Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

Mel Bates has been nothing short of exceptional in her role as Virtual Assistant to me at Cybercy Group.

I have worked with many individuals over the years across cybersecurity, data protection, and AI at a very senior level and it is rare to come across someone who brings the level of consistency, ownership, and quiet excellence that Mel delivers every single day.

From the outset, Mel embedded herself into the business as more than just a VA. She became a trusted extension of me.  In a role where precision, discretion, and pace are absolutely critical, she has consistently operated at a level that gives me complete confidence that things are being handled, not just managed, but anticipated.

What truly sets Mel apart is her ability to stay two steps ahead.  She doesn’t wait to be asked.  She thinks, she plans, and she executes.  Whether it’s managing a complex diary across multiple time zones, coordinating high-stakes meetings with senior stakeholders, or ensuring that communications are handled with the right tone and professionalism, she does it seamlessly. And she does it with a calmness that brings structure to what is often a very fast-moving and high-pressure environment.

Mel’s attention to detail is exceptional.  Nothing slips.  She understands the importance of getting the small things right because she knows they underpin the big outcomes.  But beyond that, she understands context, she knows when something needs urgency, when something needs sensitivity, and when something simply needs to be done without noise.

There have been countless moments where Mel has gone above and beyond what would ever be expected of a Virtual Assistant.  Stepping in at short notice, resolving issues before they even reach me, protecting my time so I can focus on leading the business, these are not one-off instances, this is her standard.  She takes ownership in a way that most people simply don’t.

What I value most is the trust she has built.  In my position, trust is everything.  Knowing that Mel is across things, that she is representing me and the Cybercy brand to the highest standard, and that she genuinely cares about the outcomes, that is invaluable.  She operates with integrity, professionalism, and a level of pride in her work that is clear in everything she does.

Mel is not just organised, she is intelligent, intuitive, and commercially aware.  She understands the business, the priorities, and the pace required to operate at this level.  That combination is incredibly rare.

Quite simply, Mel Bates has been outstanding.  She has elevated how I operate day-to-day and has played a key role in enabling me to focus on growth, strategy, and delivering value to our clients.

If you are looking for someone who truly embodies excellence in the Virtual Assistant profession, someone who consistently goes above and beyond, adds real value, and operates with unwavering professionalism…Mel is that person.

I cannot recommend her highly enough.

April 2026 - Current Client 

Mel is indispensable to our business.

She is incredibly knowledgeable, highly organised and completely trustworthy and always delivers.

As our team grew, Mel proactively implemented SharePoint, transforming the way we work and making us far more efficient and consistent.

She spots opportunities, suggests improvements and genuinely supports growth.

I met Mel 4 years ago when just starting out and, in that time, have built connections with our mutual clients or networking contacts, all of whom say the same thing, that she is simply "great".

Knowing everything is in safe, capable hands with Mel gives us total peace of mind.  We would honestly be lost without her.

April 2026 - Current Client

To this day I am so proud to be Mel's first client and I cherish every day we work together.   

The PA Forum community stands at over 2000 members and I had never before been in a privileged position nor had the investment or the confidence to work so closely with someone, trusting them, bringing them into my circle of chaos and I can honestly say that I have never regretted a single moment since the day Mel said YES!  

Mel challenges the way I think with care, is incredibly thoughtful and is importantly really patient with me.  

I can be very up and down, sometimes filled with overwhelm and anxiety but Mel grounds me, keeps my feet to floor, my mind laser focused, protects me when I am in a time of need and most importantly is always ahead of me and knows how to manage me!

Since Mel came on board to work in partnership with me after successfully launching her VA Business she has thrown herself right in and sat across all of our many committees including East Midlands PA Forum and East Midlands PA Awards, Learning & Development Committees, CSR & EDI groups, Menopause Support Groups as well as managed our Mentoring Initiative.  

In addition, Mel takes ownership of creating our whole online, virtual events program liaising with all our speakers and giving her input and guidance on steering our L&D content across the year. 

Since Mel came into the VA World, it has been the catalyst for our community to do more to support our valued Virtual Assistant members, offer a more inclusive and varied program of networking, learning and activities that bring together the VA Community.  We now offer a wide variety of events supporting those members who are considering becoming self-employed, those just starting out on their journey and the more experienced VAs.  Mel also recently organised and managed our first stand alone Midlands VA Conference.

