Helen was Chief Executive of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) from 2012 until February 2020. She was also Deputy CEO at UCEA from 2007. She contributed at a sector-level on employment and employee relations, nationally and internationally, including working extensively with trade union representatives.
Helen previously held various lead roles as a Human Resources specialist. She was HR Director at the University of Roehampton, where she also spent three years as Clerk to the University Council, and a Director of Personnel at the London Borough of Greenwich. Helen began her career in local government, joining the Inner London Education Authority and undertaking roles there ranging from teacher recruitment to school governance.
Helen now works as a non-executive and independent consultant focusing on team, organisational, and governance matters. She has been on the Board of Northumbria University since 2020 and chairs its Finance & Resources Committee. She also acts as an independent chair of nominations and appeals and remuneration for the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals and is on the development committee of the Britten Sinfonia.
Helen has a first degree in History from the University of Birmingham and completed her MBA with the Open University. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development and an Honorary Fellow of the Institute for Employment Studies.