Newport Board Group partner and retail industry expert Helen Bulwik was recently the subject of a profile in Bizwomen, a publication that highlights women’s achievements in business and the challenges they face. You can read the entire piece here.
How Helen Bulwik Inspires Others as a Woman on Corporate Boards
As the piece explains, Helen, a partner in Newport’s Northern California practice, has sat on more than a dozen boards of public and private companies throughout her career. Among her advice for women who are seeking seats on boards: take advantage of LinkedIn to inform board recruiters about your experience and credentials.
Helen brings impressive executive credentials to her board service. She has been CEO of six middle-market private equity-owned companies. She has also led business development and client strategy for the retail management consulting practices of IBM, Accenture and the Tom Peters Group.
The interview makes a number of interesting points:
- Helen’s career mantra has been: "Never stay anywhere for more than five years."
- Effective relationships between boards and CEOs require good communication between directors whose backgrounds are mainly financial and executives whose perspective is mainly industry-centric.
- Board members must be prepared for sudden changes or crises.
- Women seeking board positions should identify boards where their skills, experience and expertise can add value for the company. Don't be afraid to have contrary opinions — as long as they are backed up by your solid experience.
- LinkedIn is often the first place search firms look. Helen has been offered multiple board seats because people found her on LinkedIn. She uses the platform herself when she is trying to fill a board seat.
Helen is actively involved with assisting the growing number of Newport’s women partners to be appointed to corporate boards.
About the Author
Helen’s career has focused on developing and executing strategies for business development and growth for leading retail and consumer companies. Helen has served as CEO or Executive Chairman for six middle market retailers and consumer companies. She has also been a strategist with three well known consultancies, IBM, Accenture and the Tom Peters Group. In those advisory roles she counseled senior management of more than 70 of the top 100 Global retailers and consumer companies. Contact or learn more about Helen here.
Connect with Helen on Linkedin
