From Food Banks to CEO: Leading the Next Evolution of the International Association of Online Business Managers

Six years ago, Amanda Hyde-Pierce was standing at a crossroads few people ever expect to face. Following the breakdown of her twenty year marriage, she found herself struggling financially, taking on Virtual Assistant work just to survive, remortgaging her home, and relying on support from a food bank while trying to rebuild her future.

Today, she is the CEO of the IAOBM, the very organisation that once changed the course of her own life.

The story behind that transformation is not simply about career success. It is about resilience, reinvention, and the growing importance of operational leadership in a rapidly evolving digital economy.

As of May 1, 2026, Hyde-Pierce officially took the helm of the IAOBM, the world’s longest-standing professional body dedicated to the training, certification, and advancement of Online Business Managers. Founded in 2009 by Canadian entrepreneur Tina Forsyth, the organisation has spent nearly two decades shaping a profession that operates quietly behind many successful businesses around the world.

Now under Hyde-Pierce’s leadership, the IAOBM is entering a new era centred on operational excellence, AI-powered business support, and future-focused strategic leadership.

The Decision That Changed Everything

Long before becoming CEO, Amanda Hyde-Pierce was simply searching for a way forward.

At the time, she had no roadmap, no financial safety net, and little certainty about what came next. While researching ways to rebuild her life and gain financial security, she discovered the IAOBM and the Certified OBM® programme created by Tina Forsyth.

Something about it stayed with her.

Despite having no real way to afford the training, Hyde-Pierce made a decision that still feels surreal to her today. She maxed out her credit card and enrolled anyway.

“It terrified me,” she admits. “But I felt so strongly pulled toward it. I could not explain it logically. I just knew I had to try.”

That decision changed everything.

Within 12 months, Hyde-Pierce had built a fully booked business as a Certified OBM®, supporting entrepreneurs, authors, TEDx speakers, psychotherapists, and animal welfare organisations internationally. Just two years later, she became the first UK-based trainer in IAOBM history, helping others build successful Online Business Manager careers of their own.

What Hyde-Pierce discovered was that many skills developed in traditional office environments translate naturally into the Online Business Manager role.

Having previously worked in PA, Executive Assistant, team leadership, and operational support roles herself, she realised the profession gave experienced professionals a way to turn those high-level organisational and leadership skills into businesses of their own.

“For years, I never imagined someone like me could own a business,” Hyde-Pierce says. “I came from an office background. What I eventually realised was that many professionals already have incredibly valuable operational and leadership skills. Becoming an OBM gave me a way to turn those skills into freedom, flexibility, and real impact.Then came the moment she never expected.

After seventeen years leading the global organisation she founded, Tina Forsyth made the decision to step away from the IAOBM, passing the baton of leadership to Hyde-Pierce.

Forsyth believes the timing of the transition could not be more important.

“In the new AI era, where everything is changing, the tools, the way we work, the way businesses are run, and what leadership actually looks like, the need for strategic, human-led operations has never been greater,” Forsyth explains. “Amanda understands this and has a clear vision for the incredible opportunity it represents.”

For someone who once relied on food banks while trying to survive, becoming CEO of the global organisation that helped rebuild her life felt deeply personal.

Hyde-Pierce shares, “Seventeen years of impact. Thousands of lives changed.

To be trusted with that by the woman who created it?

There aren’t really words.

I keep thinking back to that moment in my old home. Sitting there, scared, hoping I hadn’t just made the worst decision of my life.

If I could speak to that version of me now, I’d say:

“You trusted the right voice.”

This next chapter of the IAOBM matters deeply to me.

Honouring what Tina built.

Protecting the standard.

And continuing to change lives.” 

For Hyde-Pierce, the moment represented far more than a career milestone. It was proof that rebuilding a life from nothing is possible with the right opportunity, support, and belief.

Why Online Business Managers Matter More Than Ever

The rise of Online Business Managers reflects a broader shift happening across entrepreneurship and digital business.

