Rhubarb 2017

2 ST EDWARD’S r h u b a r b

Celebrating the achievements and influence of Teddies women Finance Helen Cook (D, 1986-1988)

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 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. 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. Programme at Morgan Grenfell (now Deutsche Bank) where I did a banking Did any of your school life prepare you for what you do today?

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. 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. What have you been doing since you left school?

F E A T U R E S

Helen Cook

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