to the profession, to our members.
• Diverse: Open to all levels of executive assistants and administrative professionals all across Africa.
• Reputation – striving for continuous improvement, maintaining high professionalism
• Creating Value
• Innovativeness; Research and Development
• Taking a leadership role in shaping the Industry
• Giving back to the community

Our Objectives:

• To elevate the standards of the executive assistants and administrative office professional in Africa through continuing efforts to promote educational and professional development by providing (educational resources and opportunities) knowledge, skills, and insights that build toward job advancement, success, and recognition to achieve and maintain the highest level of professional development.
• To provide knowledge, opportunities and resources to members in their quest for excellence in discharging their responsibilities effectively and efficiently
• To keep in touch with current trends in the profession by conducting/participating in national and international conventions/seminars aimed at developing the specific and generic skills and aptitude of its members
• To network, exchange ideas and inculcate a sense of team spirit amongst members, leading to greater professionalism by forming a network of highly competent management support professionals able to advise on professional development
• To sponsor appropriate research and or publish necessary literature, newsletters, books, journals and reports in furtherance of its objectives
• Enhance the value that executive assistants and admin professionals bring to the table as an essential element of the management and executive team and advocate for the profession as it evolves to encompass the role of business partner and leader.
• Ensure executive assistants and administrative professionals are prepared to serve the business needs of the future as the visibility of the profession continues to rise by preparing both administrative professionals and stakeholders for what matters now and what’s ahead.
• Challenge, outline and redefine the working landscape for executive assistants and administrative professionals in Africa.
• Provide a forum for executive and administrative support professionals, employers and educators to promote an understanding of the training, experience and career opportunities necessary for the development of its members
• Create an image of the executive and administrative support professional as an essential element of the executive team.
• Provide a community of individuals who have shared goals, responsibilities, challenges, opportunities, and strengths.

Code of Conduct and Members’ Credo

Attaining membership of Institute of Executive Assistants-Africa community means that you abide by your profession’s Credo. Members of the Institute will conduct their business in a professional way; will maintain ethical standards of conduct and at all times deal fairly and honestly with each other, clients, employees, suppliers and with the public, making the following commitments to them:

1. I believe that the philosophy of the administrative profession embodies a foundation of logic and learning, ethics and integrity, courtesy and understanding, and a desire to be of benefit to others.
2. I shall not make any public statements in my capacity as an executive assistant or administrative professional without making clear, where appropriate, to all concerned my qualification to such statements and the capacity in which I am speaking.
3. I accept responsibility of my own work and of my subordinates and I shall at all times take account of the needs and problems of my subordinates and by leadership set an example.
4. I shall not belittle or injure the professional standing of any member of the profession or unnecessarily condemn the character of my professional acts.
5. An administrative professional occupies a position of confidence, trust and responsibility and accepts this position as a privilege to guard carefully. Therefore I shall fully respect the confidentiality of information which comes to me in the course of my duties and not use confidential information for personal gain or in a manner which may be detrimental to the organization for which I work or have worked.
6. An administrative professional excellence requires comprehensive educational preparation and then a lifelong striving for self-improvement through a program of continuing education. Therefore, I shall acquaint and familiarize myself constantly with new administrative and management knowledge, skills and practices and seek to promote the increase of competence in and the understanding of the administrative profession by encouraging the interchange of information.
7. The maintenance of high standards is essential to the continuing advancement of the administrative profession and in performance of professional duties.
8. An administrative professional shall act both loyally and honestly in carrying out the lawful Rules and Regulations of the Institute/Association and not undermine its image or reputation.
9. The principal obligation of an administrative professional is to function as a support to management and increase the effectiveness of the executive.
10. An administrative professional promotes effective communications within the organization and where appropriate outside it.
11. The qualifications of an administrative professional are enhanced by a businesslike demeanor and by friendliness, co-operation, good humor and enthusiasm.

A career as an executive assistant or administrative professional is both challenging and rewarding. So believing… I therefore dedicate myself to preserve and to practice these principles and to uphold them at all times with dignity and honor.

Advisory Board

A Voluntary Advisory Board oversees the proper functioning of the Institute of Executive Assistants Community.  The Board comprises of some of the most skilled, experienced, highly ambitious, prominent, visionary professionals, trainers, leaders and authors in Africa and beyond in the field of personal and professional development. The Advisory Board is assisted by the Pan African Learning and Growth Network (PALGNET) and the Training, Learning and Development (TLD) Community Advisory boards. These are all responsible for the formulation and execution of all the capacity building programs for members and the wider community.