This document provides a summary of Nicola Dixon's education, qualifications, work experience and skills. It details that she holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Business and Secretarial Administration from University of Northumbria and an MA in French and Spanish from University of St Andrews. Her work experience spans over 15 years working in roles such as a PA, administrator and secretary for various organizations. She has strong skills in areas such as diary management, meeting coordination, document preparation, correspondence handling, travel arrangements, and office administration.
A brief (and most definitely incomplete) introduction to the world of open source GIS. Here I present some reasons open source options are useful and then give a brief introduction to the tools I use most: QGIS, PostGIS, and R. This talk was presented at the California Natural Resources Agency GIS Day on November 13, 2014.
A brief (and most definitely incomplete) introduction to the world of open source GIS. Here I present some reasons open source options are useful and then give a brief introduction to the tools I use most: QGIS, PostGIS, and R. This talk was presented at the California Natural Resources Agency GIS Day on November 13, 2014.
1. NICOLA DIXON
10 Greenacres
Ponteland
Northumberland
NE20 9RT
United Kingdom
CONTACT PHONE NUMBER: 07845 218731
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/08/71
EDUCATION:
Universityof Northumbria
1995-1996
Postgraduate Diploma in Business and Secretarial Administration
MS Office packages, Shorthand (Teeline), Economics, European Business, Marketing, Accounting,
Management Development, Data Management
Universityof St Andrews
1989-1994
MA Joint Honours in French and Spanish - 2.2
As part of my degree course, I spent one year working as an English language teacher in Bordeaux
and spent four months studying in Spain
Central Newcastle High School
1981-1989
GCE A-Levels 1989 French, German and English
GCSE 1988 Spanish
GCE O-Levels 1987 English Literature, English Language, Mathematics, History, French,
German and Latin
2. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
NORTHUMBRIAUNIVERSITY – PA
March 2011 to present date
I work as a PA to the Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. The
position involves:
Diary management and scheduling meetings, internally and externally to maximise time
efficiency for the Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor
Preparing and collating papers and preparing a daily bring forward file for the Faculty Pro
Vice-Chancellor
Preparing agendas, collating papers and taking meeting minutes
Analysing, prioritising and promptly actioning calls and e-mails to the Faculty Pro Vice-
Chancellor
Drafting and typing correspondence
Logging, tracking and actioning correspondence in a timely manner and responding to
correspondence for the Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor as required
Arranging national and international travel, visas and preparing detailed itineraries
Preparing information for reports
Producing presentations
Collating and processing monthly expenses and mileage
Maintaining an efficient file and retrieval system
Liaising with internal and external colleagues
The position involves the use of MS Office.
NORTHUMBRIAUNIVERSITY – PA
September 2010 to January 2011
I worked as a temporary PA to the Financial Accounting Director and the Financial Planning
Director. The position involved:
Diary management and scheduling meetings
Preparing papers and preparing weekly bring forward files
Preparing agendas and minute taking
Receiving, prioritising and promptly actioning calls and e-mails
Drafting, typing and proofing documents and correspondence
Logging and actioning correspondence in a timely manner
Arranging travel and preparing itineraries
Maintaining a filing system
Liaising with internal and external colleagues
The position involved the use of MS Office.
ONE NORTH EAST (Regional Development Agency) – PA
June 2005 to September 2010
I worked as PA to the Head of Tourism and Culture for the North East of England and for the Chair
of the NE Tourism Advisory Board. This position involved:
Minute taking
3. Diary management and scheduling both internal and external meetings, including meetings
with stakeholders and governmental department
Arranging national and overseas travel and preparing detailed itineraries
Organising internal and external workshops and Away Days at internal and external venues
Preparing, typing and proofing documents and correspondence on behalf of the Head of
Tourism and Chair of the NE Tourism Advisory Board
Producing presentations
Internet and media research
Background research, analysis, preparation, data collation and drafting of reports
Maintaining a departmental budget and monitoring spending
Responsible for maintenance of departmental HR and training records
Team “Superuser” – responsible for assisting team with IT queries and training new
members of staff on internal IT systems
Collating and processing monthly expenses
Responsible for office upkeep
The position involved the use of MS Office, the Internet and various internal applications.
NERIP (North East Regional Information Partnership) – PA
March 2004 to June 2005.
(NERIP acted as a research/information service for the region – stakeholders include One North
East, Government Office for the North East and the Association of North East Councils).
