Rhubarb 2017

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2 ST EDWARD’S rhuba rb
Helen is Director of Organisation and
Performance at the Royal Bank of Scotland,
and has worked in the financial sector since
completing a graduate programme upon
leaving university. She is interviewed here by
Yvette Ramadharsingh, Head of Economics.
What was your experience of School,
being one of the first girls to attend
St Edward’s?
I joined Teddies in September 1986, one of
two girls in my year in Mac’s which was then a
boy’s House with girls in the Sixth Form. I was
lucky that I had two brothers who had been
at Teddies so I knew a few faces and for the
first year my brother Stuart was in the Upper
Sixth. There was no formal girl’s House so
most girls lived with matrons, and we shared
a study with a day boy. It worked very well,
we were lucky. Georgina Dennis (D, 1986-
1988), Dave Cole (D, 1984-1988) and I got
on from day one - Dave was a mature 16
year old who coped well with the nuances of
16-year-old girls! Our study was never short
of visitors, mainly as we had fresh milk and
bread and a toaster that worked! But we liked
to think they were coming to see us.
As there were so few girls we got involved
in all sports and activities, from singing to
hockey to cross country to drama; there was
never a shortage of things to do. I have fond
recollections of being allowed to go to the
school bar when we were old enough. There
was a lot of laughter and a lot of hard work.
I was Head Girl in the Upper Sixth, and we
spent a lot of time working with other newly
co-educational schools to set up networks
(something I have taken into my working life).
I gathered so many skills at School that I did
not appreciate at the time, but have served
me well in my university and professional
life, from a thick skin to the odd quip, to the
ability to talk football, rugby and I gained one
special friendship that has endured distance,
relationships, children and careers.
Do you have any particularly strong
memories of your time here?
The two years passed in a flash with all
the activities and exams. I remember two of
my teachers fondly, Mr Nagle who tutored
me patiently through Oxbridge exams and
Joe McPartlin who hardly ever said my
name - referred to me as Stuart or James’s
sister - but who when I hit some tough times
showed more empathy and support than
I imagined a teacher could offer. The skills
are not hard to pass on, the behaviours I
saw and learnt probably served me better
than I realised. These teachers both went
the extra mile to help me succeed. That
humility and dedication makes people
successful in business as much as at school.
What have you been doing since you
left school?
When I left school I studied Geography at
Homerton, Cambridge, which was four
years of hockey and fun. When I left in
1993 I was not sure of what to do next as
I had decided not to use my Bachelor of
Education, but I taught for a short time at
the Dragon School in Oxford whilst applying
for roles on graduate programmes in
London. I wish I had known then where my
skills could take me and what opportunities
were available; careers services were very
young in the 1980s.
How did you make the transition
into the financial sector?
My career has not been well planned -
I have often been in the right place at the right
time - the characteristics that have served
me well are flexibility, tenacity and a sense
of humour! I got my break on a Graduate
Programme at Morgan Grenfell (now
Deutsche Bank) where I did a banking
graduate rotation, at the end of which I was
placed to run Graduate Recruitment - the rest
is history. I worked in banking in the boom of
the 1990s, the tech bubble, and then moved
to Morgan Stanley in 1999.
What have been some of the highlights
of working in the financial sector?
I have worked all over the world and really
embraced every opportunity that came
my way. Things all changed when I met my
husband, Lance, and he was on his way to a
role in Scotland. I followed and fate intervened
again when I got offered a role at RBS as an HR
Director. Fast forward 15 years, a marriage,
two children and a fast-moving career that
has weathered the financial crisis in the bank
that is often seen to be at the centre of things.
The financial sector is one which
often takes centre stage in the world,
how do you feel about some of the
challenges of working in the industry?
The challenges have been incredible and my
resilience has been tested many times, yet it
is a privilege to work in such a company and
we are set on recovery. My HR role is heavily
involved in helping in the recovery and the
variety and experience is vast and every day
filled with another ‘problem’ to solve. There is
never a dull moment.
Did any of your school life prepare you
for what you do today?
The ability to do multiple activities in parallel
and the resilience of being in a minority at
school prepared me for early days in banking,
particularly when I was often asked to make
tea or take someone’s coat – people rarely
asked me twice. That confidence came from
my time at Teddies where we were treated
as adults and equals, and as a small group of
girls had to stand our ground.
F E A T U R E S
Helen Cook
Celebrating the achievements
and influence of Teddies women
Finance
Helen Cook (D, 1986-1988)