Helen Pitcher OBE, Chairman of Advanced Boardroom Excellence

In addition to keeping you updated about all the great things that are going on at The Clubhouse, we thought we’d turn the tables and put the focus on all the exciting things our fantastic members are achieving!

For our August ‘Member in the Spotlight’ feature we spoke to member Helen Pitcher OBE, Chairman of Advanced Boardroom Excellence.

Tell us about yourself and Advanced Boardroom Excellence.
I am the Chairman of Advanced Boardroom Excellence, a leading board effectiveness consultancy with a focus at the board and senior leadership level. The Advanced Boardroom Excellence Board Optimisation and Integration Process is a distinctive service to Boards going through a period of transition, re-structuring, investment re-alignment, IPO or merger, where best practice Board effectiveness and governance is under the stakeholder spotlight.

Our support goes beyond the transactional, legal and procedural aspects of a ‘Board structure’, with a focus on supporting the ‘new’ Board to accelerate its formation and achievement of best practice governance and effective board dynamics. These are the very elements that makes the ‘Board’ a success, and we do this through a blend of individual and collective support for the Board, with an agreed set of outcomes, which meet the expectations of Regulatory, and International Governance ‘Codes’ and Standards.

I am also a Senior Independent Director at United Biscuits (now Pladis) as well as Chairman of the Selection Panel for Queen’s Counsel, a panel member of the Employment Appeal Tribunal and a member of the Special Appeals Panel for returning Armed Forces veterans. I also serve as Chairman of KidsOut, a fantastic charity that provides fun and education for disadvantaged children from all walks of life, as well as a trustee and fundraiser for several other charities.

What has been your biggest success so far?
Building three highly reputable businesses and gaining a reputation for contribution to business for which I received an OBE.

What is the worst business ‘faux-pas’ you’ve committed?
When someone asked me if I was a life coach – I replied “Good God No” and it turned out they were a life coach!

What project are you most excited about right now?
As all our projects are under NDA so I cannot quote the company, we recently did all the Board & Committee set up and composition to achieve the effective integration of three companies for a FTSE flotation, which was very admittedly very challenging, but also very exciting. The client stated afterwards that they could not have done it without us, which is always lovely to hear!

Which super power would you like to have?
The ability to know what will happen next week would be useful!

How has being a member of The Clubhouse improved the way you work or contributed to the success of your business?
A professional and relaxed showcase to meet and greet.

Where can other members find you?
I’m usually at Grosvenor Hill or around the corner in Berkeley Square, or out with clients.

We hope you enjoyed finding out a little more about Helen and Advanced Boardroom Excellence, don’t forget to say hello if you see her at The Clubhouse! You can also find other members on our Members Directory, either browse the directory or search for a particular skill. Make sure to upload your own information so that other members can also find you – just log into your account and choose My Profile.

If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming Member in the Spotlight, please contact elizabeth@theclubhouselondon.com.