In the late 20th century, the introduction of personal computers and other technologies led to a shift in secretarial professional titles and roles within offices, particularly in the US, UK Australia and New Zealand.
As a result, the title “assistant” became more prevalent, encompassing a broader range of duties beyond traditional secretarial tasks.
Today, we commonly use the term “executive assistant” for senior administrative roles and “administrative assistant” for a wide range of office and administrative tasks.
But with the advent of AI, we are seeing yet another shift from “executive assistant” to “administrative business partner”, reflecting a more strategic trajectory for the senior role.
Secretary, however, continues to be used and remains the term for large parts of Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.
