Comparison · 18 material differences
Helm vs Women Presidents Organization
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
Women Presidents Organization
Women who own and run privately held companies above WPO's revenue thresholds.
What the records say
- Role or title: Helm: Founder or CEO of the business; Women Presidents Organization: Must lead the company and hold primary decision-making authority for day-to-day operations.
- Minimum company revenue: Helm: £3m+ revenue, or more than £3m raised; Women Presidents Organization: US$2,000,000 in gross annual sales for a product-based business.
- Minimum employees: Helm: Team size around 20 full-time equivalents; Women Presidents Organization: No published minimum employees.
- Minimum ownership stake: Helm: No published minimum ownership stake; Women Presidents Organization: Must hold an ownership interest in the business at some level, and the company must be privately held.
- Annual dues: Helm: £1,450 a year; Women Presidents Organization: $2,000 a year.
Side by side
| Helm | Women Presidents Organization | |
|---|---|---|
| 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.) | 1997 (Founded by Marsha Firestone; the first chapter was started in New York City.) |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom | New York, United States |
| Geographic footprint | United Kingdom: events across London and regional UK hubs, plus a digital community; Helm does not publish a full list of hubs | Chapters across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, South Africa and Australia |
| Members | 400as of September 2026 | Not currently disclosed. WPO does not publish a member total on its site; a 2022 account records 2,000 members across 137 chapters, which is now out of date. |
| 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. | 145 |
| Primary audience | Founders and CEOs of UK scale-up businesses past about £3 million in revenue | Women who own and run privately held companies above WPO's revenue thresholds. |
| 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 women who lead their own privately held companies, hold day-to-day decision-making authority and have an ownership interest. The entry threshold is US$2 million in gross annual sales for product-based businesses and US$1 million for service-based businesses, with higher tiers at US$10 million (Platinum) and US$50 million (Zenith). |
| 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 ↗ | Must lead the company and hold primary decision-making authority for day-to-day operationsverified 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 ↗ | US$2,000,000 in gross annual sales for a product-based businessBase (Chapter Member and Member-at-Large) threshold.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 |
| Minimum ownership stake | No published minimum ownership stake | Must hold an ownership interest in the business at some level, and the company must be privately heldverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Gender | No published gender | Women business ownersverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | United Kingdom scale-up businessesverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | Not documented |
| 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. | Candidates apply and, if they meet the ownership, authority and revenue tests, are placed in a chapter in their geographic area. Women who meet the criteria but cannot access a chapter for geographic or other reasons can join as a Member-at-Large. |
| 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 |
| 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 ↗ | $2,000 a yearStated by Women Presidents' Organization (2021-12-09): WPO Chapter Member (global, USD; $1M+ service / $2M+ product revenue). “CHAPTER ANNUAL FEE: $2,000”verified October 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 ↗ | Not publicly disclosed |
| 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 |
| Membership term | Annual, cancellable at any time under the published membership agreement | Not documented |
| 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 | Monthly chapter meetings for Chapter Members; Platinum and Zenith groups meet three times a year |
| 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 | Chapters draw members from diverse non-competing industries and are facilitated by a professionally trained Chapter Chair. Chapter size is reported at a maximum of 20 members, a figure WPO does not confirm on its own pages. |
| Confidentiality | Events run under the Chatham House Rule; Forum is described as absolutely confidential ("What's discussed at Helm stays at Helm") | Chapter meetings are confidential; members share business expertise in confidence. |
| 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 | Not documented |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Chapter-based, Forum-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Partial | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Partial | Partial |
| Online community | Yes | Partial |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Yes | Partial |
| Travel | Partial | Partial |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | Partial | No |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | Not documented |
| 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 · Women Presidents Organization