You can now book onto our April City Ladies Networking breakfast, held as usual at Newcastle Gateshead Hilton.
Organised and hosted by familiar faces Antonia, Natalie and Sophie, this session will feature our incredible spotlight,Helen Milford bringing many years of executive level experience with blue-chip retail businesses including Boots, Asda, Argos, Sainsbury’s and most recently Marks and Spencer, where she was Retail Director until September 2023.
A key contributor in the Marks and Spencer turnaround plan, Helen is also a passionate advocate of inclusion and diversity and was the executive sponsor of the gender and equality network at the Group.
Helen was born in Seaham and graduated from the University of Sunderland with a first-class honours degree in pharmacy, before joining Boots the Chemist. From her first role in retail, Helen went on to enjoy a successful thirty-five-year career working with five blue-chip organisations where she was responsible for many hundreds of stores and tens of thousands of employees.
Having left Marks and Spencer in September 2023, Helen is now ready to leave the top tiers of executive leadership behind and bring her significant experience to support and advise as a non-executive director and advisor, initially for Age UK and now for Hays Travel, joining the Board in January. Helen relocated back to her native North East after 25 years away a couple of years ago and she is keen to build a non- executive / advisor portfolio supporting North East Businesses.
This event is supported by NatWest Enterprise. As the Local Enterprise Manager for the Northeast, it's Nickie Kilkenny's responsibility to support businesses in the community, regardless of who you bank with. Nickie is accredited in business growth by the Institute of Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship (IOEE). Nickie is also Women in Business accredited by Every Woman, designed to support the growth in female led businesses. Many have great ideas and the skills to start their own business but just lack the guidance or confidence to take the first step in achieving their ambitions. Nickie looks to add value and growth to SMEs to stay ahead of the curve, whether it be through one-to-one mentoring or by attending a local event - she is here to boost your business.