2006 recipient

Nancy Brown, an administration team leader and executive assistant at Manulife Financial’s Canadian Individual Insurance area, based in Kitchener, ON, is the winner of the 2006 OfficeTeam Administrative Excellence Award.

“I’m very honored and excited,” said Brown, who’s worked at the Canadian financial-services corporation for five years. “Recognition like this is very special.”

The selection committee was impressed with Brown’s mix of leadership skills and operational efficiency, as well as her ongoing commitment to education.

Widely regarded as a role model within her organization, Brown not only supports one of Manulife’s vice presidents and three assistant vice presidents, but she also serves in a team-leadership role, supervising two other administrative assistants. Among her many achievements, Brown created proposals for senior management recommending a new vendor and additional training resources that ultimately saved her department money.

“She is extremely well organized and efficient, offering real value and initiative in all of the work she completes,” said Brown’s manager, Julie Ariss. “Nancy is not only committed to her own success, but to that of the leaders she supports and to those she supervises.”

Brown showcased the importance of leadership and collaboration by developing a network of administrative assistants in her business unit to share information and resources at peak workload times.

“Feedback from those she supervises indicates that they value her encouragement, her enthusiasm, her positive can-do attitude, and the fact that she is willing to share information and investigate as necessary in order to get the right information when she does not immediately know the answer,” Ariss said.

In addition to the many contributions she makes on the job, Brown serves as treasurer of the Grand River chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

Brown noted that while she’s humbled to win this year’s Administrative Excellence Award, she’s equally proud of the many positive professional relationships she’s built during her career. “That's what makes being an active member of IAAP so rewarding - not only are you learning new skills, but you also are connecting with people and talking about ideas in a whole new way,” Brown said.

When asked what skill sets are most crucial to her success - or the success of any administrative professional - Brown cited initiative and confidence. “I have found the ability to anticipate the next step and the confidence to act on it to be invaluable,” she said.

Brown was honored on April 26, 2006 - Administrative Professionals Day - during Targeted Learning Corporation’s Annual Briefing for Administrative Professionals, a live, interactive training event for support staff, held in Salt Lake City.