I am confident that Abraham Harrison would cease to exist without the expert organization of executive assistant, Priya Malla. Priya helps keep the company, Chris in particular, on schedule and moving forward – all from about a million miles away in Mauritius.
Earlier this week I convinced Priya to share with Marketing Conversation readers her secrets to keeping AH staff on the straight and narrow as well as to tell us more about Mauritius, since it is such a popular residence for AH staff.
Ellie Brown: I know very little about Mauritius. Since you were born and raised there do you have any fun facts to share?
Priya Malla: Of course! Mauritius is a small island in the Indian Ocean next to Madagascar (which is next to the southern tip of the African continent). The population is about 1.2 million people. We speak English as our official language, but conversationally everyone speaks Creole and a little French. I think this is something very cool about the people of Mauritius – that we come from so many different backgrounds but are bound together by common languages.
EB: What is a typical work day like for you?
PM: My typical work day is from about 5 pm to 1 am local Mauritius time, which is 9-5 in the U.S. My days (well nights really) are never the same and I spend a lot of time checking emails, organizing Chris’s calendar and following up on his various activities.
EB: What is a typical non-work day like for you? You must go to the beach all the time, living on an island and all.
PM: I guess I have pretty typical days off. I like to go out with friends and watch movies. I’ve also just joined a painting class. And as for the beach, I actually don’t really like the sun which is funny for someone born on an island.
EB: What did you do before starting at AH and how did those experiences prepare you for your current role as executive assistant?
I started at AH in March of 2009, but before then I worked at an international real estate agency for 8 years. What I liked most about working there was that I was exposed to so many different people from different countries. I met people from all over the world when they would come in or call about real estate in Mauritius. That is something I love about working at AH – the international environment. Oh, and working from home.
EB: So your favorite part about working at AH must be the short commute.
PM: The short commute is definitely part of it. But I also like the atmosphere. It sounds funny to talk about company atmosphere when it is virtual, but the longer I’ve worked for AH the more connected I feel to the company and staff. I like that everyone at AH, even upper management, is friendly, professional and approachable. In Mauritius, unless you yourself are upper management you don’t really work with anyone in upper management. Here it is the complete opposite. Everyone has a relationship with everyone else.
EB: If Chris and Mark gave you a million dollar bonus, what would you do with it?
PM: Ha! They should probably keep it for a while, since if I got it, I’d be off on a world tour tomorrow. I’m a very spiritual person and I would love to visit all the major pilgrimage centers in the world – starting in India, then maybe visiting ashrams in California.
I’d also love to come to D.C. since I feel like I know D.C. better than I know my own city. I’ve been scheduling meetings for Chris all over the city so I know many restaurants, coffee shops and other places – I wouldn’t even need a map to get around!
Very impressive Priya! I still know too many D.C. residents that don’t even know the difference between the quadrants – me being one of them until very recently. Read more about Priya on Abraham Harrison’s company website.
