about helen

Since graduating with a first class degree in Politics and Parliamentary Studies from Leeds University in 1988, I've had a varied career - working in broadcasting, policy development and communications, as well as founding and running socially responsible ventures and providing strategy consultancy about my ideas, and their application in a variety of settings.

The question of what I do has becoming increasingly difficult to answer - both because I 'do' a wide variety of things, and because for much of this time, I work outside of conventional organisational contexts, often working as my own agent, or in collaboration with others to run with my ideas. I do not have a 'job' as such, and I tend to be doing whatever interests and motivates me at any one time - and this can often change. I have been self-employed since 1994, sometimes creating organisations to employ myself, and being responsible for bringing in my own salary (and often that of others). And I personally have found that my most secure form of employment has been self-employment - and have spent more time being my own agent, than being employed.

The common thread throughout my varied working life is ideas and creativity - I generate ideas for a living, and increasingly I experiment with these ideas - applying them in a variety of different ways and in different sectors. It is this cross fertilisation which excites and motivates me.

In essence I earn income from generating, developing, and increasingly applying these ideas in different settings and I generate these in collaboration and partnership with others. This is also why I call myself an 'ideas entrepreneur' - because it seems the best label to sum up what I am - as well as what I do.

Because my currency is ideas, I am a member of the creative economy, and through my company, Genderquake Limited, I now develop and generate these ideas with associates, and colleagues. We offer a wide range of creative services and strategy consultancy about the ideas that are our stock in trade and I'd like to encourage you to visit our website, www.genderquake.com.

My career has been characterised by risk taking, and entrepreneurialism, stops and starts, rather than one linear career track. Inevitably it also has its failures, and cul de sacs, as well as its successes, though in truth in my experience it has been the failures that have often proved the most fertile to my own personal and professional development. Working life - like life as a whole - is a journey, full of interesting places to visit and learn from en route.

career biography
For the potted version of my career highlights and more formal CV, read on >

skills portfolio
For a summary of the skills in my portfolio, read on >

awards and achievements
During my career, I have received a number of commendations and awards. To find out more, read on. The clues for my failures are to be found elsewhere! >

sabbaticals
During my varied working life, I have had three sabbaticals. You can read about my motives for these, and how I planned and made them happen, here >.

life interests
You can read about some of my current interests beyond work here >