I worked as a PA for the Director of Regional Intelligence and the Director of NERIP. This position
included:-
Minute taking
Producing presentations
Diary management and scheduling both internal and external meetings
Arranging travel and preparing detailed itineraries
Organisation of stakeholder workshops at internal and external venues
Data collation, analysis and preparation of reports
Preparing and typing correspondence
Internet and media research
Responsible for petty cash
Responsible for office upkeep
Ordering of all departmental stationery and equipment
The position involved the use of Microsoft Office and the Internet.
NEWCASTLE GATESHEAD INITIATIVE – PA/Administrator
November 2001 to March 2004
(Newcastle Gateshead Initiative markets the region locally and further afield).
I worked as PA to the Creative Director and the Convention Bureau Manager and was also
seconded to work as PA to the Chief Executive. The position involved many tasks, including:-
Minute taking
Producing presentations
Assisting at meetings and events for the Convention Bureau
Data collation, analysis and preparation of reports
Preparing and typing correspondence
Diary management and scheduling both internal and external meetings
Responsibility for departmental database and documentation prior to annual invoicing
4. Arranging travel and preparing detailed itineraries
Internet research and administration of website
The position involved the use of Microsoft Office and the Internet.
SOLUTIONS RECRUITMENT - TemporaryAssignment as PA
October 2001 to November 2001
(Recruitment Agency)
The assignment involved working as a temporary PA to the Call Centre Manager for Your Move.
The position involved:-
Minute taking
Diary management and scheduling meetings
Preparing and typing correspondence
Arranging travel
Responsible for logging and tracking of IT problems within the call centre
The position involved the use of Microsoft Office and an internal diary system.
GILL AIRWAYS (Air France Franchisee) - PA/Departmental Secretary
April 1998 to September 2001
(Airline)
I was initially employed as the bilingual PA to the Commercial Director and as Departmental
Secretary for the Commercial Department. My role also included assisting the Customer Relations
Manager, the Sales Manager and the Communications (PR) Manager. My involvement in these
areas developed my skills and experience in other areas of the business. I also deputised for the
Managing Director's PA.
The position also consisted of:-
Collecting and analysing data for preparation of monthly statistical reports and customer
questionnaires
Preparation of tenders
Preparing marketing material
Assisting with customer relations and charter flight issues
Answering queries from public and press
Liaising with Air France office in Paris
Translating and writing various documents in French and English
Responsible for administration of airline loyalty card
Co-ordination of departmental HR matters, including outposts in Scotland and Northern
Ireland
Responsibility for all departmental invoices
Minute taking
Diary management and scheduling meetings
Preparing and typing correspondence
Arranging foreign travel, visas and preparing itineraries
Responsible for distribution and answering of e-mails from the company website
Logging and tracking of IT problems
Answering incoming calls and e-mails
Ordering of all departmental stationery and equipment
General administration to ensure the smooth running of the department on a day-to-day
basis
5. The position involved the use of Microsoft Office, the Internet and in-house computer packages.
This post was a constantly changing and challenging role. Prioritising and coping with an
exceedingly high workload was vital. In order to succeed in such a high pressured environment, I
had to be very adaptable and a good team player, willing to turn my hand to any area of the
business required.
SHL LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES - Resource Co-ordinator
November 1996 to April 1998
(US-owned IT Training Company)
I worked as an administrator for a multi-site computer training company, including close liaison with
sales personnel and trainers.
This involved:-
Scheduling courses in standard or tailored format or on-site for specific customer
requirements
The profitability and budgeting of courses and ensuring they ran smoothly
Dealing with all aspects of customer involvement in courses. In this function, up to three
members of staff reported to me on aspects of this work
Responsible for course supplies’ purchases
The position involved the use of Microsoft Office, the Internet and the maintenance of internal
systems for ISO9000.
FENWICK LIMITED - Sales Assistant and Clerk - Part-Time
October 1995 to October 1996, whilst at University
(Department Store)
LLOYDS BANK plc - Cashier and Administrator
July 1994 - September 1995
After leaving University, I began employment with Lloyds Bank plc, with a view to gaining entry to
the Management Training Programme. My initial training at branch level included:-
Account card processing
Cashpoint machine organisation
Control of returned cheques
General administrative duties
TRAINING COURSES
I have regularly attended refresher MS courses throughout my career to keep my PC skills updated.
Clean Driving Licence held since 1992.
REFEREES
Available on request