Comparison · 18 material differences
Helm vs MacKay CEO Forums
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Invitation-only community
Verified September 2026 Helm
Founders and CEOs of UK scale-up businesses past about £3 million in revenue
Peer advisory
MacKay CEO Forums
Canadian CEOs, business owners and senior executives, split into forums by role and company size
What the records say
- Role or title: Helm: Founder or CEO of the business; MacKay CEO Forums: CEO Membership: CEO, business owner or founder.
- Minimum company revenue: Helm: £3m+ revenue, or more than £3m raised; MacKay CEO Forums: CEO Membership: annual company revenue $5MM-$5B+.
- Minimum employees: Helm: Team size around 20 full-time equivalents; MacKay CEO Forums: No published minimum employees.
- Geographic restriction: Helm: United Kingdom scale-up businesses; MacKay CEO Forums: Canada.
- Annual dues: Helm: £1,450 a year; MacKay CEO Forums: C$12,000 a year.
Side by side
| Helm | MacKay CEO Forums | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Invitation-only community | Peer advisory |
| Founded | 2003 (Founded as The Supper Club in 2003 by Duncan Cheatle; rebranded to Helm. Helm's own site states the 2003 founding on every page footer line and in its FAQ.) | 2005 (MacKay's own pages say "more than 20 years" and cite "5,000+ Alumni members across Canada over 20 years" without naming a year; the Peer Resources directory dates the founding to 2005. Nancy MacKay, PhD is listed as Founder and CEO on the leadership page.) |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom | North Vancouver, Canada |
| Geographic footprint | United Kingdom: events across London and regional UK hubs, plus a digital community; Helm does not publish a full list of hubs | Canada: Forum Chairs listed in twelve regions across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia |
| Members | 400as of September 2026 | 1,300as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | Helm has no chapters. It runs Forum groups and events in London and regional UK hubs but does not publish a hub list or a Forum count. | 12 |
| Primary audience | Founders and CEOs of UK scale-up businesses past about £3 million in revenue | Canadian CEOs, business owners and senior executives, split into forums by role and company size |
| Typical member | Members are founders and CEOs of UK scale-ups, with average member turnover of about £21 million according to Helm's own comparison page. Businesses span SaaS, deep tech, biotech, property, manufacturing and retail. Non-founder executives, advisers and service providers are explicitly not admitted. | Members are chief executives, owners and senior executives of Canadian companies with revenue from about $5 million to over $5 billion, with a separate tier for companies above $1 billion. MacKay states that 37% of members are women. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | Founder or CEO of the business"non-founder executives, advisers and service providers are not admitted as members".verified September 2026 · source ↗ | CEO Membership: CEO, business owner or founderverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum company revenue | £3m+ revenue, or more than £3m raisedHelm's published qualification panel: "Revenue £3m+ (or, raised >£3m)".verified September 2026 · source ↗ | CEO Membership: annual company revenue $5MM-$5B+Currency is not stated on the page; MacKay prices in Canadian dollars plus GST/HST.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum employees | Team size around 20 full-time equivalentsHelm's qualification panel gives "Team size 20 FTEs"; its FAQ says "a team of around 20 or more".verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum employees |
| Geographic restriction | United Kingdom scale-up businessesverified September 2026 · source ↗ | CanadaForum Chairs are listed only in Canadian regions.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | A short application form (Helm says two to five minutes), then a 30-minute qualifying call with the membership team to check fit and identify a suitable Forum. Helm describes committee approval within about 48 hours, followed by a 45-minute onboarding call. Forum placement follows an introductory conversation with the prospective Forum Chair and happens within one to three months of joining. | Prospective members apply through the Join MacKay pages or by contacting the office, then are screened for strategic fit and matched to a forum of non-competing peers. Community members may be invited to sit in on a full-day forum meeting before committing to a forum tier. |
| Selectivity | No acceptance rate is published. Helm states that every application is reviewed for fit and that non-founder executives, advisers and service providers are not admitted. | Not publicly disclosed. MacKay says peer groups are screened for strategic fit but publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | £1,450 a yearClub membership: "£1,450 /per annum" on Helm's Get Started page. In-person experiences are pay-as-you-go at this tier.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | C$12,000 a yearCEO Membership: "$12,000 (full year)". Prices are quoted before GST/HST.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Monthly dues | £495 a monthA Helm comparison landing page quotes "£495 Joining Fee + £495 per month" (about £5,940 a year), which conflicts with the annual figures on the Get Started page. Both are Helm's own pages; the discrepancy is unresolved.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | All figures are annual and quoted before GST/HST. MacKay publishes each tier's price on its own membership page. |
| Initiation fee | £495 one-time"£495 Joining Fee" per Helm's comparison landing page. No joining fee appears on the Get Started page.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed; no joining fee is mentioned on the membership pages.verified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Annual, cancellable at any time under the published membership agreement | Annual (dues quoted as "full year") |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Forum meets ten times a year (about three hours a month) plus an annual retreat; Helm runs two to three events a week, roughly 160 a year | Seven forum meetings a year: six full-day sessions plus a two-day retreat; plus speaker sessions and national summits |
| Peer forums | Chaired Forum groups of six to eight founders, capped at eight, matched on business size, experience level, personality mix and Chair expertise; Chairs are experienced or exited founders | Forums of about 14 carefully matched, non-competing members led by a certified Forum Chair |
| Confidentiality | Events run under the Chatham House Rule; Forum is described as absolutely confidential ("What's discussed at Helm stays at Helm") | Confidentiality is one of MacKay's stated core values; forums are described as confidential, judgement-free spaces |
| Time commitment | About three hours a month for Forum; Helm states there is no fixed overall commitment and that members typically attend an event every one to two months | Roughly eight meeting days a year at full attendance; members must attend at least four of the seven meetings |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Forum-based, Chapter-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Partial | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Partial | Not documented |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Partial |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Yes | Yes |
| Travel | Partial | No |
| Family programming | No | Yes |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | Partial | No |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | High | Medium |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Helm · MacKay CEO Forums