MALAYSIAN ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL SECRETARIES & ADMINSTRATORS
PERSATUAN SETIAUSAHA PROFESSIONAL & PENTADBIR MALAYSIA (365 Selangor)

ASA

Profile:
The Association of Secretaries in Asia (ASA) the brainchild of the Philippine Association of Secretaries (PAS) was founded in 1974. PAS hosted the first Asian Congress of Secretaries in Manila that year which was attended by secretaries from secretarial associations from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of China, Singapore, Thailand and Australia.

At the 13th ASA Congress held on 20 September 2000, the Association’s name was changed to Association of Secretaries and Administrative Professionals in Asia Pacific (ASAPAP) to reflect the changing role of secretaries as administrative professionals. Currently, the following secretarial associations are members of ASAPAP and their date of registration:

• Philippine Association of Secretaries (February 1974)
• The Women Secretaries Association of Thailand (February 1974)
• Ikatan Sekretaries Indonesia (June 1974)
• Hong Kong Association of Secretaries & Administrative Professionals Limited (August 1974)
• Singapore Association of Personal & Executive Secretaries (January 1974)
• National Institute of Professional Secretaries, India (April 1974)
• Malaysian Association of Professional Secretaries & Administrators (November 1975)
• The Professional Secretaries Association of the Republic of China (May 1980)
• Distinguished Secretaries’ Society of Pakistan (March 1982)
• The Japan Secretaries Association (March 1982)
• Sri Lanka Association of Personal Secretaries (May 1990)
• Brunei Society of Secretaries (1991)
• Association of Administrative Professionals NZ (1997)
• West New Britain Association of Secretaries (Papua New Guinea) (September 2000)
• Professional Secretaries’ Welfare Association (Bangladesh) (September 2000)
• Australian Institute of Office Professionals (September 2000)

The formation of ASAPAP (formerly ASA) has created a means for secretarial associations to communicate with each other for the betterment of the individual association and the profession.

The main objectives of ASA are:

• to gain recognition for the secretaries & administrative professionals, and
• to promote friendship, understanding, unity and the exchange of ideas among the secretaries & administrative professionals in Asia.

An ASAPAP Congress is held biennially and it is hosted by one of the member associations on a rotation basis according to seniority of their membership in ASAPAP. To-date 15 congresses have been held. SAPES will host the 16th Congress in 2004, followed by NIPS in 2006 and MAPSA will host the 18th Congress in 2008. These biennial congresses have brought together secretaries and administrative professionals of different backgrounds, culture and work environment from all over the Asia Pacific region and the USA to work continuously on the upgrading of the secretarial and administrative profession.