How CXOs optimise processes and save costs with Acuity EA support

Published on July 30, 2025 by Venkatarao Bodapati and Sachintha Vidanapathirana

Today’s highly volatile and dynamic business environment has further complicated the work lives of C-suite executives. As they spend most of their day strategising their next move and exploring potential business opportunities, efficient support from an executive assistant (EA) becomes vital.

However, organisations have been facing a number of challenges since the pandemic in terms of hiring and retaining efficient EAs. Hiring a remote EA helps address these issues and adds flexibility and scalability to operations.

Transforming the EA landscape: Increasing cost of onshore resources, along with the need for greater flexibility, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, drives the rise of remote EA support

The landscape of EA support has been transformed significantly recently, especially due to the pandemic and the increase in remote-working capabilities. EAs were traditionally a constant presence in the office, moving between executives' cabins and other locations to manage daily tasks and schedules. Technological advancements have now evolved the EA role to meet the demands of a fast-paced digital environment.

Remote EAs are now viewed as essential partners able to handle modern business challenges without being physically present in the office. Organisations increasingly recognise the need for tech-savvy EAs who can filter and prioritise tasks while supporting decision-making and project management. This shift underscores a trend where remote EAs are not just assistants but strategic partners crucial to an executive's success.

When mobility restrictions eased, many EAs chose to remain in remote positions, appreciating the potential for improved work-life balance and growth opportunities. Given the economic pressures amid the pandemic, organisations face tighter budgets that make retaining seasoned in-house EAs more challenging. Rising costs associated with in-house hiring have driven the acceptance of remote EA support as a practical and cost-effective solution.

Remote EAs offer unparalleled flexibility and efficiency, serving clients worldwide regardless of geographical constraints. By using advanced collaboration and communication tools, they ensure smooth workflow and maintain constant connectivity, creating a seamless operational experience for executives. In terms of managing calendars, coordinating meetings, making travel arrangements and supporting projects, remote EAs can match traditional EAs by using the various enhancements available in the remote-working landscape.

The financial advantages of hiring a remote EA are also compelling; clients save on expenses related to benefits, training and onboarding, typically required for onsite assistants. Amid evolving business climates, remote EAs offer a scalable solution that conserves resources and enhances efficiency, proving themselves to be key contributors to organisational success.

Acuity offers comprehensive EA services for financial institutions

Acuity has developed robust processes and gained domain experience in providing EA functions to deliver best-in-class services to CXO-level and senior-level executives over the past 20 years, supporting more than 50 financial institutions including investment banks, asset managers and private equity firms. We also offer EA services in multiple languages, such as English, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, Portuguese and Korean from our delivery centres in India, Sri Lanka, China and Costa Rica.

Our robust process includes centralisation, standardisation and technology, driving efficiency gains for our clients. Centralisation achieves immediate cost savings and – crucially – provides the required platform for effective standardisation, while standardised work helps eliminate duplicate processes. Our proprietary AI tool Acuity Assistant boosts our resources' productivity in making travel plans and restaurant bookings and offering other solutions for our clients.

Key benefits of working with Acuity

• 30-50% cost saving vs the fully loaded cost of onshore resources

• Adjustable team size based on demand dynamics

• Quality reviews and mentoring of junior EAs

• Same-time-zone coverage

• Seamless transition and attracting the best offshore talent

• Strongest compliance and InfoSec framework

How we help clients with EA support

We have partnered with a number of investment banks in the US and Europe to provide remote EA support to their C-suite/senior-level executives (MDs, directors and VPs). We liaise with each executive to understand their unique requirements and work closely with them to source the right candidate. We then initiate a proof-of-concept process via a three-month pilot; this can be extended to an annuity contract based on the outcome.

About Acuity Knowledge Partners

We are globally recognised as a leading provider of tailored research and analytics support to the financial services sector, serving 660 clients with 6,500 domain experts stationed in offshore locations. We currently work with over 225 banks and corporate advisory firms to provide services across M&A, ECM/DCM, leveraged finance, lending origination, underwriting and monitoring, sell-side research and operations, publishing, private banking and wealth management, and global market operations.

We set up dedicated teams for our clients in line with their needs at our delivery centres in India, Sri Lanka, China and Costa Rica. We enable the smooth functioning of client teams by taking ownership of medium- to high-complexity tasks so they can dedicate more time to high-value-adding and revenue-generating activities.

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