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Meet the team: Helen McCaughran

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Helen McCaughran

Marketing & Business Development Manager

Helen leads the Marketing and Business Development team at Spinnaker, bringing with her nearly 25 years of expertise in sales and marketing across multiple sectors. With her strategic vision and dedication, she works closely with her team members, Bethanie-Taylor Grenfell and Monique Turner, to drive both marketing and business development initiatives that support Spinnaker’s goals and impact within the maritime industry.

Helen’s career began in London’s fast-paced publishing world, where she contributed to some of the UK’s most renowned magazines, including Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan. Her time in publishing gave her a strong foundation in audience engagement, brand-building, and communications strategy—skills she has carried forward and refined throughout her career. Known for her proactive approach and ability to turn creative ideas into actionable strategies, Helen joined Spinnaker in 2016 with an initial focus on expanding membership for the Maritime HR Association.

Since joining, Helen’s role has grown significantly. Today, she oversees all marketing activities for Spinnaker, manages memberships for both the Maritime HR Association and the Seafarer Employers’ Association, and leads the planning and execution of Spinnaker’s annual conference—one of the industry’s most anticipated events, attracting maritime professionals from across the globe. In recent years, she has also been instrumental in broadening Spinnaker’s offerings, working with industry leaders to promote various maritime training courses, mentoring and coaching initiatives, and opportunities for continuing education. Helen also champions the Maritime Leadership Development Programme, a twice-yearly initiative designed to help emerging leaders strengthen their leadership skills and prepare for the next steps in their careers.

Helen’s contributions have been widely recognised at Spinnaker. In 2023, her achievements were celebrated when she was named “Employee of the Year,” a testament to her hard work, commitment, and exceptional results.

Helen graduated from Aston University with a degree in International Business and Modern Languages, achieving a 2:1. During her studies, she spent a year in Grenoble, in the French Alps—a transformative experience that sparked her love of travel and led her to learn both skiing and snowboarding.

Outside of work, Helen has always been drawn to adventure. When she was younger (and a bit more fearless, as she puts it), she skydived over New Zealand, taking in the stunning views from thousands of feet above.

Areas of Expertise

Helen has always been very responsive and open to having a conversation as well as receptive to having ideas bounced off her – she’s also always very keen to help whenever she can. I’ve always found working with Helen to be refreshingly straightforward – and she’s very approachable and very easy to work with.

Ben Scott
Partnerships Manager, Sailors' Society

Maritime HR Association

Annual salary and bonus benchmarking reports for global shipping jobs in all maritime hubs.

Seafarer Employers' Association

Annual wage benchmarking reports for all seafaring nationalities and major vessel types.
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