Welcoming Helen Colson to The Krowd
Meet Helen Colson, Krowd's new Digital Product Leader, bringing 15+ years of experience in digital transformation, product strategy and resident-focused innovation.
Welcome to the team, Helen.
A passion for building better digital services
We're delighted to welcome Helen Colson to the Krowd team.
Helen joins us as an experienced Digital Product Leader with more than 15 years' experience delivering digital products, leading technology teams and driving digital transformation across both public and private sector organisations.
Throughout her career, Helen has helped organisations solve complex problems through better product management, smarter use of data and technology that genuinely improves people's lives.
What stood out to us wasn't just her experience. It was her belief that the best digital products begin by understanding the people they're built for.
That philosophy sits at the heart of everything we do at Krowd.
Building digital products that make a difference
Helen has spent her career bringing together technology, product strategy and user needs to deliver meaningful change.
She has led large multidisciplinary teams, shaped long-term product strategy and delivered complex digital transformation programmes that have improved customer experiences, increased operational efficiency and supported business growth.
Most recently, as Head of Product at Highbourne Group, Helen led the development of a group-wide data platform within a highly regulated industry. The programme improved data quality, introduced AI-driven reporting, automated business processes and gave leadership teams better information to make strategic decisions.
Across every role, one principle has remained the same: build products around people, not processes.
Understanding the realities of social housing
As Head of Product at Highbourne Group, Helen gained first-hand insight into the challenges faced by people living in social housing.
While much of the organisation's work focused on plumbing and heating repairs, Helen quickly recognised that housing issues rarely exist in isolation. Poor housing conditions are often closely linked with financial hardship, physical and mental health, access to services and wider wellbeing.
Those experiences strengthened her understanding of the housing sector and reinforced her belief that technology can help organisations understand residents better, respond more effectively and ultimately improve outcomes for communities.
A commitment to positive social impact
Creating positive change has always been an important part of Helen's life, both professionally and personally.
During a career break, she worked with local community organisations, helping to deliver projects that improved energy efficiency, supported neighbourhood initiatives and encouraged more sustainable communities. She also managed a £150,000 grant for a local charity and founded Queer Tango Birmingham, creating a welcoming and inclusive community through dance.
Over the past six years, Helen has also been actively involved in local and national community campaigns focused on creating fairer, more inclusive outcomes for people.
These experiences have strengthened her belief that lasting change comes from listening to communities, understanding lived experiences and designing services around real human needs.
Those values align closely with Krowd's mission to help organisations build stronger relationships with residents through better data, better technology and better decision-making.
Why Krowd?
For Helen, joining Krowd brings together two passions: building exceptional digital products and creating meaningful social impact.
Reflecting on her new role, Helen said:
"I'm excited to work somewhere with a real focus on helping people and making a difference to their standard of living.
During my time at Highbourne Group I had my first insight into the struggles that people in social housing face. That role was focused on the challenges of repairing plumbing and heating systems, but it quickly became clear that those issues were only one part of a much bigger picture.
Over the last six years I've become involved in local and national activism across a number of different causes, and working with Krowd is an opportunity to combine my passion for creating positive change with my professional experience and skills."
Looking ahead
As Krowd continues to develop technology that helps organisations understand residents, improve services and make better decisions, people will always remain at the centre of our work.
Helen brings a rare combination of strategic product leadership, technical expertise and genuine empathy for the communities technology should serve. Her experience in digital product management, digital transformation, housing technology and resident experience will help shape the next generation of products across the Krowd ecosystem.
We're delighted to welcome Helen to the team and look forward to the impact she'll make.
Welcome to Krowd, Helen.