As online companies scale rapidly, many founders struggle to manage operations, systems, teams, launches, and growth simultaneously. The result is often burnout, overwhelm, and businesses operating without the strategic structure needed for long term sustainability.

That is where Certified OBMs® step in.

Unlike  traditional assistants who operate at a task-based level, Online Business Managers provide leadership-level operational support. They oversee systems, strategy, project management, team coordination, and business infrastructure, allowing founders to focus on vision and growth.

For Hyde-Pierce, the impact of the profession extends far beyond productivity.

“A few years ago, a business owner told me her business had become a nightmare,” she recalls. “She barely slept, constantly worried she had forgotten something, and spent nights crying from overwhelm. She found one of my posts online, hired me the next day, and everything changed from there.” Today, that client has a thriving global business that requires less than 15 hours of her time each week. 

That experience reinforced something Hyde-Pierce believes deeply: operational leadership changes lives not only for OBMs themselves, but for the entrepreneurs and businesses they support.

Entering The AI Era Of Operational Leadership

As artificial intelligence continues reshaping the business world, Hyde-Pierce believes the role of strategic operational leaders is becoming even more essential.

Under her leadership, the IAOBM is expanding its focus through programmes such as the AI-Empowered, Certified OBM® and Certified AI Strategist certifications. These initiatives are designed to help professionals integrate AI tools into operational strategy while maintaining the human leadership and strategic thinking businesses still desperately need.

For nearly two decades, the IAOBM has supported Certified OBMs® in helping businesses strengthen operations, improve workflows, build scalable systems, and lead growth behind the scenes. Today, that foundation is evolving further through AI strategy and intelligent operational support, helping Certified OBMs guide businesses through the next era of modern operations.

A Career Path Built Around Freedom And Impact

One reason the Certified OBM® profession continues attracting attention is the flexibility and transformation it offers professionals seeking meaningful work on their own terms.

Many graduates describe the certification as life changing.

Ayesha Bhimji says, “I’ve gained so many invaluable skills to take forward in my business (and life in general), thanks to Amanda’s expertise and unwavering encouragement. Highly recommend to anyone serious about their OBM journey!”

“What sets this program apart…” says Ziggy Marot, “isn't just the comprehensive, real-world materials (though they're brilliant). It's Amanda's extraordinary dedication to excellence …”

For Gemma Glegg it gave her structure and frameworks she needed. “I needed to really excel in my role and it has helped me feel so much more confident in what I do. I now have the tools, systems and clarity to contribute at a higher level and that confidence has been game changing…It is an amazing experience that I honestly cannot recommend enough.”

These stories reflect the broader mission Hyde-Pierce now leads: helping professionals build careers that support both financial stability and personal freedom.

Award Winning Leadership In AI Driven Operations

Amanda Hyde-Pierce has been recognised by Best of Best Review as the Best Operational Leadership & AI Strategy Trainer of 2026, an honour that reflects her growing influence in the evolution of modern operational leadership. The award highlights Hyde-Pierce’s commitment to combining strategic business operations with forward thinking AI integration, helping entrepreneurs and Online Business Managers build scalable, sustainable businesses with greater clarity and efficiency

Leading The Next Chapter Of The IAOBM

Today, Amanda Hyde-Pierce’s story represents something larger than individual success. It reflects the growing recognition that operational leadership, strategic support, and AI-enabled systems are becoming essential pillars of modern business.

Yet despite her new title, Hyde-Pierce remains grounded in the experience that brought her here.

“What if work could fit around life instead of life fitting around work?” she asks. “That is what this profession has the power to create.”

As CEO of the IAOBM, her mission is clear: protect the standards Tina Forsyth built, continue raising the global profile of Online Business Managers, and help shape the next generation of AI-enabled operational leaders ready to support businesses in a rapidly changing world.

Learn more about the International Association of Online Business Managers website. Connect with Amanda Hyde-Pierce on LinkedIn.