PA Awards of the Year

A glamorous host of stars, PA's and business leaders packed into the Radisson Hotel last night for the first SK Greater Manchester PA of the Year Awards 2010.

The main winner was 27 year old Kimberley Stephenson. She was nominated by Tony Ford, boss of Manchester accountancy firm Ford Campbell and lives in Salford Quays and worked for Tony for three years.

Kimberley scooped a haul of prizes including a week's holiday with all expenses paid at a luxury spa in Malta, champagne, a helicopter ride and a two night stay at the Great St John Street Hotel.

The aim of the awards was to recognise and publicly reward the hard working and talented PAs who make a huge contribution to the productivity of the region's businesses. As part of the entry criteria, PAs had to be nominated by their bosses, who were asked to write a letter expressing why their PA deserved to win.

Commenting on her victory, Kimberley said "I had no idea I'd been nominated until the call came from Sue Kilshaw it was a wonderful surprise, the fact that my boss had taken the time to write that letter of nomination meant so much to me, usually with PA awards, you can nominate yourself. It feels good to see the hard work you do behind the scenes recognised like this by both your boss and your peers, I'm thrilled."

Sue Kilshaw, managing director and founder of the Awards said, "Congratulations to Kimberley a thoroughly deserving winner who's shown incredible initiative, enthusiasm and commitment during her time working for Tony. We've been overwhelmed by the response from the region's business leaders, these awards were all about reminding people and rewarding those powerhouse PAs who deserve recognition for their efforts and achievements."

Category winners:

Media
Denise Clephan, ITV

Manufacturing and Engineering
Angela Millington, Fircroft Engineering

Charity and Public Sector
Jill Jones, Public Health Greater Manchester

Legal
Kim Davies, Walker Smith Way Solicitors

Business Services
Lorna James, Morson Group

Property
Joanne Boulton, Berrys

Retail
Yvonne Clark, Matalan

Banking & Finance
Gemma Hughes, Money Advice Group

Leisure & Tourism
Anne Foster, Manchester Evening News

Accountancy
Kimberley Stephenson, Ford Campbell Corporate Finance

Overall winner
Greater Manchester Manchester PA of the Year - Kimberley Stephenson nominated by Tony Ford, boss of Ford Campbell