SVA Advisory Board
Meet the SVA Advisory Board
Amanda Johnson
Amanda Johnson is well-known in the VA Industry as she owns the multi-award winning VACT Ltd, as well as the annual UK VA Conference, the UK VA Awards and the Be My VA directory. Amanda brings a vast amount of experience and knowledge to the SVA Advisory Board and is always up to date with what is happening in the industry and really understands the requirements of new VAs coming into the industry.
Joanne Hawkins
Joanne Hawkins is a multi-award winning VA and runs Executive VPA Ltd, having been a VA since 2012. Joanne also runs the very successful North West VA Conference every year in Warrington and is truly passionate about helping people to build their businesses and actively encourages collaboration within the industry. She mentors VAs through her Be A Standout VA programme. Joanne has a great deal of experience and passion for the VA industry and will be a great addition to the SVA Advisory Board.
Joanne Manville
Joanne Manville started her VA business in 2015 and has since gone on to make history in the UK VA Awards, winning Outstanding UK VA Award in 2019 and again in 2020 along with a host of other awards. Joanne spent over 10 years as an Executive PA before going into business herself, she has an immense amount of experience and is keen to share it with others. She also co-founded the South West VA Collaboration enabling VAs to come together to share their experiences and support one another and brings a great deal of business experience, knowledge of the industry and a passion for supporting other VAs to the table.
Joanne Manville Virtual Assistance
The South West VA Collaboration
John Palmer
John has always been a huge advocate for the VA industry, having previously run the UK VA Conference and UK VA Awards. John is now Chair of the judging panel in the UK VA Awards. John has over twenty years experince running a Business Consultancy and a further twenty five years corporate experience in senior executive positions for public companies and global brands. John has always had a passion for mentoring and coaching business leaders and has provided valued guidance to many subsequently successful young, new and innovative enterprises. In 2012 John founded Storm Media and Publishing Ltd and took over the PA community web site pa-assist.com, now more recently rebranded as WorkSmartPA.com and runs the annual VA and PA Voice Awards. John's experience in the business world and his support of the VA industry has not gone unappreciated, and he will be a valuable addition to the SVA Advisory Board.
Michelle Smith
Michelle founded ValueAdd Business Solutions in 2011 following 20 years experience in the admin industry. Michelle was the very first VA to win the Outstanding UK VA Award in 2017 and has won a number of other prestigious awards too. In May 2015 she was announced as Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES) Ambassadors where she shares her life and experience with female entrepreneurs and promotes gender equality in enterprise for women across Scotland. Plus in 2018 she was announced as an Ambassador for Ideal Schools promoting better bookkeeping across the UK. Ambassadors have a wealth of knowledge & experience and provide advice from selecting the most appropriate bookkeeping course selection through to setting up a bookkeeping practice and growing it. Michelle's expertise lays in finance and she is a member of the Independent Certified Practicing Accountants, a member of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers and a Fellow at the Chartered Management Institute. Michelle's business experience and finance knowledge will be a great assett to the SVA Advisory Board.
What is the SVA Advisory Board?
The SVA Advisory Board was set up by Gwen in May 2023 in order to bring a wide range of expertise, support and knowledge to the Society of Virtual Assistants. The primary objective of the SVA Advisory Board is to provide Gwen with valuable assistance in decision-making, strategic planning, advisory services, ideas, policy and legislation, addressing industry challenges and ensuring unbiased decision-making processes. Through the collaborative efforts of the SVA Advisory Board, the Society of Virtual Assistants aspires to offer comprehensive support, expertise, and advice, while continually advocating for industry best practice in the industry.
We will be meeting monthly and these meetings will be used to discuss plans, emerging issues and challenges, forthcoming legislation impacting the VA Industry, and the overall smooth operation of the organisation.
The SVA Advisory Board comprises members with an impressive array of experience and knowledge, each complementing one another with their respective areas of expertise. Their collective dedication to the industry, coupled with their genuine passion to assist and support our members, has already fueled exciting discussions about our future initiatives. Stay tuned for further updates!