Helen Cowing

Experience & Background

Helen Cowing is an IMD Executive in Residence, Group CFO, CEO, Non-Executive Board Director, entrepreneur, and investor. She has extensive international leadership experience in all ownership structures, including private equity, PLC, private, family, and founder.

She has built an extensive network and has deep insight into business models and how to monetize them. She has a diverse background across sectors including retail, consumer goods, online beauty products, vending, industrial, manufacturing, container ports, chemicals, and food manufacturing, and is highly experienced with VC and debt and equity financing, having achieved multiple successful exits as well as preparing an IPO.

Cowing is known for her values-based leadership style and has spent the last 30 years working extensively with entrepreneurs and family businesses, helping them to scale and secure funding, enabling growth and divestment.

With a strong track record of delivery in challenging environments both in emerging and developed markets, she has enjoyed great success in growth and turnaround challenges in both industry and private equity and has considerable international experience in B2B and B2C, operating effectively to deliver results in matrix organizations.

Highly committed with a clear vision and placing a huge focus on results, Cowing inspires her teams by giving them direction and purpose and has a talent for managing a huge range of highly complex items. As well as extensive financial knowledge, her strength is in combining this with a desire to improve operations and develop businesses, demonstrating multi-disciplinary thinking.

With a high level of emotional intelligence, she is well respected and has the ability to empower people as a truly inspirational leader and mentor.

Expertise & Interests

Entrepreneurship, family business, retail industry, manufacturing.