Director, Marketing Design, Planning & Operations, Grainger

Helen has been at Grainger for almost 9 years and has led the Marketing Operations team for the last 7. Prior to Grainger, Helen spent 15 years working in Merchandising and Marketing Communications for Quill.com, a division of Staples.

In her current role, Helen has oversight of the Marketing Operations team, which includes the centralized intake for marketing work, technology, process, budget operations, program/project management and enablement. This central role has allowed Helen to see all phases of the work from intake to creative and strategic plans to execution. “Connecting the dots” and bringing people, process and technology together have been key areas of focus and opportunity as the role of Marketing at Grainger continues to evolve. As Marketing continues to drive more demand, so will the demand for change – being in front of that change and effectively managing stakeholders has become an increased area of responsibility for Helen’s team.