Mel has built such valuable relationships with our sponsors and partners, introducing new contacts and proactively looking for new opportunities, as well as our our members, committee members and other network leaders, always encouraging and champions others.  

Mel is an allie, an advocate, is all in and offers her expertise, her trust and her loyalty to the clients she loves to work with.   

Mel's encouragement and the strength in our relationship has given me the confidence to make big plans for 2026.  

April 2025 - Current Client

Birmingham Law Society has worked with Mel for 18 months and I am really pleased with the support we receive.  

Mel is always willing to help us with our requests and provides monthly minutes for our Board and Council meetings.  It is very important that minutes are accurate and we can always rely on Mel to do a great job or raise any issues that we need to look into.  

I would highly recommend Mel for any relevant task and look forward to continuing our professional relationship into the future. 

February 2025 - Current Client

Mel joined our team last summer and has been a huge asset to both me with support of the whole business but also the team!  

We couldn’t be without Mel.  

March 2024 - Past Client

  I can highly recommend Mel.  

She worked with us for a short period of time during a gap between staff to take the minutes of our board meetings.  She got to know us as an organisation and our needs very quickly and her work was of a high standard.  

Her friendly, can-do approach meant she was a joy to work with and whilst we only worked together briefly, I wouldn’t hesitate to reach out to her again should a similar situation arise in the future.

February 2025 - Past Client

I would highly recommend Mel.  Working together has been a total game-changer, for us as a business and for our clients.  

From creating and improving efficient processes, through supporting our clients to handling admin tasks like a pro, she has brought top-notch skills and sharp attention to detail to the table.  

Mel builds relationships easily and has this knack for getting stuff done efficiently and flawlessly, making everyone’s life a whole lot easier. If you're on the lookout for a virtual assistant who's reliable and totally on point, look no further.  

Huge thanks to you Mel, for your stellar support – you are a real asset to any team!  

February 2024 - Past Client

I love working with Mel!  

Mel is an exceptional PA who has demonstrated her ability to manage projects effectively.  

In particular, Mel’s contribution to the recent automation project we worked on together was invaluable, and we ended up saving the client hours of admin time.  

Mel doesn’t just want to ‘do the work’; she wants to help improve processes so that work can be done faster and more efficiently, even if that means fewer billable hours for her - which shows her true professionalism.  

I would happily recommend Mel time and time again.  

November 2023

Nothing is to much trouble, however challenging and if Mel doesn't know the answer I put 100% trust in her knowing she WILL find a solution.  

PA Forum is a membership organisation with a range of membership tiers of over 1200 members, Mel works with our developers and I.T. teams to ensure the smooth running across our platforms and has a fantastic relationship with all our partners.  

Mel always ensures we have a weekly catch up keeping me on track and focused whilst she stays steps ahead of me ensuring that all the tasks that really overwhelm me are all in hand, keeps me to any deadlines and is always offering solutions to any challenges we may face.  

We are a team, a collective, a partnership, not a day goes by where I don't reach the end of a working day and be so thankful for everything Mel has done to support me.  

Working alone can be an incredibly lonely place and having someone who can share a different point of view, challenge your way of thinking positively and encourage me as I always want to encourage her fills me with joy.  

Each year we host 3 larger events including 2 Awards ceremonies and an annual conference, this year has been particularly challenging as PA Forum continues to grow and evolve but Mel has keeps on top of the detail, is an awesome communicator and really just a total joy to work with.  

Thank you Mel for everything you do, thank you for challenging me, picking me up when I need help and always being there, your a star and I am and always will be forever grateful to you.  

May 2023 - Current Client

Hard working, accurate, professional, happy to take the initiative and always willing to take on a challenge, Mel was a pleasure to work alongside.  She created a great structure for running our various Boards and Committees.  And her smile was never far away.  With all those attributes I am sure her new venture will be a success.   

May 2023

Mel provided fantastic support to me and Oxygen for a maternity cover.  Mel got up to speed really fast, fitted into the culture and took on lots of additional responsibilities to help during her time with us.  I couldn't recommended more highly.  Diligent, proactive, reliable and knowledgeable.  

May 2023