Hello, I'm Helen
I'm an employee experience, culture and communications consultant, and a leadership coach, accredited by the International Coaching Federation.
I’m here to make work more people-centred, productive and fulfilling, for everyone, every day.
What people say
“Helen is a strategic thought leader who has been fundamental in repositioning Zoopla’s EVP and employee experience, including our approach to D,E & I. She is deeply thoughtful and empathetic in her approach, always conscious of the audience and the communication to that audience. She is well-read on her areas of expertise and stays on top of ever-evolving trends in the market – as such, she operates as a trusted advisor to me as Chief People Officer and also to our Chief Executive Officer. We would not have achieved half of what we have implemented in the past three years across the employee experience without Helen’s trusted partnership.”
Catrin Anderson
Chief People Officer, Zoopla
“Helen is hugely talented and a joy to work with. Her work is considered, authentic and impactful. She challenges thinking, knows how to engage and connect with people and has been a huge asset and support in how to communicate complex problems, information or issues. She is the first person I call if I want to deliver great work that speaks to colleagues on a human level and achieves our business objectives.
Helen would be an asset to any organisation as a listening ear, a critical friend, a communications expert, a development consultant and an engager of people. She’s simply brilliant.”
Beth-Marie Norbury
Group Culture & Leadership Change Director,
Babcock International Group PLC
“Helen is a rare and exceptional talent in the employee experience, culture and innovation space – but as important, she appreciates the realities and practical considerations of her clients’ circumstances. She has a unique ability to translate observations & interactions into ‘gems’ of insights, which she can then effortlessly transfer into real actions. My Exco colleagues and leadership team valued working with her – we involved her in strategic discussions to benefit from her thinking and bias for action.”
Laura Hagan
Chief HR Officer,
Tate & Lyle PLC
“Helen is one of the most talented individuals I have ever worked with. Helen has a breadth which is rare to find, but is clearly shown in her career. She can turn her hand to anything – her intelligence, sophisticated communication skills, eye for design, and ability to be strategic but also execute all manner of projects means she successfully operates at all levels, and delivers consistently outstanding work. Helen’s broad experience, creative flair, passion for people and for doing the right thing, mean that she understands culture change instinctively. Importantly though, it also means she knows how to make things happen and transform in big organisations.”
Tammy Potter
People Director,
Elvie
“Helen’s authentic and genuine style puts others at ease; when faced with a challenging situation, people look to her for a positive fresh perspective and effective solutions. I’ve been lucky to work closely with Helen, she’s been one of my biggest supporters and a fantastic coach and mentor, always pushing me beyond my comfort zone, challenging me to think bigger and giving me the confidence I need to take important steps in my career. Her unwavering support has helped me get to where I am now and will shape my future decisions for years to come. I’ve loved every minute working alongside Helen and I genuinely cannot recommend partnering with her enough.”
Abi Lawrence
Employee Engagement Executive, Zoopla
Six things to know about me
I’m a Sociology graduate
From my first Sociology class at the age of 16, I was gripped by how ideas spread and turn into movements. So I understand how culture works, both academically and instinctively.
I get founder-led culture
I started my career at Dyson, and worked with Sir James Dyson from the age of 21. I understand a founder’s legendary status; the idiosyncrasies, the pros and the compromises of visionaries who have a profound effect on cultures. And I can speak truth to power, coach and persuade.
I also get what it’s like to work (and lead) in big, global, matrixed organisations
I’ve experienced the best of what work can offer, as well as some things that need to change. I’ve managed large, matrixed, global teams and know how leaky a ‘cascade’ is. I draw on these diverse experiences and use empathy to make plans that overcome complexity and really resonate with employees.
I’m multilingual; fluent in C-Suite and Shop-floor
I’ve sat at the top table with politicians, MDs and yes, billionaires from the start of my career, and since worked with founders and CEOs in international PLCs and tech scale-ups. I’ve also been an employee rep and a small cog in a very big machine. I know how to hold my own with Chiefs, and how to connect with employees.
I’m not your average HR person
I spent the first nine years of my career writing, planning and leading communications for Dyson – internal and external. Developing and telling stories and shaping reputations. I brought these skills into the People team, because most don’t have them as standard. Chief People Officers and their teams value my different perspectives and skills.
I spent years teaching design
In my first job I taught thousands of young people about design, throughout the UK and internationally. I get the design process, have enormous respect for designers (I’m married to one), know what good looks like, how to get there, and how to build something special.
