EA/PA Leadership SummitSydney 2026

Drawing on more than two decades supporting senior leaders through organisational change, digital transformation, and complex stakeholder environments, Diane McGrath explores what executive level partnership really looks like in practice. This session examines how trust, resilience, emotional intelligence, and a commitment to wellbeing strengthen executive relationships and enable long term success.

Learn how to navigate competing priorities with confidence, communicate strategically, and maintain composure under pressure while supporting both your executive and yourself. Discover practical ways to build influence, strengthen resilience, prioritise wellbeing, and create sustainable ways of working that allow you to perform at your best, even in demanding environments.

This session moves past prompt libraries and productivity hacks. It looks at the real shift underway: EAs are becoming the first line of AI judgement in the business. You decide what AI sees, what it touches, what it remembers, and what it should never go near. That is not a productivity question. It is a trust question, a security question, and a strategy question.

You will leave with: a clearer view of where AI strengthens your executive’s position, and where it quietly exposes them; practical frameworks for workflows that scale judgement, not just speed; cyber awareness habits that protect confidential information in an AI-saturated environment; and confidence to lead AI conversations in your office, not just respond to them.

But the real prize sits one level deeper. Used well, AI does not just speed up your work. It changes how you think, what you notice, and the quality of the questions you bring to your executive. Multiply that across an EA function, and something rare starts to happen: the organisation begins to compound its intelligence rather than just its output. That is the EA’s hidden lever, and almost no one is pulling it yet.

Executive presence is not defined by title. It is built through how you think, communicate, and show up under pressure.

In this session, you will learn how to elevate your presence from trusted support to strategic partner, so you are recognised, trusted, and considered for greater opportunities.

Position Yourself as a Strategic Partner – Move beyond task execution and contribute at a higher level by aligning your input to business priorities. This is how you build a more senior, credible presence in the room.

Communicate with Clarity and Authority – Executive presence shows up in how you communicate. Speak with clarity, confidence, and control in high-pressure environments, so your voice is heard and respected.

Turn Visibility into Career Growth – Use key moments to build trust, advocacy, and recognition. This is how your presence translates into real opportunities, progression, and next-level roles.

At the same time, explore how mastering decision support elevates your own career trajectory. Discover how to expand your scope, strengthen your strategic credibility and position yourself for greater responsibility, influence and progression. When you think like an executive, you don’t just support leadership, you become an essential part of it.

In this inspiring session, Danielle explores how to maintain energy, focus and clarity while operating in demanding roles. Learn how to manage competing pressures, establish healthy boundaries, and sustain your effectiveness without burnout.

Learn practical communication strategies for handling unrealistic expectations, shifting priorities and high-pressure moments. Explore how thoughtful, courageous conversations strengthen your executive partnership and position you as a respected voice in the room. Because real influence is not about staying silent, it’s about knowing how and when to speak with impact.

In this inspiring and highly relatable session shares her personal journey of navigating change, building credibility and creating opportunity within complex, high-pressure environments. Through lived experience, Linda will explore how mindset, self-belief and strategic action can accelerate your growth and open doors you may not have thought possible. Discover how to raise your professional profile, contribute beyond your role and position yourself as a valued, forward-thinking partner. This session will leave you feeling empowered, motivated and ready to take the next step in your career with confidence.