1. SPOTLIGHT
NOV/DEC 2015 | 37
Tell us a little bit about your role:
I have two lives in HPE, you could say. One
of them is as founder and chair of Elevate, a
women’s networking group, where our goal
is to create a community, offer professional
training opportunities for women and
ultimately join forces with like-minded
colleagues. It’s driven from the ground up
and run voluntarily by a team of amazingly
talented and diverse people who believe in
the vision.
My other HPE life is being the comms
lead for our biggest customer, CBA. It is
definitely not static nor does it fit a traditional
job description. I’m happy that I get freedom
to introduce creative ideas and new initiatives
to the business that help others engage
and work more collaboratively. My two
combined passions are words and the impact
those words can have on people. My days are
diverse and that’s what I love the most.
If I were Prime Minister of Australia
for a day, I’d … Overhaul the school
curriculum and introduce more creative,
personal-development teachings like
compassion and mindfulness, so that our
children can learn these vital life skills earlier
rather than later. I would need more than a
day for that one!
Elevate and
empower
What one trait has helped you most in
your work?Backing and believing in yourself,
then fostering and nurturing that belief to pass
on to others. I needed to back myself when I
wanted to launch Elevate so that I didn’t quit
and crumble at the first ‘no’. It helped knowing
I had others on board as I knew I couldn’t do
it alone, though it was sheer belief that got me
to a ‘yes’.
What is the one trait that has
hindered you most in your work? Not
being able to say ‘no’. There comes a time
when you realise you can’t be everything to
everyone. I know now that my time is best
served understanding where my strengths are
and using those strengths to add real value
and more impact to the business, rather than
saying ‘yes’ to everyone and then spreading
myself too thin.
What is the hardest lesson you’ve
learnt and how did you learn it?
Accept failure for what it is. I’ve failed and
made errors in judgement many times,
Founder of women’s group Elevate
and communications lead for a major
account, Helen Lambert is passionate
about creating opportunities.
and looking back it’s made me realise I’m
as imperfect as anyone else.When we can
embrace our failures and see them as growth
then we consciously accept we are all imperfect.
What’s one golden piece of advice you
could offer other women in business?
Share and talk about your ideas. A favourite
quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: “Great minds
discuss ideas, good minds discuss events, and
average minds discuss people.” When you
can share an idea and then get to create
great from that idea with the help of others,
that’s the most empowering, humbling and
wonderful thing.
What are you most pumped about right
now? Next year we will be introducing Sheryl
Sandberg’s Lean In Circles and I’m excited that
our more seasoned female leaders can mentor
and share their knowledge. Elevate is now
running across our South Pacific offices and
we’re excited about partnering with external
diversity and inclusion groups next year. If
you’re a businesswoman who would like to
contribute to the Elevate program from a
keynote perspective or imparting wisdom, I
would love to hear from you.
What makes you happy? My two sons,
Murray and Brendon, are the loves of my life
and their humour and their take on the world
constantly inspire me. Portraiture drawing – I
started an amateur course this year, and it’s
a great thing to do with a glass of wine and
some music! Learning and personal growth –
anything that gets my mind thinking, seeking
and curious makes me happy.
Describe yourself in five words.
Optimistic, realistic, compassionate, curious,
truth seeker.
Quick questions
Last book I read: Journey of
Souls by Michael Newton.
Entrepreneur icon: Seth Godin.
Last person I followed
on social media and why: Matt
Church – loved his article on real
books as opposed to the Kindle
variety!
Top of my to-do list: Get my
finances sorted.
Quote I love: “It’s not the years in
your life but the life in your years.”
Adlai Stevenson
Helen Lambert, 51
position Founder of HPE
women’s group Elevate and
communications lead
company Hewlett Packard
Enterprise (HPE), NSW
website hpe.com
member details