Helen Oakley

Background

About Helen Oakley

Who I am. What most people don’t know about me, is that I have never been bored. I am enthusiastic and positive; with a drive to meet new people, learn new things and to add value and make a difference to people and to organisations. I was brought up by a ‘world-class’ cleaner, and a ‘world-class’ electrician. My parents’ values of taking pride in whatever they did have built my core belief of always striving for excellence in life and work and encouraging others to do the same. Described by friends and colleagues as driven whilst also empathetic and unflappable, what most people highlight is my strength in engaging with and leading large teams. As a natural leader, I believe that success comes 100% from those around me; listening and understanding my environment before taking action and communicating in an effective way. All my competencies are encapsulated by my greatest value of honesty, being known for saying what others might be holding back as I look to drive transparency, trust and continuous improvement. What I do. As a natural implementor and finisher, throughout my career I have been asked to lead and manage change programmes, including the integration of 2 major UK businesses, new system implementations and a warehouse relocation. Not only do I enjoy managing the routine aspects of running a business, I thrive on being at the centre of things, making decisions and implementing them. Having worked across all levels of an organisation in multiple sectors and business functions, I have vast leadership experience, as well as having the logical ability to dive deeper into more technical aspects such as finance and governance. I am keen to continue to develop my strengths and in particular my ability to step back and analyse a team, a process or a system, to find gaps and opportunities before setting and actioning a plan to deliver further value. I believe that my greatest achievement is how I have developed confidence and success in the people around me. Whether my own children, the teenagers I have mentored or the large teams I enjoy being part of, I build a safe space for people to fail fast in order to succeed faster. My purpose is to create one conversation at a time to influence to make a positive difference. My career is not driven on status but being a leader who is part of something successful and meaningful and always moving forward.