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Personal Assistant

Personal Assistant CV example and template (South Africa)

Updated November 2026 · Written for South African employers

A personal assistant (PA) or executive assistant works for one senior person, or a small team of directors, and takes as much off their plate as possible: running their diary, booking their travel, preparing their meetings, writing letters on their behalf and dealing with the people who want their time. CEOs, managing directors, partners at law and audit firms, school principals, hospital managers and heads of government departments all hire PAs. Unlike an admin clerk or receptionist, a PA is hired for judgement and discretion, so the executive reading your CV looks first at whose diary you have run (their level and how busy they were), how much you handled without being asked, and whether you can be trusted with confidential information.

The example below is for an executive assistant to a group CEO in Sandton who started as a legal secretary at a law firm. Show the level of the people you supported, the size of the work in numbers (meetings a week, trips a year, board meetings prepared), and the tools you use every day, such as Outlook, Teams and SharePoint in Microsoft 365, and any board portal or expense system. If you are newer, put your Management Assistant N4 to N6 or office administration qualification near the top, together with your typing speed and any time you spent supporting a manager, even as a temp or intern.

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Personal Assistant CV example

Refiloe Masilo

Executive Assistant to a Group CEO, 9 years supporting directors and partners

083 555 0115 · refiloe.masilo@example.co.za · Johannesburg, Gauteng

Profile

Executive assistant with nine years' experience, now supporting the group CEO of a Sandton logistics company with 2,400 staff. Runs a diary of about 35 meetings a week across three time zones, books around 40 domestic and international trips a year, and prepares and distributes quarterly board packs on Diligent Boards. Takes minutes at weekly executive committee meetings and follows up every action. Discreet with confidential matters and holds a National N Diploma in Management Assistant.

Work experience

Executive Assistant to the Group CEO

Bakwena Freight Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Sandton | Apr 2022 – Present

Manage the CEO's Outlook diary of about 35 meetings a week across South African, UK and Kenyan time zones
Book about 40 trips a year through the travel management company, including Schengen and UK visa applications
Compile quarterly board and committee packs on Diligent Boards with the company secretary and send them seven days before each meeting
Take minutes at weekly executive committee meetings and follow up actions until they are closed
Draft letters, presentations and briefing notes, and screen about 80 emails and 30 calls a day
Process expense claims and corporate card reconciliations on SAP Concur
Organise the annual executive strategy session for 18 people within a R250,000 budget

Personal Assistant to two Directors

Mokoena Pillay Attorneys Inc., Rosebank | Feb 2019 – Mar 2022

Managed two directors' diaries, court dates and client meetings, and kept a deadline diary for court and filing dates
Typed and formatted letters, contracts and court papers from dictation and drafts
Prepared monthly fee notes for review and followed up unpaid client accounts with the accounts department
Opened and closed client files and kept confidential client documents in locked storage and on the document system

Legal Secretary

Mokoena Pillay Attorneys Inc., Rosebank | Mar 2017 – Jan 2019

Supported a team of four associates with typing, filing, scanning and booking meeting rooms
Booked couriers and sheriff services and kept registers of documents sent and received

Education

National N Diploma in Management Assistant

Central Johannesburg TVET College, 2018, NQF level 6

Subjects: Office Practice N6, Information Processing N6, Communication N6, Computer Practice N6

National Senior Certificate (Matric)

Mmabatho High School, 2014, NQF level 4

Subjects: English Home Language, Setswana First Additional Language, Computer Applications Technology (81%), Business Studies, Mathematical Literacy, History, Life Orientation

Skills

Executive diary management
Domestic and international travel and visas
Board packs on Diligent Boards
Minutes and action tracking
Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Excel, PowerPoint)
Business writing and presentations
SAP Concur expense claims
Event and strategy session planning
Confidentiality and POPIA
Typing at 60 words per minute

Certificates

Advanced Microsoft Excel (short course), Accredited training provider, 2023
Minute Taking and Business Writing (short course), Accredited training provider, 2020

Achievements

Every board pack sent to directors on time since April 2022
Set up the CEO's office files on SharePoint with restricted access for board and HR documents

Personal details

Driver’s licence:: Code B (Code 8)
Own transport:: Yes
Nationality:: South African
Languages:: Setswana (Home language), English (Fluent), Sesotho (Fluent), isiZulu (Good)
Notice period:: One calendar month
Availability:: Full-time, with flexibility for early meetings, travel weeks and board meetings

References

Siyabonga Ndlela

Group Chief Executive Officer, Bakwena Freight Holdings (Pty) Ltd

011 555 0187

Ashwin Pillay

Director, Mokoena Pillay Attorneys Inc.

011 555 0152

Personal Assistant CV summary you can copy

Change the details so they are true for you.

Executive assistant with nine years' experience, now supporting the group CEO of a Sandton logistics company with 2,400 staff. Runs a diary of about 35 meetings a week across three time zones, books around 40 domestic and international trips a year, and prepares and distributes quarterly board packs on Diligent Boards. Takes minutes at weekly executive committee meetings and follows up every action. Discreet with confidential matters and holds a National N Diploma in Management Assistant.

