Zen George
Newton Flotman,Norwich
Summary
I drive and enthuse those around me, creating a positive and enjoyable working environment. I have an outgoing personality and I cope well under pressure powered by my keen sense of humour and desire to get the job done. My motto is ‘I never miss a deadline’ and I never have. I have been commended for my proactive approach, working under my own steam, resolving problems and making decisions. Nothing fazes me, I am articulate, fun to work with and always get the job done.
Overview
43
43
years of professional experience
6
6
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Programme Directors' Support
Norwich University of the Arts
Norwich, Norfolk
2023.05 - Current
- Organised master calendar of annual leave and appointments.
- Tracked expenses and met budget targets.
- Created expense reports with matching receipts.
- Arranged supplies, documents and spaces for meetings.
- Managed events, booked venue and sent invitations to guests.
- Coordinated flight, accommodation and travel arrangements, maintaining strict compliance with budgets and schedules.
Executive Assistant (long term temp assignment)
Norwich City Council
Norwich, Norfolk
2021.06 - 2022.06
- Scheduled Board of Directors meetings, assisting with meeting materials, resources and agendas.
- Responded to emails and other correspondence, facilitating positive communication for enhanced business processes.
- Prepared financial statements, invoices and other financial documents.
- Made travel arrangements and booked accommodation for executives.
- Collaborated with admin teams, human resources and finance department on special projects.
Legal Secretary
Capron & Helliwell
Wroxham, Norfolk
2019.05 - 2020.06
- Entered new cases into company database.
- Organised files for court proceedings.
- Translated legal jargon into practical advice for clients while building rapport.
- Reviewed legal documentation and flagged errors for correction.
- Unfortunately I was made redundant after the furlough period during the Covid pandemic.
Editor
The Ashtead & Leatherhead Local magazine
Leatherhead, Surrey
2007.09 - 2018.02
- Proofread content to guarantee publishing of accurate and error-free text.
- Prepared, rewrote and edited pieces per week to improve readability.
- The Ashtead & Leatherhead Local was a community led publication and I built productive relationships with advertisers and contributors in order to successfully produce the magazine
- Completed project work within tight turnaround times ahead of publication.
Executive Personal Assistant to CEO
Moss Bros Group Plc
London
2002.10 - 2007.08
- Organised several annual international trips to the buying shows, arranging appropriate transport, visas and accommodation within my allotted £250k annual budget.
- Acted as point of contact for executives, head office employees, retail store employees and suppliers.
- Relieved CEO's burden of administrative duties including decision making and composing general correspondence.
- Anticipated needs of CEO and offered practical solutions to resolve variety of issues with high degree of professionalism and confidentiality.
- Processed mail, email and phone enquiries, minimising correspondence backlogs.
Personal Assistant
LVMH Group
London
2000.11 - 2002.09
- Worked for the MD of Guerlain then moved with her to Christian Dior within the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy Group.
- Responsible for overseeing charity/event enquiries.
- Attended residential conferences in Paris and Dublin.
- Prepared presentations with MD for budgets and targets meetings.
- Attended new season's colours/fragrances/skincare launches.
Personal Assistant to MD
Burberry Group Plc
London
1999.12 - 2000.11
- Collaborated with admin teams, human resources and finance department to prepare board papers.
- Applied best business practices and etiquette to comply with guidelines and procedures.
- Complex diary management to arrange meetings with numerous attendees.
- Proofread, formatted and corrected correspondence for office staff.
Personal Assistant to MD
GFT (GB) - Armani & Valentino ready to wear brands
London
1997.02 - 1999.11
- Coordinated flight, accommodation and travel arrangements to Europe for the Directors.
- Organised, and took part in, team building residential conferences.
- Liaised with GFT's main offices around Europe - Italy, France, Spain and Germany, and along with my counterparts, organised board meetings where all overseas MD's would attend.
- Proofread correspondence for colleagues whose English was a second language.
Personal Assistant to MD
Simpson (Piccadilly) Ltd
London
1986.11 - 1997.01
- Responded directly to mail and phone enquiries on behalf of the MD.
- Took weekly meeting minutes and distributed by hand to all attendees on the same day - there were no emails at that time!
- Kept detailed expenses records (both for overseas and UK spends) for the MD and reconciled his credit card purchases each month.
- Professionally greeted clients.
Marketing Secretary
Distilled Trading Int (Heineken UK)
London
1982.06 - 1986.10
Secretary
Lloyds Bank Plc
London
1980.07 - 1982.05
Education
GCSEs - English Literature, English Language, Geography, History, French, Maths, Biology, Food & Nutrition
Lewisham Girl's Comprehensive
London 1974.09 - 1979.06
LCCI Private Secretary's Diploma - General business studies, typing, shorthand
SE London Technical College
London 1979.09 - 1980.06
Skills
- Staff relations
- Efficient under pressure
- Employee management
- Event planning
- Document proofreading and editing
- Meticulous attention to detail
- Grammar expertise
Interests
Sewing, gardening, Greek cookery, history, wild swimming, Greek language and mythology.
Timeline
Programme Directors' Support
Norwich University of the Arts
2023.05 - Current
Executive Assistant (long term temp assignment)
Norwich City Council
2021.06 - 2022.06
Legal Secretary
Capron & Helliwell
2019.05 - 2020.06
Editor
The Ashtead & Leatherhead Local magazine
2007.09 - 2018.02
Executive Personal Assistant to CEO
Moss Bros Group Plc
2002.10 - 2007.08
Personal Assistant
LVMH Group
2000.11 - 2002.09
Personal Assistant to MD
Burberry Group Plc
1999.12 - 2000.11
Personal Assistant to MD
GFT (GB) - Armani & Valentino ready to wear brands
1997.02 - 1999.11
Personal Assistant to MD
Simpson (Piccadilly) Ltd
1986.11 - 1997.01
Marketing Secretary
Distilled Trading Int (Heineken UK)
1982.06 - 1986.10
Secretary
Lloyds Bank Plc
1980.07 - 1982.05
LCCI Private Secretary's Diploma - General business studies, typing, shorthand
SE London Technical College
1979.09 - 1980.06
GCSEs - English Literature, English Language, Geography, History, French, Maths, Biology, Food & Nutrition
Lewisham Girl's Comprehensive
1974.09 - 1979.06