In October 2025, Mayfair Equity Partners hosted a webinar led by Helen Vaid, former Mayfair growth specialist and experienced non-executive director, for an audience of female employees at all levels drawn from our portfolio companies.

The webinar was part of Boost! Mayfair’s networking and development programme, designed to spark collaboration across our portfolio, strengthen connections, and equip management teams with practical tools and insights. Through a series of curated events, the programme aims to unlock potential by empowering individuals, adding value to businesses, and shaping the digital leaders of tomorrow.

A Journey Towards the Boardroom

In her session, Helen shared her personal journey to becoming a board member, a path that began in 2019 while she was still in an operational leadership role. Though fully immersed in her executive career, she recognised that joining a board could enable her to apply her experience in new ways: influencing strategy, driving innovation, and shaping sustainable growth.
Her first step was to ask herself a simple but defining question: Why?
Helen told the group that her motivation lay in helping organisations and people realise their potential. Her experience in digital transformation and human capital could be harnessed to unlock business innovation and long-term value.

“When you find your ‘why’, it becomes your compass, guiding how you lead, where you contribute, and what you stand for.”

Learning and Building Networks

To understand what board service actually involves, Helen joined the Women on Boards programme at Harvard Business School, a 21-week course that equips senior leaders with the insight and confidence to take on board roles. The programme, she said, not only offered practical guidance but introduced her to an extraordinary network of women across industries.

That network proved instrumental. As Helen completed the course, a long-standing contact invited her to join Groupon’s board. It became her first appointment and a pivotal step in her non-executive career.

“Visibility matters. People can only open doors for you if they know what you’re looking for.”

Her appointment to Groupon led to further opportunities with Abercrombie & Fitch and Stewart Title, where she expanded her experience across both public and private boards. Each role, she explained, taught her new lessons in governance, strategic thinking, and leadership collaboration.

From Operator to Board Member

Transitioning from executive to board member required a fundamental mindset shift. “As an operator, you’re trained to act, or to fix, to deliver results week by week,” Helen explained. “On a board, you step back and think in systems. You ask the questions that will shape the company’s next decade.”

Central to this shift is recognising and articulating your superpower, the unique skills or perspective a board member brings. For Helen, that strength lay in digital transformation. When she joined Stewart Title, she admitted she knew little about title insurance. The CEO’s response was: ‘That’s fine. I have people who know title insurance. I need someone who understands digital.’

“Modern boards value diverse expertise. The best teams are built around complementary strengths, not identical backgrounds.”

Purpose and Perspective

Helen encouraged the webinar participants to draw on both professional and personal experiences when defining their board value. Becoming a parent, she shared, had given her new insight into resilience, education, and the future of work, issues that now influence how she contributes in the boardroom.

At Abercrombie & Fitch, where 60 per cent of board members are women, Helen has seen first-hand how diversity shapes better decision-making. When the company faced a high-profile public crisis, the board united quickly around its values, responding with clarity and conviction. “It was one of the most powerful professional experiences of my career,” she reflected.

“Boards with diversity of gender, background, and thought make better decisions, they reflect the customers they serve.”

Empowering the Next Generation

Through Mayfair Equity Partners’ Boost! programme, Helen continues to share her experience with women across the firm’s portfolio, leaders, managers, and aspiring board members alike. Her message is clear: being on a board is not about title or tenure, but about purpose, preparation, and presence.

Mayfair’s approach, she said, extends beyond backing exceptional companies to developing exceptional people at every level.

“When you harness your superpower, you don’t just take a seat at the table, you help reshape it.”

We are grateful to Helen for sharing her expertise, and for continuing to be part of our wider network. By fostering access to knowledge, experience and opportunity, Mayfair’s Boost! programme continues to help individuals, and the businesses they lead, realise their full potential.