On Friday, 1 September 2006 Chantel Cochrane of the Bank Windhoek Gobabis branch walked away as the Bank Windhoek Secretary of the Year for 2006. First runner-up was Adri van Heerden, personal assistant of the Executive Officer of Business Operations, followed by Jeanette de Waal, personal assistant of Corporate Banking, as the second runner-up.

"Traditionally, secretaries were expected to be excellent in typing and know shorthand off by heart. Today, however, the situation looks very diffe-rent. A secretary or personal assis-tant’s role is pivotal to any organi-zation and cannot be underestimated," said Elize Fahl, Group Human Resour-ces Advisor at Capricorn Investment Holdings.

Bank Windhoek is also sponsoring the National Personal Assistant Asso-ciation (NPAA)’s upcoming convention and Personal Assistant of the Year award to an amount of N$20 000. This gala event took place at the Safari Hotel on Wednesday, 6 September 2006.

James Hill, Managing Director of Bank Windhoek, emphasized: "The nature of a secretarial or personal assis-tant position has changed tremendously over the past few years. Today, being a secretary or personal assistant means that you are a professional with specialized skills and knowledge."

The annual Bank Windhoek Secretary of the Year Award is hosted by the Bank Windhoek Secretary Association (BWSA). This association aims to give recognition to secretaries and personal assistants at the Bank and create awareness about their important role within an organization. "This awards ceremony is one of the ways in which the BWSA tries to promote the profes-sions’ status and professionalism," emphasized Lauretta Stephanus, Chairperson of the BWSA. 

Chantel Cochrane of the Bank Windhoek Gobabis branch receives her award as the Bank’s Secretary of the Year from James Hill,