I believe…
I bring these beliefs into every project, for every client.
Everyone deserves dignified, meaningful and fulfilling work
Companies, employees, and society are always the better off for it. We need organisations to be a force for good; in the world and for their employees. I’m optimistic; change is happening now, and the future of work is bright.
Communication is everything
Cultures and communities are built through communication. Verbal, visual, written, non-verbal… what and how you communicate as an organisation and as leaders can enhance the culture and reputation you’re trying to build (or, undermine it).
Deeds are worth more than words
Delivering the message well is critical, but that’s just the start. Your culture needs to see you act, not just talk. One of my clients very kindly gave me a suffragette tea towel for Christmas and it hangs on my wall next to my monitor to remind me.
The best teams are diverse teams
And there are not nearly enough of them. I’m not a diversity, equity and inclusion specialist, but I educate myself, work with specialists when needed, and aim to be an ally in all the work I do. To help disadvantaged women get dignified work, I am a CV coach for the Young Women’s Trust.
Work is a piece of the pie, not one end of a see-saw
If you’re in the C-suite (or near it), chances are ‘work’ is a pretty large chunk of your ‘life’ pie chart. But for many employees, the ratio between their ‘work’ chunk and their family / leisure / learning / caring / side-hustle chunks is shifting. Organisations need to respond.
You can’t design a culture. But you can nudge it
Your culture exists whether you like it or not. But you can pull certain levers, make certain interventions, that will nudge it in a particular direction, and that’s the key to progress and transformation.
Culture change needs to be owned by the culture
I work as an extension of the team, co-creating everything through participative experiences with employees. The work is owned by the team, fit for purpose, and endures far beyond the duration of my engagement. No hundred-page PDFs that leave more questions than answers; just ideas, experiments and progress.
How I can help
I help Chief Executives and Chief People Officers nudge their company’s culture in ways that are good for the organisation and its people. You’ll find me at the intersection between the People team and Internal Communications. Specialising in end-to-end employee experience strategy and creative communications, I partner with organisations to build better workplace cultures.
If you’re facing any of the following challenges, I can help:
- Communicating complex information in simple and engaging ways
- Scaling a culture as you scale your company
- Navigating mergers and acquisitions so the culture comes out alive
- Leadership transitions that leave a positive impact
- Culture resets that preserve what’s good and end what’s not
- Building a hybrid culture that works for the company and your colleagues
- Company restructures that centre purpose & treat people with dignity
- Embedding a new purpose / vision / values that takes it beyond words on a wall
How I do it
You can’t transform a culture in a day’s workshop. But give me a few months and I’ll understand your culture, identify culture priorities, design experiments and interventions, test and learn, then scale, embed and measure the shift. I’ll also mentor your executives in communications and engagement, and provide ongoing communications strategy and support that takes your whole organisation with you.
I have a process I follow but the implementation is bespoke. Get in touch with me for more details.
Pinch-point where you need some creative clarity? I’ll scope the project with you and give you a fee and duration. I have a network of associates I bring in for bigger projects or specific needs.
Organisation ‘Values’ / Behaviours / Agreements
I’ll take you through the whole journey: discovery, co-creation, stakeholder management, articulation, creative expression and embedding.
Employee experience ‘moments that matter’
Designing and shaping key moments: from candidate experience, engaging inductions, recognition schemes and beyond.
Critical communications
Crisis internal comms, ghost writing, co-writing, presentation preparation and rehearsal for those big moments.
Creative campaigns and assets
Culture book? Flexible working policy that’s not a “policy”? Video demystifying performance management? Photoshoot? I work with skilled designers, photographers and motion designers to deliver creative projects end to end.
Employee value propositions
Getting under the skin of what makes your organisation unique and attractive (to the kinds of people who’ll thrive there). Articulating it in a proposition, supported with proof points, expressed visually and verbally
I also have clients for whom I work on a retained basis; you book some of my time on a regular basis and put that towards your most important priorities of the day, as well as mentoring and communications coaching.
Executive mentoring and communications coaching
Using my deep-seated empathy for employees, I bring a reality check, challenge and solutions to executives seeking to forge a stronger bond with their teams. It’s applied coaching: we’ll develop strategies and communications together, and I’ll support you to implement them.
Two years in the making
I’ve earned the International Coaching Federation’s Associate Certified Coach credential – a rigorous process that certifies my coach education, capability, ethics and knowledge.
