Helen Cook joins Finastra as Chief People Officer

Finastra today announced the appointment of Helen Cook as Chief People Officer. In her role she takes global responsibility for the people organization and advancing the company’s aspiration to be the most inclusive and diverse employer in the Fintech industry. She is particularly passionate about building a curious and well-tooled workforce, supporting employees to develop skills which keep them relevant, engaged and growing.

Helen joins from Natwest Group, where she was a member of the executive team and held the position of Chief Human Resources Officer. She has an incredible wealth of expertise including extensive global exposure in all aspects of people strategy. Her career spans more than 25 years in financial services, including experience at Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley.

Based at Finastra’s HQ in Paddington, Helen is a key member of the Finastra Executive Leadership Team, reporting to CEO, Simon Paris. He said, “Helen is passionate about personal development and building skills and capabilities for our employees that enable growth and boost business performance. Her expertise and experience will help us further accelerate Finastra’s people programs that afford opportunities to our employees to expand their horizons.”

Helen added, “I’m excited to be at Finastra and look forward to working more with the passionate and diverse team I have met so far. Finastra’s vision is built on collaboration, and its commitment to become a truly inclusive workplace and enhance the skills of its workforce is inspirational. I’m thrilled to support in growing and developing the company’s global talent.”

Helen graduated from Cambridge University and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel. In addition to her role at Finastra, she served on the Board of the Financial Services Skills Committee and on the Advisory Board of Ivy House. She also serves as a mentor for the FTSE 100 Mentoring Foundation.