Helen James is Chief Operating Officer of Brunswick Group, the world’s leading advisory firm specializing in critical issues and corporate relations. Helen is based in London and works alongside Neal Wolin, CEO, and the wider Brunswick leadership team. Founded in 1987, Brunswick is an organically grown, private partnership with operations spanning 27 offices in 18 countries.

Helen has extensive boardroom, investor and corporate communications experience. Prior to joining Brunswick in February 2018, Helen was CEO and a founding Director of Investis, a leading digital communications company. Under her leadership, Investis successfully participated in three private equity fundraising rounds and opened offices in India, Europe and the USA, growing to over 500 employees and over 1900 clients globally, including 75 FTSE 100 companies, 30% of the FTSE250 and over 150 US clients. In 2015, Investis secured sole partnership with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and in 2016 and 2017 Investis was included in the London Stock Exchange’s list of ‘1000 companies to inspire’.

Prior to Investis, Helen was Head of Pan-European Equity Sales at Paribas. She began her career as an investment analyst at HSBC James Capel, working in both London and New York.

Helen is a Non-Executive Director of the Mercantile Investment Trust, managed by JP Morgan, and the Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust, managed by Baillie Gifford. She is also a Non-Executive Director of Oxford VR, a company using immersive technology for mental health. Oxford VR is a spinout company from the University of Oxford of which Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI) is the principal investor.