Evelyn Mangano, a savant in her field, is currently the Executive Assistant to the CEO of Etihad Airways. Her illustrious career spans more than two decades, excelling in executive support roles across South America, Europe, and the Middle East. Her journey began in 2006 when she moved from the UK to support McKinsey & Company's Middle East Managing Director. Subsequently, she lent her talents to esteemed firms like Baker & McKenzie and Vitol.

Evelyn's passion for the written word, her knack for meticulous editing, and her adept calendar and inbox management skills have shone brightly throughout her professional odyssey. She holds a Legal PA certification with merit from the Institute of Legal Secretaries, UK, and is a proficient Translator and Interpreter in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. She's been promoted and transferred internationally twice, consistently supporting C-level executives in Sao Paulo, London, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Her event management skills have shone on both sides of the Atlantic and in the Middle East. Evelyn's career is an inspiring testament to professionalism and excellence.

Sarah Howson is an experienced EA professional with over fifteen years in C Suite roles. She started her career assisting a CEO at a semiconductor start-up and later supported the CEO and CFO of an international oil and gas company. Sarah has organized international conferences, trade shows, and investor roadshows, showcasing her expertise in high-level executive support. In 2015, she transitioned to Event Project Management, working with luxury automotive brands.

During maternity leave, Sarah founded the Bucks, Berks and Oxon PA Network, now known as the Strategic PA Network, to provide networking opportunities for PAs outside London. Her mission is to create supportive, high-quality professional events that foster learning and development. Sarah’s passion for networking and her commitment to the PA industry drive her continuous efforts to connect and support business support professionals.

Noa Ashtar Schecter is an author, speaker, and business consultant specialising in the topics of mindset and professional effectiveness. She is certified as a Master Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and as a coach from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) on Leadership Development.

She brings over 20 years of leadership and education experience that she integrates with her consulting and world-class business knowledge. Her focus is on the power of communication and connection of people through their power and to each other, creating extraordinarily powerful relationships for professional or personal reasons.

The Accelerated Leadership Academy (www.tala.life) is Noa’s consulting endeavour, where she works with business owners who are business professionals and assists them in developing skills to become successful entrepreneurs and leaders through effective communication and coaching techniques.

Noa has authored books like “The 51 Networking Mistakes”, “What’s On Your Mind”, “Productive Conversation”, and more. Noa strongly believes in empowering human relationships and success through communication.

Lina El-Assaad is an accomplished Executive, Leadership and Team coach, and Corporate Facilitator. She is certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), where she currently serves as the President of the largest chapter of the MENA region, the ICF UAE Chapter.

With over 20 years of practical corporate experience working with Fortune 500 companies in senior leadership roles, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her coaching practice and provides practical and effective coaching solutions tailored to the unique needs of each client. Lina is dedicated to empowering her clients, C-Suite executives, ministry cabinet advisors, and business professionals, to achieve their goals and reach new levels of success. She has a proven track record of helping individuals and teams overcome challenges, navigate complex situations, and achieve their full potential.

She’s a multiple award winner and holds several certifications in coaching from renowned coach training schools: Co-active, CPCC, Organization and Relationship System Coaching ORSC CRR-Global, and Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholders Centered Coaching, among others.

Lina is passionate about creating social impact and is a catalyst in creating positive change as part of her mentor role for Challenge to Change & REACH, and in her role as an Ambassador for Female Wave of Change, where she enables and empowers women on self-confidence, career developments, and transitions.

Kinnari Kotecha, a luminary in education whose influence spans global frontiers, has trained educators in 150-plus schools and universities across the UAE and India. As the Chair of the Quality Assurance Internal Team at K.J. Somaiya College, she epitomises educational excellence.

Ms. Kotecha is a master trainer at GEMS Education Dubai, steering the innovative i-LEAP career coaching program. Her commitment to merging happiness and skill with education is groundbreaking. A teacher trainer at UKCBC College in Dubai, she excels in global assessment practices and instructional design.

Versatile in curriculum frameworks like Pearson, IPC, CIA, IB, CCEA, and creative curriculum, Ms. Kotecha's expertise extends to Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and futuristic technology in education. Her research on 'Emotional and Social Intelligence Competency in High School Students for Future-Ready Workforce' underscores her thought leadership.

