Verena Taylor
Royston,Hertfordshire
Summary
Established Executive Assistant – A proactive achiever, confident with a positive attitude and willingness to take on added responsibilities to meet team goals, being on the ball to last minute changes in complex schedules and itineraries, eye for detail, staying calm under pressure, solution driven. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work history
Legal Team Assistant to SVP Group
Aveva Software Technologies
City of London
09.2025 - 02.2026
- Matter administration; liaising with suppliers; engagement letters, supplier review forms, billing
- Raised purchase orders and invoices through Procurement/Oracle
- Full event co-ordination of conferences in the UK and Europe
- Complex international travel for the EMEA team
- Managed daily tasks efficiently, contributing to overall team success
- Arranged hotels, transportation, client lunches, dinners, team events
- Arranged Visas for oversea employees, liaising closely with Immigration to ensure compliance and guidelines are within the correct policies
- Organised data and files with meticulous attention to detail, resulting in enhanced document retrieval process
- Prepared detailed monthly KPI reports, ensuring transparency in team activities
- Optimised daily operations with effective and extensive complex diary and management
- Successfully delivered on tasks within tight deadlines
Global Teams Operations Administrator
Marshall Holdings Aerospace
Cambridge
06.2025 - 08.2025
- Executive support to the Chief Information Officer, Chief of Quality Assurance and their direct reports
- Arranged internal and external meetings to facilitate productive discussions
- Organised calendars to meet changing client, stakeholder and business priorities.
- Provided back-office support to ensure uninterrupted business operations and alleviate pressures on senior staff
Executive Assistant to the SCI Leadership Team
Efficient Frontiers International
London
08.2024 - 05.2025
- Prioritised incoming communications to filter out basic requests and minimise disruptions
- Maintained an up-to-date CRM database ensuring easy retrieval of information when required.
- Handled queries from clients professionally enhancing company's reputation.
- Scheduled meetings, conferences and appointments
- Kept files organised and up-to-date for accurate record-keeping purposes
- Booked flights and hotels for domestic and international meetings
- Delivered high-quality marketing presentations for successful client pitches
- Managed complex travel arrangements to ensure seamless business trips for executives
- Took minutes during meetings accurately preserving crucial details for future reference
Office Administrator
Lightcast Discovery
Cambridge
04.2024 - 08.2024
- General office administration for the staff liaising with HR, Finance, Legal, Procurement
Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor’s Group
Anglia Ruskin University
Cambridge
10.2023 - 04.2024
- Provided administrative and operational support to the Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education and Director of Studies
- Extensive and complex diary management
- Managed inboxes: escalating urgent priorities to the relevant VCG and following up with the requestors
- Co-ordinated critical academic meetings; Strategic Planning, Town Halls, Promotional Planning - following up with Management Team, Deans, Fellows
- Project Management
People Administrator
Lightcast Discovery Ltd
Cambridge
08.2023 - 09.2023
- Assumed responsibility of HR duties whilst necessary staff were on annual leave
- Handled sensitive information discreetly, maintaining confidentiality at all times as required by protocol
- Assisted with employee relations issues, grievances etc
- Oversaw database to maintain updated records and accuracy
Cell Biology Divisional Assistant/Postgraduate Assistant
Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Cambridge
11.2014 - 08.2023
- Extensive diary management: co-ordinating UK and overseas complex itineraries, keeping up to date with changing agendas and correspondence
- Scheduled meetings for the Heads of Divisions and their Group Leaders: Chalk Talks, CB Symposium, Ex-Co – ensuring all communications are up to date and agendas circulated to all attendees prior to the meetings
- Administered procedures for members of staff joining and leaving the Division; new starter packs, inductions, visas, Immigration forms, HMRC checklist, bank details, passport checks, leaver forms, exit interviews
- Co-ordinating the completion of HR and financial documentation, such as Right To Work checks, probation reviews and non-employee expense claim forms
- Financial planning for the QQR – Quinquennial review of The Alan Turing Institute (UKRI)
- Supporting the Divisional and LMB processes and maintain the appropriate records, which may include: overseas travel applications and accommodation for visitors
- Arranging seminars: co-ordinating accommodation for speakers, circulating seminar information, assisting with speakers, expense claims
- Highly proficient as the gatekeeper for the Director of Studies, involving correspondence with Fellows, Professors, Directors and their teams/assistants within several different Institutes within the UK and Europe
- Email management for the Director of Studies, ensuring polished, thorough correspondence is applied to the student inbox and the PhD inbox, answering emails in a timely, courteous manner and following up actions to resolve all queries
- Processed invoices, ensuring timely payments.
