Article: “To be a part of driving change is a really cool journey” Written by Beth Gault Friday 27 February 2026 Share Share to LinkedIn Share to Facebook Share via email Helen Tupper CMgr CCMI, our Chartered Companion of the Month, shares her journey from novice (but enthusiastic) manager to senior leader and CMI Trustee Early in her career, Helen Tupper CMgr CCMI, CEO of Amazing If and author of Squiggly Careers, was “desperate” to become a manager. “This was around 2006,” she says. “I was a project manager at Capital One, so I was kind of pseudo-managing people. I wasn’t the team’s direct manager, but I was managing their work in lots of ways. But I was so desperate to be a manager.” She moved to E.ON to pursue that ambition. “My job was as corporate process improvement manager – it wasn’t even the right job for me – but I took it because I really wanted to be a manager,” she says. A passion for leading Looking back now, Helen says she was “so keen”, reading every management book possible to prepare her for the role. “You can read as many textbooks as you want on becoming a manager, but I don’t really think it can prepare you for the reality, because people aren’t textbooks. They come with their individual needs, challenges and assumptions, so it taught me that I needed to learn by doing. And that’s part of the skill – learning is a massive skill,” she says. What is a Chartered Companion? A select group of the best leaders around the world, CMI Chartered Companions help shape our activities by providing thought leadership and directly supporting policy, research and product development. Find out more Through this management experience, Helen found a passion for helping people to do their best. “I loved working in organisations and leading them,” says Helen. “And that initial part of my career taught me that actually, regardless of the company, the thing I loved most was managing people. “That’s because, as a manager, I had this ability to help an individual be at their best, and I was so motivated by that.” “Phase two” Helen went on to hold further management positions in various large companies, including BP, Virgin, and as Marketing Director at Microsoft. She also began to find ways of helping people outside her job, “because I just enjoyed it so much and there were only so many people I could manage at that point in time”. Keep reading – more from Helen Login or register below for Free Instant Access Login If you are already registered as a CMI Friend, Subscriber or Member, just login to view this article. Confirm your registration Login below to confirm your details and access this article. Log in Register for Free Access Not yet a Member, Subscriber or Friend? Register as a CMI Friend for free, and get access to this and many other exclusive resources, as well as weekly updates straight to your inbox. Article Our extensive range of articles are designed to keep you in the loop with all the latest management and leadership best practice, research and news. Members See More CMI Members have access to thousands of online learning and CPD resources. Learn more about our membership benefits Join The Community CMI offers a variety of flexible membership solutions, tailored to your needs. Find out more and get involved in the CMI community today.
