About Us
The Society of Virtual Assistants was formed in 2005 by a group of Scottish virtual assistants who wanted to improve the reputation of the industry – it quickly blossomed into the largest organisation for UK based VAs with nearly 6,000 members. Our aim is to help virtual assistants set up and stay in business by encouraging and supporting one another whilst promoting best practice in the VA industry.
Membership is FREE and open to virtual assistants based in the UK. We offer advice, a directory of virtual assistants, guidance on training, networking, industry statistics, resources, industry news, events and much more.
Our aim is to strive for a Virtual Assistant Industry with collaboration and best practice at it’s heart.
Who are we?
The Society of Virtual Assistants is headed up by Gwen Backhouse who took over from Caroline Wylie in 2023.
Gwen has over 24 years of experience in the secretarial and PA sector, plus 10 years as VA. Gwen also has a background in Environmental Science. In February 2018 Gwen was awarded UK Outstanding VA 2018, having previously been awarded VA of the Year England 2016, VA of the Year North West 2016 and Best Newcomer VA 2015. She is now a member of the Judging Panel for the UK VA Awards, the East Midlands PA Awards and a Fellow of the Institute of Administrative Management.
Gwen cares deeply about the UK VA Industry and enjoys getting out to industry events to connect with other VAs.
Aims of the Society of Virtual Assistants
Best Practice
Promote higher standards within the virtual assistant community and support VAs to adhere to best practice.
Virtual Assistant Directory
Provide a searchable database for clients looking for a virtual assistants that adhere to industry best practice, with specific skillsets.
Promoting the Industry
Raise the general awareness of virtual assistants to the UK business community and media.
Supporting VAs
Support virtual assistant development from start-up to exit strategy.
Resource Base
To offer correct and professional resources for member virtual assistants. Including up to date, real industry statistics.
Encouraging Collaboration
Encourage virtual assistants to share their experiences using our discussion forum and blog
The SVA Advisory Board
The Society of Virtual Assistants Advisory Board was set up to assist Gwen with advice, strategic planning, ideas, policy making, research and to facilitate unbiased decision making.
Between them, they have an incredible amount of experience and knowledge of the Virtual Assistant industry and of business in general. Their input is vital to ensure that the SVA continues on as a fair and trusted organisation, and their expertise and support mean that our members will receive a wide range of accurate information.
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 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.
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 has over twenty years experience 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 set up the PA community website pa-assist.com, now more recently rebranded as WorkSmartPA.com and runs the annual VA and PA Voice Awards.
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 a Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES) Ambassador, 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 lies in finance, and she is a member of the Independent Certified Practising Accountants, a member of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers, and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. Michelle’s business experience and finance knowledge will be a great asset to the SVA Advisory Board.
Hayley Hudson
Hayley Hudson’s entrepreneurial journey was awakened by a seismic event, quite literally, when a 6.8 earthquake in October 2018 shook her back into existence. This wake-up call prompted her to rebuild and rediscover herself, leading to the creation of her own business in 2019, with a heavy emphasis on the technical aspects of business support. As the owner of Hudson Admin Support, a global business with a hand-picked Associate team, Hayley has triumphed over nerves and self-doubt, earning recognition as one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices for 2024 by focusing on delivering her passion for the unsung heroes of the business world, building a supportive network and staying true to her values. In January 2021 Hayley launched The VA Lounge, an online collaborative community for virtual business owners to collaborate, support each other, learn new skills and have those colleagues we can miss being remote workers!