Helen Mussell
Cambridge Political Economy Society Trust Scholar
Care and Business: Can there be a Connection?
Supervisor: Professor Tony Lawson (Faculty of Economics)
“The experiences to be gained from undertaking a PhD can never be fully known at the outset. It is always a leap into the dark in some respects, so the opportunity to reflect is invaluable. Academically speaking the doctorate programme in Gender Studies has been transformational. Having written and submitted my thesis within a three-year timeframe, defending it in early February 2016, I have progressed from reading papers in leading journals with awe, to successfully publishing in them. This would simply not have been possible without the inspiration and support of a core network of individuals I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by during my time at Cambridge. Teamed together with the generous financial support received from my sponsors - Cambridge Political Economy Society Trust - enabling international research trips and conference presentations - I consider my PhD to not only have been a professionally worthwhile adventure, but also one of great personal development. My future plans are to continue to publish, writing on core issues of gender in philosophy, economics, corporate governance and business ethics. And following the recommendations of my examiners, I am also developing the thesis into a monograph for publication, so hope to be able to contribute in some small way to the crucial feminist and gender studies canon. Finally, I wish to thank all of those insightful and inspirational individuals who have helped me over these past years. Everyone's support and encouragement has been so very much appreciated.”
Helen is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Organizational Studies and Director of Online Learning at Cardiff Business School. Prior to joining Cardiff University, Helen was Director of the Master's in Sustainability Leadership at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, University of Cambridge.
She completed her BA (Hons) in Women’s Studies at Lancaster University, and holds an MPhil and PhD in Gender Studies (philosophy and economics focus) from the University of Cambridge, where she was Cambridge Political Economy Society Trust Scholar (2012-2016).
Helen is Co-Editor of the Economics section of the Journal of Business Ethics(a Financial Times top 50 journal), an Honorary Research Associate at the Centre for Business Research, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, and an alumna of Newnham College, Cambridge. Her recent publication 'Theorising the Fiduciary: Ontology and Ethics' inJournal of Business Ethics (2023) was awarded the Gavin C Reid Best Paper prize 2022 by the Centre for Business Research, Judge Business School.
Her highly interdisciplinary work focuses on organizational ethics, including fiduciary duty, trust, and power in organizations. Helen is published in philosophy (ethics, epistemology, and ontology), heterodox economics, business and feminist ethics, and social psychology. She is published in leading journals including Business Ethics Quarterly and Journal of Business Ethics, and has published a monograph - Ontology, relational ethics and corporations - with Palgrave Macmillan (2024).
Prior to her academic career, Helen worked in industry for fourteen years, in sectors including media, publishing, and consultancy, where she engaged with organizational culture issues regarding gender, leadership, and management in the workplace.
Helen also acts as a Specialist Advisor with Principia Advisory supporting executive leadership teams and Boards on ethical practice, focussing on the ethical implications of fiduciary duties, including issues relating to interpretations of responsibilities of trusteeships from an ethical perspective.