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In a welcome nod to the backbone of modern business, The EA Institute has unveiled a brand-new awards program destined to place admin professionals squarely in the limelight, where they’ve long deserved to be. The EA Institute APAC Admin Awards, backed proudly by principal sponsor Corporate Traveller, is not just another industry gong-fest. It’s a first-of-its-kind celebration across the Asia-Pacific dedicated to honouring the unsung heroes of the office – from the Executive Assistants who tame chaos with a calendar, to the quietly mighty Office Managers who hold the fort when the walls feel like tumbling.

It’s a move that many would argue is long overdue. For far too long, administrative professionals have been the reliable engines whirring in the background of every great company story – rarely seeking glory, but surely deserving it.

Amanda Vinci, CEO of The EA Institute, summed it up best with a firecracker of a statement:

“The admin profession is due for this kind of recognition. We’re thrilled to create a platform that not only celebrates excellence but builds community, confidence, and visibility for administrative professionals.”

Guests at a recent member event, hosted by the EA Institute

Bravo, Amanda. One might say this is the admin’s moment to shine – and shine they shall, at a gala evening to be held later this year in Sydney, no less. Nominations are now open, and if you’ve ever benefited from a travel itinerary appearing as if by magic (or coffee miraculously refilled during crisis talks), it might be high time to put forward the miracle worker behind it all.

Corporate Traveller, no stranger to the pulse of business travel, has lent its weight to the initiative as the principal sponsor. According to Tom Walley, Managing Director at Corporate Traveller, the partnership isn’t just a box-ticking exercise in goodwill. It’s about championing the very people who keep businesses – and their travelling executives – functioning smoothly.

“True leadership often operates behind the scenes, and these individuals are at the heart of business travel and operations,” said Walley.
“Day in and day out, we see how they work tirelessly to get their executive teams from point A to point B, through any challenge or disruption, while those travelling are often none the wiser to the strings that have been pulled behind the scenes.”

Hear, hear. While execs sip champagne in airport lounges, it’s often their EAs battling with last-minute flight changes, dodgy Wi-Fi connections, or that forgotten passport still sitting in the office drawer.

This new awards program is, in many ways, a clarion call for a cultural shift. A push to recognise that these roles – so often dubbed “support” – are strategic pillars that enable leadership to lead, creativity to flourish, and business to boom.

It’s no small feat to coordinate a CEO’s calendar, keep a boardroom of stakeholders on track, or rebook a full itinerary mid-typhoon – all while juggling expense reports and fielding calls like a human firewall. Yet thousands of administrative professionals do this every day without the slightest fuss.

That quiet excellence, says Vinci, is precisely why this initiative matters.

“Our hope is that this awards program helps raise the profile of admin professionals as career drivers, business enablers, and change-makers.”

The EA Institute – long known for its professional development programs and community-building efforts within the admin sector – has found a kindred spirit in Corporate Traveller, whose business DNA includes navigating complexity with calm and ensuring business travellers make it to that critical meeting, against all odds.

Those interested in nominating a star admin in their orbit (or humbly throwing their own hat in the ring) can do so by visiting the awards page: 👉 Nominate Now.

With regional finalists and winners to be unveiled at a glittering gala in Sydney later this year, the APAC Admin Awards are already shaping up to be a calendar highlight – and perhaps, a game-changer for the profession at large.

Because when you strip away the titles and trim the corporate fat, one truth remains: without admin professionals, the world stops turning–or at least runs late.