references from corporate clients, conference organizers, session participants and fellow trainers

Why you’ll want to work with Shelagh, again and again

“Shelagh has an infectious energy about her, she’s personable and engaging and is able to get everyone in the room listening and learning in a way that’s fun, fast paced and, most importantly, memorable.” – Sarah Howson, England

“You are a wealth of knowledge and truly an amazing trainer. I would love to learn more from you.” – Cindy O’Reilly, USA

a fantastic speaker, an amazing trainer

“Her desire to teach and empower individuals to truly thrive in all facets of their career was evident yet presented in a manner that was engaging, funny and incredibly informative. Off the stage her charisma, charm and wit were contagious, she just made you feel like you were heard and valued.” – Christa Hiebert, Canada

“It amazes me how much expertise, knowledge and energy is ever present in Shelagh. Her professional conduct is coupled with a compassionate personality that translates into her being a highly skilled trainer …” – Nina Aunula, Finland

engaging, funny and incredibly informative

“I found Shelagh to be a quintessential professional whose knowledge of our profession is boundless. Shelagh is a fantastic speaker and commands the attention of the room when she speaks.” – Priscilia Gough, Canada

Shelagh has an infectious energy about her

“She’s an amazing speaker and trainer. With eloquence and clarity (I am not a native speaker of English), she explains very complicated topics such as governance and cybersecurity to a non-expert audience. She’s innovative and always brings a new approach to her lessons.” – Carla Stefanut, Italy

“Shelagh is the number one world trainer when it comes to quality governance training for EAs.” – Jacqueline M. Leib, USA

Minutes

“Shelagh’s minutes session is a must attend. For any assistant professional, whether you are just starting out in your career or you are a seasoned pro, the session Shelagh shared with BBO PA Network had everyone nodding along, writing copious amounts of notes but most importantly, gave everyone confidence!

Shelagh’s energy is infectious. Her pace and content made for a brilliant training session. On a more personal level, she’s just LOVELY to work with! ”  – Sarah Howson, Founder,  Strategic PA Network (UK)

Keynote presentations

“EPAA UK worked with Shelagh as our keynote trainer at one of our training days for members. It was a delight to work with Shelagh, from start to finish.

She has a huge wealth of experience from being an EA professional herself, and she is also a brilliant trainer. Shelagh tailored her content by making considerable effort to learn more about the UK market, and ensured that her training aligned with UK culture and working practices. This endeared her to our audiences even more and was very much appreciated. She ensured that, prior to the event, she connected with as much of our audience as she was able to. This again meant that she met, to a very high standard, what was required for this training event.

I cannot recommend working with Shelagh enough, and she would be a strong addition to any speaker or trainer lineup. ” – Victoria Darragh, Founder, EPAA – The Executive & Personal Assistants Association

Cyber awareness – feedback from the NBA

“I had the pleasure of meeting Shelagh at a recent conference. She gave a presentation on Cybersecurity and I was so impressed that I invited her to speak at my organization a few months later.

Shelagh’s ability to engage her audience and impart her knowledge of cybersecurity in a personable and relatable manner are what make her one of the best to do it! Her positive attitude and sincere desire to meet the needs of her clients set her apart from other educators. I look forward to working with Shelagh again in the very near future!” – Kiki Alston, National Basketball Association (NBA), USA

Governance and onboarding

“Shelagh is the number one world trainer when it comes to quality governance training for EAs. ​I have taken several classes from Shelagh​ and count on her for all things governance. Shelagh shares personal stories and strategies that have taken me to a new level as a high-performing Executive Assistant to the Board of Trustees.” – Jacqueline M. Leib, USA

“We sincerely appreciate the time you took out of your busy schedule to join us and thank you for sharing your insights and expertise … Attendees noted that the quality and delivery of your presentation were very good, noting that you were both very engaging and extremely informative.” – Marlon Yarde, Managing Director, Barbados Stock Exchange (BSE)

Working with government

“As always, Shelagh delivered an amazing presentation. This time, Shelagh talked about the importance of creating and maintaining a LinkedIn profile even if you aren’t thinking about moving roles within or outside of your organisation.

