Meet the team: Helen Pemberton, Legal & Estates Manager
In the latest interview in our ‘Meet the TCE Team’ series, we spoke to Helen Pemberton, TCE’s Legal & Estates Manager to find out more about her role within the company.
- When did you join the company, what’s your current title and your primary responsibilities?
I joined in February 2019 and my job role is Legal & Estates Manager. My primary responsibility is to provide advice on a variety of legal issues especially the company’s strategic investments in capital matters.
- Where were you previously and what has this previous experience brought to your current role?
I came from Addleshaw Goddard LLP in Manchester having previously worked in house at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) as a senior solicitor. I’ve had lots of great exposure to complex, interesting and challenging work and am really proud to have worked on some of the biggest construction projects in Manchester in the past decade.
- Have you ever worked in manufacturing before & what attracted you to a position in manufacturing?
No, this was a completely new challenge and, whilst a steep learning curve, I’ve had really supportive colleagues who’ve helped me settle in and find my feet in this new environment. I am hoping that my background in Construction Law will be useful experience for this role in terms of the investment programme. I was responsible in my previous role at MMU for providing legal advice on the £500 million redevelopment and strategic disposal of five campuses.
- What are you discovering you enjoy about working in the manufacturing sector?
I am relishing the challenge of working in a brand new environment but it’s also been a real eye opener seeing just how widely our product is used so from that point of view it’s been really interesting. I’ve also really enjoyed negotiating our overseas contracts. However the most fascinating aspect for me has been the fact that I’ve always had an interest in this site, particularly the pipes! I remember being on the Anderton Boat Lift years ago and it really sparked an interest which saw me doing research and learning all about the site. I suppose it all appeals to my love of industrial heritage and infrastructure so it feels fitting and right that I’m now on the inside!
- What are the key initiatives you’ve been involved in since you joined TCE & what are you most proud of?
The Carbon Capture project has been a large scale project to get my teeth into which has been great and a great way to learn about the business. In addition I’ve been busy establishing 3rd party stakeholder relationships, discovering the quirks of our site and exploring opportunities to benefit the company.
- What career/general advice would you give to the 21 year old ‘you’?
Firstly that the next 20 years would be lots of fun! And that any optimism of Everton ever winning anything is misplaced so don’t waste your time!
- What are your key hobbies/interests away from the office?
I have a 4 year old son, James, who has just started school so he takes up most of my free time! So these days most of my hobbies are child-based: zoos, parks, National Trust properties. And if I do have any time left for myself – running!