Helen’s executive career has been defined by significant CFO and general management roles in complex, high-profile organisations. She served as Chief Financial Officer of Marks & Spencer, the John Lewis Partnership, Lloyds Banking Group and Kingfisher, working at the intersection of finance, strategy, regulation and customer-led transformation. Between 2008 and 2011 she was CEO of the Retail Banking division of Lloyds Bank, leading a large, regulated, multi-channel business through a period of considerable change and scrutiny. Earlier in her career she served on the Management Board of Castorama in France and on the Supervisory Board of Hornbach Holdings in Germany, adding international retail and cross-border governance experience to her UK roles.

Helen began her career with Unilever before joining McKinsey & Co, where she built a strong analytical and strategic foundation that has underpinned her subsequent leadership roles. Over the years she has become a trusted partner to boards, CEOs and executive teams on topics ranging from capital allocation and balance sheet strategy to customer proposition, digital transformation and governance. She brings a calm, disciplined and collaborative style to her mentoring work, helping senior leaders balance performance, risk, stakeholder expectations and personal resilience in demanding roles.

Helen is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and has previously served as a member of the Accounting Standards Board. She holds an MA in Mathematics from Oxford University and an MBA from Stanford University.