The session was interactive and informative with the right balance of text and images to make it easy to follow. Thank you, Shelagh, for your constant support to me and our colleagues within the UK Parliament.” – Winnie King, England

Internationally regarded

“From the moment we connected, it was very clear that Shelagh was not only a professional speaker, but very knowledgeable in her field. Shelagh spoke at an online event I put together and her passion and dedication to her work shows in spades. Our attendees had only but positive feedback and I am proud to have had Shelagh speak at my event.

Nothing was too hard a task and her professionalism was very much appreciated. I highly recommend Shelagh to anyone looking for an engaging and knowledgeable speaker. Thank you again, Shelagh!” – Carmel Bond, Melbourne EA Group

“It was a pleasure to finally meet Shelagh and see her present at the EPAA Fellows Day in Manchester. Shelagh’s presentation was well structured and delivered, a good balance between theory and practical application exploring the competencies, capabilities and activities that strategic EAs undertake … I have attended many training courses and heard many speakers over my career and I was more than delighted to have invested my time listening to Shelagh – totally on point and I would definitely recommend her content and presentation style.”  – Kelly McAulay, Business Support Manager, William Grant & Sons, Scotland 

“I recently had the pleasure of meeting and working with Shelagh at the ELS Forum Vancouver. Shelagh was the moderator for a panel I was a contributor on. From the moment I was first introduced to Shelagh by email and phone, I found Shelagh to be a quintessential professional whose knowledge of our profession is boundless. Shelagh is a fantastic speaker and commands the attention of the room when she speaks. I am so grateful to have met her and look forward to learning more from her in the future.” – P. Gough, Chief of Staff, Canada

“Shelagh is very knowledgeable about the administrative assistant profession and an excellent educator. I cannot say enough wonderful things about her! … Thank you Shelagh for sharing your knowledge and insight on our wonderfully challenging profession!” – Stephanie Bergsieker, Executive Assistant, USA

“Thank you Shelagh, an ‘exceptional’ presentation with lots of great messages to put into action back in the office. I have related to your topics and have some new goals now.” – Ruth Boxall, Executive Assistant, Bristol, England

“Evolution is inevitable! I feel prepared for the future world of being an EA/VA, having gained invaluable knowledge in today’s EPAA workshop. Thank you, Shelagh!”  – Sharon Schulz, international Virtual Personal Assistant, Leicester, England

“Shelagh is an entertaining speaker. I like the fast pace. I also like the setting (international, cultural) she provides as a starting point. She informs us of an abstract topic in a comprehensive way, so we can apply it to our own situation. Great!” – IMA Global attendee

“Shelagh is a very engaging and interesting speaker. I found her presentation to be informative and entertaining. Shelagh is very supportive and knowledgeable about the PA career and its intricacies. She is very approachable and friendly.” – April Pardoe, Executive PA (Personal Assistant), Northampton, England

From Shelagh’s peers

“Shelagh is engaging, funny, and oh so knowledgeable about most everything having to do with the administrative professionals of the world. We are all very fortunate to have her as an important and caring resource.” – Bonnie Low-Kramen, international trainer and speaker; author, Be the Ultimate Assistant

“Shelagh and I have been colleagues in the Canadian post-secondary sector for many years. She is a champion for professional development and for the advancement of both administrative and governance professionals in the sector. Throughout her career, she has presented on topics ranging from preparing minutes to professional development planning, working with the executive team and using web portals, to best practices in board recruitment, assessment, orientation and education. I have personally attended and benefited from many of Shelagh’s presentations at national and international peer conferences. In all cases, she provides wise counsel and practical strategies that each of us can use in our institutions and organizations.

… She has earned the respect of colleagues at home, across the country, south of the border, and around the world.” – Margo Baptista, University Secretary (retired), MacEwan University

“Shelagh is a very well respected figure in the administration profession globally … I had the privilege of sharing the stage with her at a recent event in the US and can honestly say that I found her session very informative and engaging. She has a brilliant sense of humour and is fun to watch.” – Anel Martin, Anel Martin Training PTY