Helen Fairclough is the Chief Operating Officer of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). Helen is a highly skilled executive leader, strategist and innovator with expertise in transformation and change management, design thinking, financial management, HR technology, and employee engagement.

During the past three decades Helen has built an impressive global career spanning several continents and a variety of roles in both B2B and B2C environments. Helen has assisted businesses from start-ups to Fortune 3 companies in a diverse cross-section of industries including retail, advertising, government sector, creative arts, hospitality, insurance, law, manufacturing and energy. She has worked in the UK, Europe and the US, returning home to Melbourne in 2014 to join the MCEC team as Director of People and Culture.

Following the devastating impact of the 2020 COVID crisis on Victoria’s tourism and events industry, Helen stepped into the role of Director of Business Relaunch for MCEC, designing and implementing a new operations model that incorporates agile mindset & principles and lean process improvement to generate new opportunities and revenue streams for the business. Her success in this role combined with her wealth of experience in innovation, people leadership and at the executive table saw her promoted to Chief Operating Officer at MCEC in June 2021.

Helen is a Non-Executive Director of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Executive Council Member of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and member of the Australian American Chamber Commerce Board (San Francisco, USA). As a long-time Chamber member, she is a passionate advocate for supporting businesses to continually improve and innovate. Helen pursued a Masters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Swinburne University and, never one to waste a good crisis, has become an expert on transforming disruption into opportunity.

When she’s not attending board meetings or driving institutional innovation, you’ll find her in the front row at a gig or exploring Melbourne’s eclectic culinary culture (usually in a fabulous pair of shoes.)