Helene is married with three grown-up children. Born in Sheffield, she initially came to the North East to train as a Primary School teacher in the early 70s.
In 1976 she joined the Department of Employment (DWP) in Middlesbrough and was a career Civil Servant for twenty years. In the early 80s she helped to set up the newly created Jobcentres from their Sheffield based HQ. On her return to Newcastle, she became the Enterprise Manager for Newcastle and Northumberland, as well as being a NE Director for the Princes’ (Youth Business) Trust.
Following a brief return to Northumberland Training and Enterprise Council (TEC), she joined South Tyneside Task Force, latterly as Manager, helping to manage a £5m budget, and lever in a further £7.5m from the Private and Business Sector in order to help regenerate the areas of Jarrow, Hebburn and South Shields’ Riverside.
In 1996, Helene became a self-employed Management Consultant and Fundraiser, securing contracts with companies such as the Charities Evaluation Service, Northern Rock Foundation and working as a visiting Lecturer at both Sunderland and Teesside Universities, specialising in the Environment, Green Energy and Zero Carbon buildings.
Helene holds an Executive Diploma from the Chartered Management Institute (2003) and MInstF (Dip) from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising (2016).
For ten years, before retiring in 2017, Helene worked exclusively for the charitable sector as a Fundraising Manager; firstly for Groundwork South Tyneside and Newcastle and latterly for Newcastle and Northumberland Mind where she helped to double the turnover to over £1m in the five years she was there.
Helene has been a co-opted Governor at Meadowdale Academy for nine years. She also sits on the Staffing Committee. In addition, she has been a Director at CENTRIS (The Centre for Research & Innovation in Social Policy and Practice) for eleven years. Set up in 1988, CENTRIS is an independent charity working with Rethinking Poverty and the Beatrice Webb Memorial Trust.
Helene’s hobbies include Indian cooking, crafting, theatre and travelling.