Helen Oldham - ex-NorthInvest, Angel Investor & NED

In this week’s podcast we speak to Helen Oldham, Board Director at the UK Business Angels Association. Helen discusses how she moved the two major Leeds newspapers out of the iconic Yorkshire Post building and the challenges (and learnings) that that brought, shares loads of great information for investors and entrepreneurs in the early stage investment landscape and teaches us what should be in the perfect angel investment pitch deck.

And if you’re looking for a Non-Exec Director, she tells us how you identify the perfect one for your business.

INTRODUCING HELEN OLDHAM

Helen is a Board member for the UK Business Angels Association, the national body for angel investing in the UK, and a Founding Board Director of NorthInvest, a multi award winning Angel network serving the Northern Powerhouse region.

In 2020 she founded Fund Her North, a collective of 28 women in VCs and angel groups who support female founders to get equal access to finance. 

In the third sector Helen is Co Chair of the Trustees for Smart Works Leeds, a charity which provides coaching and clothing to unemployed women with a remarkable success rate of 65%+. She also holds various advisory and NED positions.

Prior to this Helen was Chief Publishing Officer and Managing Director of the Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman at JPI Media.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

[00:00:30] Helen’s early career

[00:04:00] Moving out of the iconic Yorkshire Post building and the cultural and structural changes it brought

[00:08:00] The skills a business owner needs to make things happen

[00:10:30] How to manage major business change

[00:12:00] The importance of mentors and three great tips

[00:16:00] How to build an effective angel network

[00:19:00] How NorthInvest came about

[00:22:00] Smartworks, the national women’s employment charity

[00:28:30] Top tips for businesses looking for angel investment

[00:33:00] Top tips for potential Angel Investors

[00:38:00] How to put an angel investment pitch deck together

[00:46:00] What skills should you look for in a Non-Exec Director

KEY TAKEAWAYS & BUSINESS LEARNINGS

• You can only make major successful changes with a really good team around you
• Your first job in a (senior) new role is to a lot of active listening
• Listen to suggested solutions from the team to problems
• At times of change ensure you are communicating regularly 
• Think about your communication style and who you communicate to
• Female angel investors are more likely to back female founders
• Ask yourself, “is Angel investment right for you at this point in time?”
• Start looking for angel investment 6 months before you need it
• You don’t need huge amounts of money to be an Angel Investor
• When looking for a NED, start with a skills audit of your board

BEST MOMENTS

“We relocated all of the staff out of the Yorkshire Post building in a record four months”

“I decided on a major restructure of the YP and YEP and it hit the national news”

“explaining how changes will affect individuals is vital to retain trust”

“If someone says, “Helen there’s no way you’re going to do this that makes me determined to make sure we actually get there in the end”

“If you say something to one person, you have to assume everyone will get a version of that”

“50% of the businesses backed by NorthInvest were not revenue-generative”

“Typically when the economy tightens up, that’s when the greatest innovation happens”

“Don’t forget when looking for investment, people are interested in people”

VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOU

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