Helen Bilton

Helen Bilton, Director of People at Autism Together, has driven a transformative people agenda since joining the charity in August 2023. Leading a workforce of 850 supporting over 400 autistic adults, Helen’s impact in 2024 has been felt across financial, cultural and workforce development outcomes.

Early in 2024, Helen launched a five-year strategic workforce plan to align talent strategy with organisational growth. She modernised recruitment and boosted workforce numbers by 8–10%, helping reduce agency spend from £1.8m to a forecasted £800k by March 2025.

Helen placed wellbeing at the centre of retention efforts, introducing a new occupational health service, EAPs, online wellness tools, and menopause awareness training. These efforts contributed to a 2% drop in absence rates—well below the national average.

Committed to fostering learning and development, Helen revamped leadership pathways and expanded apprenticeship uptake by 40%. A standout initiative was the mandatory rollout of Oliver McGowan training, co-delivered with autistic individuals, creating both employment opportunities and a stronger culture of inclusion.

Her work also enhanced Autism Together’s commercial training offering, forecasted to generate £80k. A new Family Policy launched in autumn 2024 introduced enhanced parental leave and childcare support, earning the charity "Employer with Heart" status.

Helen strengthened employee voice by transforming the Staff/Management Group into the collaborative Working Together Group, creating a culture of cross-functional problem-solving and trust.

Helen’s thoughtful, inclusive leadership has driven measurable improvements in retention, capability and culture—firmly establishing Autism Together as a modern, values-led employer of choice.