Helen Bates

Helen is Chief Financial Officer at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. She joined the Chamber in September 2017 and was previously Director of Finance and Resources at Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust.

Helen is a non-executive Trustee of Performances Birmingham Limited and Millennium Point Trust.

Helen is from Solihull and attended King Edward’s High School in Edgbaston. After living and working in Germany for two years, she studied economics at Manchester University followed by CIPFA accountancy training at Manchester City Council. She then moved to Edinburgh District Council before joining Edinburgh Festival Theatre where she set up the finance function from scratch, prior to the theatre opening, she returned to Birmingham in 2003.

Helen has been a co-opted member of St Basils’ Business Support & Audit Committee since 2016 and was appointed to the Board in June 2019.