As a sought-after speaker, Ms. Kotecha has graced prestigious events like the World Education Summit 2023 and The Professional Pulse by Al Fateh Technologies Dubai. Her recent panelist role at K.J. Somaiya College delves into the 'Future in Teaching,' cementing her status as a transformative force in education. In the ever-evolving tapestry of education, Ms. Kinnari Kotecha stands as a visionary, propelling a new era of holistic and innovative learning.

Joan Burge is the pioneer of administrative and executive assistant training and a successful entrepreneur who created a unique business niche by founding a movement to help administrative professionals see themselves as professionals so they could excel in business.

Joan is an accomplished author, professional speaker, coach, and corporate trainer.

Joan’s company, Office Dynamics International, is the global industry leader offering a broad range of solutions and providing high-performance, sophisticated executive and administrative assistant training and coaching. In March 2023, Joan Burge received the Jeannette Castellano Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in the industry.

Joan Burge is the foremost expert in the demanding field of management support. She put in the hard work and high investment required to earn the reputational excellence and uncompromising trust of leaders in business. She illuminates through her empowering teaching, building better work relationships between executives and their assistants.

Prior to co-founding Strategic PA Recruitment in 2019, Marianne was previously in Sales at a luxury Canadian train company and worked in the travel industry for over 15 years, specialising in client relationships and networking. More recently Marianne has managed several charity fundraising events.

Marianne is passionate about empowering people and helping them achieve their full potential. She believes the most fundamental building block for any business is the relationships we have with others. Along with Marianne’s attention to detail is an extensive network and she is well known for her professional, honest but fun approach.

Barbara Stickland MSc, MCIPD, ACC, is a highly accomplished coach, mentor, and facilitator who specialises in helping specialists and managers become confident leaders and high performers. With over 15 years of experience in human resources across a variety of multinational organisations, Barbara has gained a deep understanding of the importance of great leadership. Throughout her career, she has seen first-hand how a single great leader can have a tremendous impact, regardless of whether they are a line manager of a small team or the CEO of an organisation.

Her coaching brings together her extensive experience of supporting clients at all stages of their careers on their journey to outstanding performance and leadership growth. She  incorporates the latest trends in neuroscience, positive psychology, and a somatic approach to her coaching, and her approach is designed to help clients achieve their full potential while maintaining balance and well-being. Barbara is an accredited member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD), an International Coach Federation (ICF) certified coach, as well as a complete user of multiple psychometric tools. Through her work at Coachieved LLC, Barbara is dedicated to helping leaders and teams reach their full potential, achieve their goals, and deliver great results for their organisations.

Hisham is an award-winning Chartered MCIP member with over 20 years of experience in leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies, including Alstom, Daikin, and Bombardier. He is currently the Head of HR for the MENA region at Helmerich and Payne.

Hisham is a keynote speaker and podcaster on leadership and cross-cultural communication in the MENA region. He has designed and delivered talks and workshops on leadership in both English and Arabic, and has recently published podcasts and expert talks with the renowned Bookboon company.

Hisham was awarded one of the Top 200 Global Power Leaders in HR in 2023 for his influence and impact on the future of the people industry in the MENA region.

Shailaja Khan is an HR Consultant, Executive Systemic Team Coach and Mentor, and former Human Resources Manager with 15 years of experience within the corporate and consulting environments. Having worked in new and growing organisations across multiple industries, she has managed several projects related to talent management and organisation development in the GCC and India.

She partners with CEOs and business leaders to provide HR solutions that positively impact the changing business environment. In her coaching roles, she helps individuals and teams gain rewarding experiences at work. Through her resourcefulness, relationship-building skills, and persistence, she endeavours to enhance people’s growth and manage stakeholder relationships.

Shailaja holds an MBA in Employee Relations from the University of Leicester, UK. She is a Certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from HRCI, SHRM-SCP from SHRM, Level A, B Occupational Assessor from Psytech international, UK, and an Instructional Designer from SHRM, India. Visit shailajakhan.com to learn more about her.