Secretarial- I work for: How I got my future all mapped out

DAISY EVANS WORKS FOR NICOLAS BABIN, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ETAK, THE DIGITAL MAPPING COMPANY

Last year when I came back from Japan, where I had been teaching English for two years, I decided to apply for jobs within the business sphere because I wanted to learn how global business functioned. Feeling that information technology was the way forward in the business world, I narrowed my choice down to companies specialising in developing technological communications, although it was an area I knew little about. However, rather than retraining via a course, I decided to pick up skills on the job.

When I saw an advert for an assistant at a digital mapping company it took my fancy, and I applied for the position even though the company was asking for someone with two years' experience in a technology company. I had seen digital mapping applied to in-car navigation systems in Japan, and was curious to know more about how these devices worked, how they were being marketed and who was using them. The thought of being part of a company developing a geographic information system fascinated me.

At the interview Nicolas, my boss-to-be, seemed a little scary because he was the very image of a professional manager. I was intrigued to discover that he was actually the same age as me, which set me thinking about how professionalism is really an aspect of someone's character, rather than a mask adopted for the sake of it. I warmed to Nicolas when he emphasised that he was looking for someone with the right attitude as well as integrity, curiosity and enthusiasm - rather than just skills.

I told him that I was interested in the Internet and Web-based applications, so when we began developing our Intranet site, shortly after I arrived, I was given the chance to get involved in building it up. As the project developed, so did my understanding of an area of the application of data in computerised form. It also made my colleagues' work more accessible to me rather than shrouded in mystery. But it was only once I was given a demonstration of a personal navigation system, in the form of a lap- top sitting beside me on a car journey, that I saw how the pieces of the puzzle fitted together. It was amazing to be able to watch the real environment through which we were travelling reflected on the screen, while a satellite positioning signal tracked our movements. Meanwhile, the system was planning the most efficient route for us, telling us when to turn left and right and keeping us out of heavy traffic.

Ironically, I am not a big believer in the car and prefer to travel on a bike - a very low-tech form of transport. But any form of technology that enhances traffic flow will also improve the life of other road users, and it seems absurd that the average frequent driver loses five working days a year waiting in traffic.

Nicolas and I have quite a subtle relationship, but I think that there is a very good level of trust between us. It amuses me that the stereotypical boss is seen as creative and disorganised, needing a PA to tidy up after him or her. The fact is that Nicolas is highly efficient and very good at delegating, which makes my role more that of a team-worker than a PA. Of course, part of my job is to keep everyone up to date with Nicolas's agenda, but I don't work exclusively for him - and he certainly doesn't ask me to organise his personal life.

I guess I am not really the conventional PA, but I think that's partly because Nicolas has a progressive approach towards his employees. He's not stuffy: instead he's encouraging and never puts people down, which means that his staff aren't bashful.

It's a very different philosophy from the Japanese company I once worked for, where the management were so frightened of people skiving off and abusing the system that it actually caused the employees to misbehave in rebellion. The dedication of my colleagues here really impresses me.

With only 25 of us here, the office is small enough to have a family feeling. People aren't scared of telling jokes and interrupting each other and, since it's a young company, we all enjoy socialising together, which gives an additional energy to the working environment.

I feel quite a lot of freedom through my job, because it has helped to focus me and enhanced my self-discipline. As the business expands, I look forward to becoming more involved with it.

But already I get a sense of satisfaction from having made a contribution, however small, to the information revolution.

Interview by Katie Sampson