By Business & Finance 
Fiona Kelly, Conference & Events Director at Zoom In & The Executive PA Forum.
Fiona Kelly, Conference & Events Director at Zoom In & The Executive PA Forum takes the Business & Finance 60-second interview challenge.
Q. What was your first job? Picking strawberries at the age of 7! I am the second youngest of 5 and so at that age, everything my older teenage siblings did, I did! My first professional job was with Sigmar Recruitment as a Consultant for the Accountancy Department. Q. What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date? My biggest achievement to date is establishing our successful Executive PA Forum, which takes place every May and is Ireland’s only conference for EAs and PAs. Q. In three words or fewer, how do you define success? Personal fulfillment. Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? If you have a gut instinct that you should not work with someone, DON’T – follow your gut instinct and forget about hurting anybody’s feelings. Q. How do you motivate yourself and your staff? By reminding myself and my team of the reason why we do what we do in running our events – to improve the experience of learning and engagement in people’s lives. Q. If you could step into the shoes of one business person for the day, who would it be and why? Anne Heraty of Cpl plc. She runs a very successful business and always appears calm, she is a great speaker and as far as I can see she treats everybody she meets with respect. Q. How do you relax? I work hard most days of the week, but when I am relaxing I can really switch my brain off the business and be present with the people I am with. I love playing tennis, Zumba classes, going to the theatre with a nice glass of red! Q. What’s your motto? You can do anything you put your mind to! Q. What are your aspirations for the future of your business? I am currently taking part in a Branding Mastermind with branding expert Lorraine Carter – I would like to grow the business to manage a broader range of training, conferences and events, and also look to expand into the UK market.
Follow your gut instinct and forget about hurting anybody’s feelings.
