Regional Networking Meetings
We are passionate about supporting online collaboration and networking, however, there is no substitute for a face to face meet up!
With this in mind we are passionate about offering free regional networking opportunities and meetings. We have appointed Ambassadors to support existing & aspiring VAs within those UK regions as well as other territories outside the UK.
Your regional Ambassador will be your local point of contact and your first port of call for information regarding setting up and running your business in your area as well as giving key information on when the next meeting will be.
Throughout all of our meetings we champion authenticity, collaboration, sharing and support – as well of course the core VIP VA values and attitudes towards building and running a high-performing VA business that works for you.
Come along to a meeting, meet like-minded PAs and VAs and start the collaboration from there!
Regional networking
Dedicated Point of Contact
Local Knowledge & Advice
Share information on working as a VA relevant to your region
Find your local network & details of upcoming meetings:
Meet every other month on a Wednesday in Chelmsford.
Meet every other month in Derby.
Meet every two months in London.
Meet every other month in Kingston.
Meet every other month on a Wednesday in Croydon.
Meet our Regional Network Ambassadors…
London Network
Regional Ambassador - Suzanne Ekpenyong
Driven by a passion for international relations and a desire to help multiple business owners, SMEs and solo-entrepreneurs achieve and maintain success on a global scale, Suzanne Ekpenyong owns two businesses: Bilingual Solutions and Your Executive Secretary (YES).
Using Suzanne’s extensive knowledge of the Executive and Personal Assistant profession, YES provides first class executive, personal and secretarial support to clients on a freelance basis. YES is a small, carefully selected team of assistants who work both virtually, and sometimes in-house, helping busy global entrepreneurs and SMEs to achieve clarity, serenity & productivity!
Suzanne is also passionate about languages and runs Bilingual Solutions, a mobile and virtual language agency. She works with a team of linguists to provide modern foreign language lessons (in-house in London businesses or online), translations and other language administration work (proofreading, transcription, etc.)
Before becoming a business owner, Suzanne spent time between France and the UK and worked in a range of roles in different industries (including fashion, finance, and the arts) as an Executive and Personal Assistant, Press Officer and as a Language Teacher and Translator.
Suzanne is bilingual in English and French, has a BA hons in French and Italian Studies and a postgraduate qualification in Business Communications. She also holds the DALF (Diplôme approfondi de langue française) certification (level C2) and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists.
SW London & Surrey Network
Regional Ambassador - Alex Hughes
Alex Hughes is a Virtual Business Manager based in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey.
With 15 years’ experience in Trading and Sales and Information Technology in the City of London, Alex has a further 17 years’ experience as an Administration Manager for a bespoke Furniture Manufacturers in South West London.
After many years of looking after her family and ailing parents, and finishing a degree at Kingston University, she had a lightbulb moment in supporting small business owners and CEO’S with all their administration projects and procedural tasks. She loves nothing more than getting her teeth stuck into administration problems to provide effective solutions in a variety of industries and tasks.
Alex is an avid networker and loves nothing more than connecting people to help them grow their businesses. Her ethos is based on the “know, like, trust’ approach, which has won her many connections, contracts and life-long friends and contacts in business.
She has been part of VIPVA since her business started in earnest in 2017, and has found it to be extremely collaborative. Whilst working at home can feel lonely sometimes, being a member of VIPVA brings back those water cooler moments or lunch breaks with a supportive work colleague.
Alex is delighted to also be a board member for VIP VA championing all that it provides.
East Midlands Network
Regional Ambassador - Sarah Banks
Sarah Banks is a Virtual Assistant based in Derbyshire.
She launched her VA business in 2014 after returning to work following the birth of her second daughter and realising that working for someone else wouldn’t give her the flexibility that she wanted around her family.
With a background in project management, as well as office management, Sarah provides a wide range of services to her client. She loves meeting new clients and making a difference to their worklife balance.
Sarah is also passionate about championing the VA industry, collaborating and supporting other VAs.
Surrey & SE London Network
Regional Ambassador - Grace Robinson
Grace Robinson is an owner of a virtual assistant company based in Surrey.
Grace became a VA four years ago. She immediately fell in love with working virtually and the variety of clients and tasks. Working as a VA allowed the unique opportunity to work closely with entrepreneurs and play a vital role in their business.
She enjoys the innovative side of being a VA, helping clients strategise on improving and growing their businesses. Prior to becoming a VA, Grace completed a Masters at the University of Leeds and worked in media, as a PA and recruitment.
After reaching capacity, Grace called on her recruitment experience to grow a team of VAs in order to serve more clients. From then on Eden Assistants was formed offering VA services as well as digital marketing.
Scotland Network
Regional Ambassador - Heather Warner
Heather Warner is an award winning Virtual EA and Business Manager based in Dunfermline, Scotland.
See what our local & international VAs are saying…
In my journey to become a VA, I’ve joined a number of Facebook groups and through one of them I met Charlotte. As we’re both mums, we share the same ‘why’ for choosing to work differently and create our own businesses. It was, therefore, easy to connect with Charlotte, even if my two are a few years older. Since we connected on both Facebook and LinkedIn, I then had the opportunity to work with Charlotte over the summer which enabled us to get to know each other even better.
Charlotte then told me about her network for VAs, APVA Hub. I immediately liked the sound of the group and joined up. The VAs in the group are great, there’s a high skill level and some lovely personalities. It’s always interesting to meet people from different backgrounds but who have a common goal. The FB group is a great place to ask questions and there’s always someone who can give a helpful answer.
I’m based near Paris in France and the VA network is not as developed here as in the US or the UK, at least not yet, so having somewhere to go, whether it be in those heady moments when you sign a new client, or those more difficult moments when you doubt you’re on the right path is vital and it’s what keeps me sane.
I wouldn’t be on this journey if it weren’t for the support provided by my peers and would definitely recommend that other European VAs join the group. Now that I’m slightly further on my path, I look forward to being an APVA member, and hope to support other new VAs, whether they’re in France, the UK or elsewhere.
After considering the transition from EA to VA it was a chance meeting with Charlotte at an EPAA event that led me to her as a trainer over any other! Her style of training has really suited me. The dread of having so much to learn has been daunting - her humour and honesty within the masterclass has made the journey feel achievable.
If you are thinking of setting up a VA business, don't hesitate to book onto the training - this really is the best training I have done in a long time (not just as a potential VA!) and it is clear that Charlotte has thought about everything we would need to think about in order to be a successful VA! Thank you Charlotte!
I would also recommend 1:1 coaching to further support the learning if owning/running a business is completely new to you or if you are lacking in confidence.
Interested in finding out about becoming a Regional Ambassador and running a local network?