Skills to list on your Personal Assistant CV

Managing one or more executive diaries in Outlook, including delegate access and shared calendars
Arranging domestic and international travel, including flights, accommodation, car hire, visas and itineraries
Preparing, compiling and distributing board and committee packs on a board portal such as Diligent Boards or BoardPAC
Taking minutes of executive and board meetings and keeping action lists up to date
Drafting letters, emails, reports and PowerPoint presentations for the executive
Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Screening calls, emails and visitors, and deciding what needs the executive's attention
Expense claims, credit card reconciliations and petty cash on SAP Concur or a similar system
Organising events such as strategy sessions, AGMs, investor visits and year-end functions
Keeping confidential and personal information private in line with POPIA
Working with the company secretary, executive team and their assistants
Typing at 60 words per minute with accurate spelling and grammar

Duties written as strong bullet points

Managed the group CEO's diary of about 35 meetings a week in Outlook, including meetings in London and Nairobi time zones, with no double bookings
Booked about 40 domestic and international trips a year through the company's travel management company, within the travel policy
Prepared Schengen and UK visa applications, booked visa application centre appointments and put together supporting documents weeks before each trip
Compiled and loaded quarterly board and committee packs on Diligent Boards, sending them to directors seven days before every meeting
Took minutes at weekly executive committee meetings and sent out the action list within 24 hours, then followed up each owner before the next meeting
Screened about 80 emails and 30 calls a day, answering routine queries myself and flagging urgent ones to the CEO
Drafted letters, speeches and presentations for the CEO, and prepared briefing notes for every external meeting
Processed monthly expense claims and corporate card reconciliations on SAP Concur, with no claims returned by finance
Organised the annual two-day executive strategy session for 18 people at an off-site venue within a R250,000 budget
Moved the office's shared files to SharePoint and set up folders and permissions so confidential HR and board documents were restricted

Tips for a stronger Personal Assistant CV

Show whose diary you ran

Write the title of every person you supported and the size of the business, such as "Executive Assistant to the Group CEO, 2,400 staff" or "PA to three partners". The level of the executive tells a reader how much pressure and confidential information you can handle, which matters more than a long list of tasks.

Put numbers on your diary, travel and meetings

Give the number of meetings you managed a week, trips you booked a year, board or committee meetings you prepared for and people you organised events for. "Booked 40 international trips a year, including visas" shows a level of work that "travel arrangements" does not.

Name the tools by name

List the exact tools you use, such as Outlook delegate access, Teams, SharePoint, a board portal like Diligent Boards, and SAP Concur for expenses. Many companies run on Microsoft 365, and an assistant who already knows their board portal and expense system needs much less training.

Prove your discretion without giving secrets away

Mention that you handled board papers, HR matters or executive remuneration information, or signed a confidentiality agreement, but never name confidential deals or people. A line such as "managed confidential board and HR documents in line with POPIA" reassures an executive that you know where the line is.

Separate yourself from general admin

If you have also done reception or admin work, keep it short and lead with the things only a PA does, such as anticipating the executive's needs, preparing briefings, drafting correspondence on their behalf and managing their stakeholders. That is what makes a PA CV different from an admin clerk CV.

Questions people ask

What qualifications do I need to be a PA in South Africa?

Matric is the minimum, but most PA posts ask for an office qualification. Common ones are the N4 to N6 Management Assistant certificates from a TVET college, which lead to a National N Diploma once you add 18 months of relevant work experience, the ICB Office Administration qualifications (up to the Diploma in Office Administration at NQF level 6), or a diploma in office management and technology from a university of technology. Executive assistant posts often also ask for five or more years supporting senior managers.

What is the difference between a personal assistant and an executive assistant?

The titles are often used for the same job. An executive assistant usually supports a director or CEO and works more with the board, executive committee and outside stakeholders, while a personal assistant may support a manager or a small team, or a private person's household and business affairs. Use the title your employer gave you, and describe the level of the people you supported.

What is a board pack?

A board pack is the set of papers directors receive before a board or committee meeting, such as the agenda, the minutes of the last meeting, financial reports and papers asking the board to approve decisions. PAs often collect the papers from executives, check them, put them in order and send them out on time, usually with the company secretary. If you have done this, say how many meetings a year and which board portal you used.

Should a PA list typing speed on a CV?

Yes, if it is good, for example 50 words per minute or more, because many PA adverts still ask for it and some companies test it. Put it in your skills section together with your Microsoft 365 skills.

How do I move from receptionist or admin clerk to PA?

Take on PA-type work where you are, such as managing a manager's diary, taking minutes or booking travel, and write those tasks first on your CV. Study towards the Management Assistant N6 or an office administration diploma, and apply for junior PA or team assistant posts, which often support several managers at once.