- Arrangedcomplex travel itineraries, flights, trains, taxis, accommodation, visas for potential UK and overseas PhD students, adapting to last minute changes to schedules
- Provided guidance on applications for Research and Innovation grants – UKRI, Innovate UK and other research councils
- Forward thinking planning and organising the LMB PhD Recruitment Days, Open days, GSA Symposium; catering, interview schedules, interview packs, presentations, badges, expenses, travel requests
- Maintained the JeS database; ensuring data is up to date and accurate for essential reports for the University of Cambridge
- Administration of the PhD programme processing the supervision reports, Annual Student Reviews, JeS Studentship records and student admissions
- Supported staff members with administrative tasks, reducing workload stress
HR Assistant
Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Cambridge
09.2015 - 03.2017
- Provided general administrative support to the HR Advisors and responsibility of supervising the workload of the HR Apprentice
- To effectively work alongside the HR Apprentice providing support, training and knowledge sharing to continually improve the HR administration process: Provide support to the Divisional Offices in areas such as pay, sickness and performance; To provide administration on Occupational Health referrals, Pension forms and Immigration documents
- Conducted exit interviews to gather feedback from departing employees for organisational improvements
Corporate Finance Assistant
Cantor Fitzgerald Europe
Canary Wharf, London
11.2010 - 10.2014
- PA to the Head of AIM and support to the General, Oil and Gas and Metals and Mining teams consisting of 25 Corporate Finance Directors, Brokers and Advisors within a US Investment Bank.
- Extensive diary management
- Managed CF corporate client list
- Arranged client meetings, corporate events and on-going CPD training events
- Booked taxis, trains, flights for UK site visits
- Organised overseas conferences; flights, hotel, cars, client entertainment and events
- Created presentations for client pitches
- Created client announcements, Interim and Annual Reports for release via the Stock Exchange
- Processed expense claims with matching receipts
- Managed fundraising placings for clients; placing letters, confirmations, share certificates, fund settlements, money laundering
- Completed full Corporate Due Diligence for all new clients and directors in line with AIM and FCA regulations
- Managed the process for new joiners with HR, Facilities and IT teams
- Monitoring and fielding all telephone calls
- Administration logistics for the Investor Relations team; booking taxis, cars, lunches, meetings for client roadshows, presentations, agenda packs
- Recorded accurate minutes, tracked and followed up actions
- Quickly learned and applied new skills to daily tasks, improving efficiency and productivity.
- Supported team by demonstrating respect and willingness to help
Education
NVQ Level 5 - TEFL - Teaching English As A Foreign Language
learndirect
03/2026 -
Executive Assistant Diploma Level 3 NCFE - undefined
PRINCE2 Foundation - undefined
ITEC Level 3 QCF Certificate - Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology
OCR (RSA) Level 2 Secretarial Certificate - undefined
OCR (RSA) Level 3 Secretarial Diploma - undefined
ITIL Service Management Foundation Certificate - undefined
9 GCSE - undefined
Skills
- Microsoft office suite proficiency
- G-Suite
- Sharepoint
- Workday
- Oracle
- Canva
- Docusign
- CAMSIS
- Knowledge of GDPR regulations
- Familiarity with CRM systems Zoho, Hubspot, Monday
AWARDS
End of Year SAS in 2017, 2018 and 2019 – to recognise and reward exceptional performance and contributions by an employee throughout the appraisal year., Recognition Achievement Award in 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 – nominations by colleagues to recognise an employee’s achievement, skills and overall performance.
TRAINING COURSES
- Anti Money Laundering Concepts: AML, KYC and Compliance
- IT Governance: A guide for IT Professionals
- Supporting Postgraduate Students with Mental Health Difficulties
- Supporting Students in Distress: Boundaries & Boomerangs
- Specific Learning Difficulties: What Administrators Need to Know
- Data Protection Training for Administrators
- Time-Management
- Proof Reading
- Employment Law
- Assertiveness
- Fire Marshall
- Mental Health First Aider
- Know Be4 Cyber Security
Timeline
Legal Team Assistant to SVP Group
Aveva Software Technologies
09.2025 - 02.2026
Global Teams Operations Administrator
Marshall Holdings Aerospace
06.2025 - 08.2025
Executive Assistant to the SCI Leadership Team
Efficient Frontiers International
08.2024 - 05.2025
Office Administrator
Lightcast Discovery
04.2024 - 08.2024
Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor’s Group
Anglia Ruskin University
10.2023 - 04.2024
People Administrator
Lightcast Discovery Ltd
08.2023 - 09.2023
HR Assistant
Laboratory of Molecular Biology
09.2015 - 03.2017
Cell Biology Divisional Assistant/Postgraduate Assistant
Laboratory of Molecular Biology
11.2014 - 08.2023
Corporate Finance Assistant
Cantor Fitzgerald Europe
11.2010 - 10.2014
NVQ Level 5 - TEFL - Teaching English As A Foreign Language
learndirect
03/2026 -