Executive Office Leadership 2026 Day 1

Themba Chakela

This opening session addresses the growing shift from traditional PA and Secretarial functions toward full Office Management, exploring what changes in scope, authority, and expectation as professionals take on operational ownership. Delegates will examine how to build the leadership presence needed to manage teams and processes rather than simply support individuals, including how to establish credibility, set expectations, and drive accountability without relying on a senior title. The programme covers practical frameworks for taking ownership of office operations — budgets, vendor relationships, facilities, and cross-functional coordination — alongside guidance on managing the interpersonal shift from peer to people-manager when PAs and Secretaries step into supervisory roles. Sessions also address change management and how Office Managers can position themselves as the operational backbone connecting leadership decisions to day-to-day execution.

Malisha (Pillay) Awunor

This session strengthens the digital and systems capability Office Managers need to run efficient, modern workplaces — not just support individual executives. Participants explore AI and automation tools for scheduling, reporting, procurement, and document management, with emphasis on standardising these tools across a team or department rather than a single desk. The programme examines digital collaboration platforms (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, project management systems) from an administrator's perspective — rolling out, governing, and troubleshooting them for wider office use. Delegates will cover data management and cybersecurity practices at an office-wide level, protecting organisational information across multiple stakeholders, plus hybrid/virtual meeting management and workflow automation techniques aimed at streamlining operations for an entire office, not just one executive's calendar.