The British Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Helen Silvester as our new Executive Director, Hong Kong
Helen brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across over 40 countries. Most recently, she served as the British Council’s Regional Director for South Asia, leading our work to build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Throughout her career with the British Council, Helen has held a number of senior leadership roles, including Regional Director, Americas, Deputy Regional Director, South Asia, Director, West India, and Regional Director, Education, Wider Europe. Her extensive international experience and deep commitment to our mission have enabled her to lead high-impact programmes and partnerships across diverse cultural and educational contexts.
Helen’s connection with Hong Kong is particularly meaningful. With a strong background and longstanding passion for education, her first role with the British Council was as a teacher in our Hong Kong teaching centre. We are delighted to welcome Helen back to Hong Kong to lead our work and continue strengthening our impact across Education, Arts and Culture, and English and Exams, while advancing opportunities for collaboration between the UK and Hong Kong.
Helen has shared her first message as Executive Director, which you can read here: Message from the Executive Director