About
Based in London, we have over twenty-five years executive search and consulting experience in the corporate affairs and communications functions and the disciplines that come within its remit.
Experts.
Nick also has a strong interest and curiosity in the function and is a well-informed and trusted advisor to both clients and candidates. He is the author of numerous research studies and surveys, all of which explore talent and organisation related topics within the disciplines into which the firm recruits. He has written, and been quoted in, several articles in national press.
Although executive search is our core offer, we are an unusual hybrid; part executive search, part advisory and part convener of peer-to-peer discussion groups and round table sessions.
Nick Helsby, the founder of the firm, has extensive search experience and has placed senior corporate affairs and communications professionals in some of the world’s leading organisations including:
Meet the Team
-
Nick is the CEO of Watson Helsby, a specialist corporate affairs and communications executive search, research and consulting firm. He has over twenty years headhunting experience, in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa, placing senior communications, PR and corporate affairs professionals in some of the world’s leading organisations.
Nick is also the author of numerous research studies and surveys, all of which explore talent and organisation related topics within the disciplines into which he recruits. He has written, and been quoted in, several articles that have appeared in the FT, PR Week, Public Affairs News, CorpComms and HR Magazine. He is both a subject matter expert and a well-informed and trusted advisor to both clients and candidates, helping the former to build their corporate affairs and communications capability and organisation across all the key external and internal stakeholder and reputation related disciplines.
Nick also runs Inside Track, a peer-to-peer discussion and learning forum for corporate affairs directors and members of their leadership teams.
-
Kate joined Watson Helsby in December 2018. Prior to that, she has been an Executive Assistant in music and broadcast companies for many years, working for organisations such as FremantleMedia, National Geographic & Universal Music Group.
Starting with a temp role at FremantleMedia and staying for 8 years, ending as EA to the Global CEO until 2014. She then worked for National Geographic for 2 years, picking up lots of useful information about commissioning and the greenlight process, along the way, before moving to work for the CEO of a division of Universal Music Group called Universal Advanced Media, which was responsible for the production of music events (BTS, concerts, music videos, etc.) for any artist/label under the Universal umbrella.
Associates
-
Stephen Pain has held senior corporate affairs and communications roles at four FTSE-100 companies, Severn Trent Plc, Storehouse plc, Aviva plc and Unilever plc. He has extensive Board experience in multi-stakeholder engagement externally and internally and been a trusted adviser and business partner to CEOs, CFOs, CMOs and CHROs. Since retiring from his executive life, he now has his own advisory practice, Stephen J Pain Consulting Ltd where his activities include: C-suite advice (reputation & responsibility, strategy, governance); Coaching and mentoring senior leaders in navigating complexity, stakeholder relationships, sustainability as growth driver; personal and corporate purpose-driven narratives. He is also Board Mentor at Criticaleye, the peer-to-peer business community. He is a visiting Executive Fellow at Henley Business School as well as the co-author of the Henley Sustainable Behaviours Survey and Better Balance reputation mode.