My late friend Sonia Vanular had a vision for the management support profession. She wanted Executive Secretaries, Personal Assistants and those in related job titles to develop their roles, be recognised for their value, and evolve with the workplace. It’s why in 1974 she founded EAPS, which later became EUMA and is now IMA – International Management Assistants.

Sonia was a remarkable woman. We spent many a happy meal together at EA events across Europe. I nominated her for the European Women of Achievement Awards, which resulted in Sonia coming down a staircase with other nominees to thunderous applause at a ceremony at a posh Park Lane hotel in London. Quite right too.

Sonia spent her career advocating for EAs, pushing them to see their work as a profession, not just a job. But she also knew the profession couldn’t stand still. In 2018, she wrote: “In the last twenty years the business landscape has continuously evolved, and we must evolve with it. Those unable to adapt to changing conditions do not survive.”

She believed Executive Assistants had the ability to rise to new challenges. But she also knew that evolution wasn’t automatic. It had to be driven by EAs themselves.

Sonia’s vision was about growth, not just affirmation

If you’ve been to enough EA events, you’ll recognise the pattern. The speaker takes the stage. The slides appear. The talk begins. The audience listens, nods, relates to the stories being told.

It’s not that the sessions are bad. Many are engaging, polished, and well-delivered. Some speakers are inspiring. But at the end of it, what actually changes?

Sonia’s vision was about growth, not just affirmation. She wanted Management Assistants to be respected as professionals, not just seen as support. Too much EA training and public speaking focuses on feeling inspired in the moment, rather than building real strategic capability.

Executives are shifting their expectations

Many sessions tell EAs they are valuable, but don’t show them how to position themselves as business assets. Many speakers focus on motivation, but don’t give practical tools for influencing decision-making. Many trainers teach technical skills, but don’t address the executive-level thinking that makes an EA truly indispensable.

AI is already changing the workplace. Executives are shifting their expectations. The old model of executive support is disappearing. The question isn’t whether EAs will have a place in the future. They will. But only if they take control of their career trajectory.

Position yourself as indispensible, not just useful

That means moving beyond task-based training. Beyond learning how to use AI tools. Beyond just nodding along. It means learning how to think like a business partner, not just an assistant. Learning how to communicate at the executive level, to make strategic decisions, not just execute instructions. Ultimately, it means to position yourself as indispensable, not just useful.

I call this The Future-Proof EA. Would Sonia have approved? I’d like to think so. She believed in evolution. She believed in EAs rising to the challenge. And she believed that those who failed to adapt wouldn’t survive.

Sonia wanted trainers and speakers to really challenge EAs to evolve their role, not just have them nodding along. The question is: are you evolving fast enough?