Helen Buford returned to Denneen & Company in 2010, having served as Executive Vice President in the early stage of the company's development in the 1990s. Prior to returning, she served most recently as Vice President of Manufacturer Client Leadership at dunnhumbyUSA, a marketing and insights consultancy headquartered in the UK. Working with a multi-functional team, Helen managed the engagement of a variety of Fortune 100 CPG companies. Through consultation on the most effective use of shopper analytics, Helen helped her clients to build brand value through increased shopper loyalty.
Helen has a strong background in marketing and related roles prior to her work at dunnhumbyUSA. She served as Chief Marketing Officer for The HoneyBaked Ham Company, a premier manufacturer and retailer. In this role, she oversaw all marketing, customer relations and corporate sales activities for 50 regional stores of this high-end gourmet food retailer. Helen also served as an Adjunct Marketing Professor at the University of Cincinnati's College of Business Administration.
Helen is an experienced marketer in competitive categories including retail, toys and consumer packaged goods. She served as a Marketing Manager at Hasbro, Inc., where she managed several girls' toy lines, including concept and product development, pricing and profitability, and marketing strategy. Earlier in her career, she worked at Procter & Gamble in Brand Management in the health care sector, as well as in Promotion Management, where she was a company-wide consultant on targeted marketing strategies.
Helen also has a strong record of community service. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati, where she has been co-chair of the Annual Fund campaign. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Contemporary Arts Center. Helen has in the past been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Cincinnati Ballet, the Board of Trustees of Lighthouse Youth Services, as well as the Board of Trustees of the Arts Consortium, the Board of Trustees of Stop AIDS, and the Board of Trustees for the School of the Creative and Performing Arts. She has been a member of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Cincinnati Class XXVI, and served as the Arts Chair on Leadership Cincinnati's Steering Committee.
Helen received her MBA from the Harvard Business School, and her BS from Northwestern University, where she majored in Speech and Language Pathology.