Lucy Brazier, a resident of Xàbia, receives the Order of the British Empire

Thursday 17th June 2021 – XÀBIA AL DÍA with Mike Smith

Lucy Brazier, a British resident in Xàbia, has been selected in the 2021 Honours List that Queen Elizabeth II awards each year to reward and highlight the good work of specific citizens of the United Kingdom as part of the celebrations held to mark the anniversary of the monarch. Brazier has been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to the country and, specifically, for her efforts to dignify the work of professionals and office assistants.

Lucy is executive-director of Marcham Publishing and editor of the ‘Executive Support’ magazine, a publication dedicated to the professional development needs of people who work in the administrative field. Additionally, she has been known internationally for her years of leadership and dedication in trying to get the assistant position recognized as a career.

It is a job with a large component of inclusion given that, generally, it is a job occupied – mostly – by women. Hence, within its objective of highlighting the essential work performed by assistants, is to train highly qualified professionals in administrative management. In the last decade, she has been organizing events throughout the world, holding more than 450 conferences and seminars in more than 50 countries.

As a result of the appointment of the OBE, Brazier admitted that she felt “overwhelmed” because “what began ten years ago and was forged on my kitchen table after a nervous breakdown has now become a global movement composed of 98% women”. The Xàbia resident hopes that this recognition of her contribution “will serve to raise awareness about the underutilization of the world’s largest sector of working women.” She also wanted to dedicate the award “to the community of administrative professionals around the world, whose passion and commitment to her profession underpins everything their companies do”.

The work of the assistants has been claimed as essential during the pandemic, especially during confinement and as a result of the difficult employment situation of many citizens that has led the administrative staff in the process of documentation in both public and private companies. It is a reality that has highlighted the importance of what Lucy pursues: to provide these professionals with the best possible training for a successful development of their work.