Thirty years. Both sides of the desk.
The Core Standard was built by people who have placed, trained, and worked as Executive Assistants. We know what the role demands. We know what interviews miss. We built the assessment we wish we'd had for the last thirteen years.
Thirteen years of placements. One recurring problem.
Across thirteen years of placing Executive Assistants and Private PAs, Lily Shippen has seen the same pattern repeat. Candidates who interviewed with polish but collapsed in the first week, alongside candidates who did not present well in the room but went on to hold a complex seat with quiet authority.
The real issue facing the profession has never been whether EAs are capable. The issue is that the industry has lacked a common language for describing what good actually looks like. Interviews test confidence and rehearsal; they cannot catch judgement under pressure, the micro-decisions that define a good day, or the discretion that makes a principal's life work. The result is expensive mis-hires and unfair outcomes for candidates who happen to interview less well than they operate.
The Core Standard was built to close that gap. It does not replace the interview. It adds the piece the interview cannot reach: a realistic working day, measured.
Built by specialists.
The Core Standard is a Lily Shippen business, co-founded with Emily Partridge. Between them, nearly thirty years of hiring, placing, and working in the seat at the highest level of the EA profession.
Every module earns its place, including the AI Fluency probe at L2 and L3 and the Data Interpretation module at L3. We keep the framework evolving because the profession is evolving.
Lily is the founder of Lily Shippen Ltd, one of the UK's leading specialist EA and PA recruitment agencies. Over thirteen years she has placed Executive Assistants across London and the South East, working with founders, principals, family offices, and C-suite teams in finance, property, tech, and private households.
Lily writes and approves the scenario content, owns the brand and commercial direction, and personally signs off every employer assessment. If it carries The Core Standard name, she has read it.
Emily is a former C-suite global EA and EA Team Manager, and is Managing Director of eavolve, the sister brand for EA, PA, and Chief of Staff development. Her career has been spent at the highest level of the profession.
She co-authored the rubric behind The Core Standard, bringing the perspective of someone who has done the job at the top of the profession. She does not just know what the work demands; she has lived it.
Hire. Develop. Assess.
The Core Standard does not stand alone. It is part of a three brand ecosystem that covers the full EA career. From the first placement, through years of development, to measurable performance on the job.
Lily Shippen
The parent brand. Specialist EA, PA, and Chief of Staff recruitment, built over thirteen years into one of the most recognised names for EA hiring across the UK.
eavolve®
EA, PA, and Chief of Staff training and development, built and delivered by those who have lived and breathed the role.
The Core Standard
The assessment platform. The measurement layer across the whole ecosystem. Before hire, during hire, and for ongoing performance benchmarking.
Four principles.
These are not marketing lines. They are the decisions that shaped how the assessment was built, and the standard we hold ourselves to with every report we sign off.
Approach over answers.
We do not test what a candidate knows. We test how they think. Judgement, not recall.
Evidence over intuition.
Every score is backed by the candidate's own words. No black box, and no unfalsifiable claims.
Expert reviewed.
Nothing goes out machine only. A specialist recruiter signs off every employer report. Always.
Fair to both sides.
Candidates deserve a fair, rigorous test of what they actually do. Employers deserve signal they can trust. We build for both.
Commission. Certify. Or just say hello.
Whether you're hiring, hiring smarter, or thinking about your own EA career, we'd love to hear from you.