Helen Kowe

Questioner
DISC Type : c

Head of Commercial Strategy and Contract Formulation at United Utilities

Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Overview

Helen Kowe is a strategic procurement leader at United Utilities, specializing in the energy, nuclear, and water sectors. With an MCIPS qualification, she excels in aligning commercial strategies with business objectives, embedding ESG principles, and influencing senior stakeholders to deliver sustainable value and competitive advantage.

Outside of her core role, Helen is an active participant in industry forums, including the Infrastructure Leadership Group. She is passionate about networking and advancing the water sector, and in her personal time, she has been photographed attending the Grand National horse racing festival.

She led a project that won a 2019 CIPS Award for identifying £359 million in savings.

Personality Overview

Value Seeker

Cautious & Analytical

Systematic

It is quite likely of them to ask for pricing or other concessions.  They prefer to do thorough analysis of any situation. While they don't hesitate to ask questions, they are generally risk-averse and tend to be late adopters.

Topics They Care About

Sustainable Procurement
Her role focuses on embedding ESG principles. She actively participates in forums discussing embodied carbon, social value, and hydrogen as a future fuel source for the industry.
Water Sector Innovation
Focuses on the future of the water industry, including AMP8 delivery, regulatory changes, and planning for events like the IWA World Water Congress.
Cross-Industry Collaboration
Engages with peers in forums like the Major Project Social Value Forum and the Infrastructure Leadership Group to share learning and drive better outcomes.

Media Appearances

Helen has no verified media appearances

Work History

12-2025
Head of Commercial Strategy and Contract Formulation at United Utilities
6-2022 - 12-2025
Commercial Manager at United Utilities
2-2021 - 6-2022
Commercial Manager at Sellafield Ltd
1-2019 - 1-2021
Policy and Governance Manager at United Utilities
4-2016 - 1-2019
Strategic Project Manager at United Utilities

Education

2016 - 2016
Purchasing from MCIPS
2014 - 2016
Supply Chain Management from NVQ Level 4

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 20 Location : Liverpool, England, United Kingdom Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Head of Commercial Strategy and Contract Formulation at United Utilities
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Insights For Selling To Helen

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Back up any claims with data and numbers
  • Tell them that you will come back if you don’t have a good answer for a question
  • Emphasise more on facts and measurable benefits

DONT's

  • Don’t depend too much on anecdotal evidence, it reduces their confidence
  • Don’t overhype the product/pitch, keep it measured
  • Avoid rushing them, be polite and patient

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Helen is

  • Ensuring that the product delivers ROI, cost-effective pricing and process compliance are very important for them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Helen

  • It doesn’t come naturally to them but they can say no if they are not convinced.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Helen move?

  • If they have the information that they need, they can move fast at making their decisions.
  • Can Helen take some risk or not?

  • They can take some risk if they are confident that they have analyzed the circumstances well.


You And Helen

Personality Compatibility


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