A catch up with Helen Coleman, Principal Consultant

In this article, we catch up with Helen Coleman, Principal Consultant with the Transformation and Change team. We are pleased to welcome Helen, who brings a wealth of expertise to the Altair team with her vast experience working in social housing.

As one of the newest members of the team at Altair, tell us about your background and experience so far:

I have worked in social housing for over 20 years, primarily leading Research, Change and Strategy teams within Peabody and Family Mosaic. I started in operations, which gave me great experience of working closely with customers; the challenges they face and what they need from a business. I maintain this grounding in customer experience when working with organisations to change and transform.

I have experience of delivering sustainable change at various levels, including supporting organisations through mergers and shifts in operating models. My background is in a strategy and policy setting, so I always have my eye on what’s going on that will impact a business and assess the best way to respond.

What attracted you most to join Altair?

The public sector is facing challenging times economically, and the needs, complexities and expectations of customers are changing fast. I’m attracted to joining Altair so that I can have a wider impact within the sector, helping more organisations to adapt and reposition their services and resources.

What areas are you most excited about working in over the next year?

I’m looking forward to working with organisations to change their operations, being more effective, and having a positive impact on their people, and I’m interested in how simple technology and innovation can really progress day-to-day services – I know there are some exciting things in the pipeline for me already.

Most of all, I love problem-solving, and finding a way through challenges. I look forward to getting stuck into these in a variety of settings.

What expertise do you bring that you think will be of most value to your role at Altair, and what skills are you hoping to develop?

I have significant experience in corporate strategy, helping senior leadership teams to debate and stress-test their options for the future, and developing strategic plans across a business. I also have good expertise in portfolio management and change governance to ensure that these strategic plans are deliverable and well communicated.

Acting as a coach or critical-friend is something I also enjoy, and I hope this expertise is valuable to the Altair team.

How do you like to spend your free time? What do you do on weekends?

I’m pretty active, I love nature, and I do a lot of walking. I tend to offset this good stuff by cooking and eating far too much!