Virtually Smart Ltd is celebrating its 5th anniversary & what a journey it has been so far.
With over 20 years PA/EA/business support experience, Helena Parrott – Director of Virtually Smart Ltd, knew she had the skills set to be able to support growing businesses.
Whether at the beginning of their journeys with setup procedural policy reviews & executive support or, established businesses with corporate business management support & financial infrastructure; Helena knew she could help those in business with her accumulated knowledge & expertise in this field.
“I left work at the end of July 2017. I’d been making plans for my business for many years. The executive assistant role I was contracted to undertake was covering maternity leave & the contract was due to end. Towards the end of the contract, the person I was covering for decided not to come back to work.
I was offered the job permanently, but the timing seemed to be right for me to take the leap. So, we extended the contract for a few month’s so they could find a replacement & I could start actioning some of my plans”
Virtually Smart Ltd was created in late 2017 & by the beginning of 2018 Helena had already accrued a growing client base including Happy Bear Software Company, Seaford Scene, Ricardo Plc, Virgin Atlantic & Coding Craft.
With a good variety of clients & a continuation with Ricardo Plc; Helena realised in early February 2018 that she might need some help herself as she was aware her social media presence needed some attention. A chance message from Katy-Jane Mason about seeking work, saw a meeting & collaboration begin.
In Autumn 2018, Simon Brewster – CEO Dolphin N2 approached Helena for assistance with their business support.
Dolphin N2 is a spin-out company from Ricardo Plc. As Helena had worked alongside the engineers & management for a good year & a half; Dolphin N2 knew she could offer exceptional business support as the company started to make it’s mark amongst industry leaders & government alike.
The relationship with Dolphin N2 has continued to blossom as the Dolphin N2 team continues to rely on Helena’s efficiency, professionalism & understanding of their business needs. (We will cover the story of the relationship with Dolphin N2 & the support network Virtually Smart Ltd gives them in next weeks blog)
With the needs of Virtually Smart Ltd client base having grown over these past 5 years, the need for the team to grow has been an organic progression.
The Virtually Smart Ltd team work remotely & each member of the team brings their own unique skill set to support the companies Virtually Smart Ltd support with their business management needs.
Helena Parrott – Director & Online Business Manager
With over 20 years executive support experience, Helena has a track record of supporting senior leaders & providing operational support to ensure efficient delivery of business activities within a range of sectors including engineering, technical consultancies, local government & finance.
Analysing & improving business & business processes. Supporting process re-engineering to improve operational efficiency. Overseeing major business projects such as office relocation & refurbishments. Major events both corporate & social. Supporting business critical recruitment initiatives & performance reviews. Supporting change management programmes. Building & maintaining relationships with key stakeholders to ensure effective business communication. Supporting business start-ups & SME’s
Katy-Jane Mason – Content Manager
Having worked in a variety of roles after graduating in 1995, Katy-Jane came to English Secondary School teaching in 2009/10.
After just over 8 years teaching English in secondary schools, Katy-Jane moved away from the classroom & found herself working with her partner in their business & supporting Helena Parrott Director of Virtually Smart Ltd.
Having always been a keen writer & with an excellent grasp of language & grammar; Katy-Jane now supports companies with their media dissemination, blogging, content & business support needs.
Jane Seldon – Administration Support
Jane has many years experience providing high level administrative support to businesses including Ricardo, Edwards Vacuum & Harwoods.
Jane’s key strengths include: attention to detail, the ability to research, plan & book complex travel –especially multi-destination trips, extensive knowledge of global visa requirements & works hard to ensure budgets are met.
Consistent & logical in her approach to any task Jane seeks to add value wherever possible.
More recently supporting the property & lettings industry, providing administrative support to the business as well as liaising with tenants & clients, managing social media to promote the business & their properties.
Anna Stonehouse – Online Business Manager
Anna has worked in Business Administration at a high level for over 30 years, across many different industries, from Corporate to small family run businesses. Anna has excellent business knowledge & is able to work across a number of departments in those businesses. Anna has experience in accounting, marketing, IT, project management, event planning & administration.
Carina Rutter – Online Business Manager
Carina is an Online Business Manager for Virtually Smart Ltd & brings over 35 years’ experience within various administration & PA roles in business sectors ranging from recruitment, education, finance, people development, training & engineering.
Through this experience Carina brings a wide range of administration & business skills to the Virtually Smart Ltd team. Carina is constantly aspiring to improve herself & looking to widen her skillset further with new projects and challenges. Carina takes pride in all her work & is a stickler for attention to detail.
Owen Newton – Design & Social Media Co-ordinator
Owen’s main responsibilities include Instagram content creation & engagement management, design & branding packs (e.g. Email signatures, Social media banners, posters etc.) & various administration tasks in-between.
Owen has acquired 3 separate diplomas in Art & Fashion, teaching English as a second language & Digital Business & Marketing. These experiences have given Owen the skills to pursue working in design & social media.
Gina Charmaine-Gibbs – Administration Support
Gina has worked in Travel for over 25 years (American Express/Thomas Cook/Mott Macdonald ) in various roles from Business Travel Manager, Aviation Manager & Customer Relations Manager.
Joe Churchill – Administration Support
Joe has been working for Helena since February 2021. Joe graduated from his Masters Degree in Ecology & Conservation in Autumn 2020 & was pursuing a job in his field.
The pandemic presented several challenges, so Joe expanded his skill set which is when he started working with Virtually Smart Ltd.
Joe supports Dolphin N2 with back-office administration which mainly involves setting up Sharepoint websites, creating system processes for holiday requests & expense claims etc. Joe has also been assisting with the design of the Virtually Smart Ltd new website.
Next week we shall celebrate the work Virtually Smart Ltd undertake for SME Dolphin N2 as they forge their way forward with the development of their zero emissions heavy-duty & off-highway engine design.
Written by Katy-Jane Mason for & on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd.
