Biography
Helen left the John Lewis Partnership in 2020 after more than 30 years to set up her own Coaching and Consultancy business. She is building a portfolio practice built on her experience of coaching, board roles, HR and governance expertise. She is a qualified coach and is working towards a masters in Executive Coaching. She is also Co-Chair of the Crafts Council and other local charities.
During her time at John Lewis Partnership she had many operational and people roles in both John Lewis and Waitrose (the two leading businesses of the John Lewis Partnership). She was the Personnel Director for Waitrose from 2012-17.
Her final role was as Partners’ Counsellor – a unique role in the largest co-owned business in Europe. On the Partnership Board, the role involved being a “critical friend” to the Chairman and Executive. (In the John Lewis Partnership Constitution it states the role “must be completely open with the Chairman, and must tell him anything which he ought to know for the good of the Partnership”.)
Helen also acted as an ombudsman for the business seeking “to ensure that the Partnership is true to its principles and compassionate to individual Partners.”
Helen is dyslexic and is passionate about creating inclusive cultures in which difference of thinking is embraced and leaders can be their true selves.