Who we are
Helen Clayton
GCG Consortium · Member record
United Kingdom
Tab 01 · Profile
Profile
Founder and Director of Solstice Risk Advisory and former Head of Crime & Security at Sainsbury's, with more than 20 years' experience in retail crime and security. Security Woman of the Year 2021, a founding member of Operation Pegasus and a member of the Retail Crime Forum, she attended Downing Street in 2024 to help shape the Government's plans on retail crime. She is a serving magistrate in Nottinghamshire and a Board Director of Safer Business Network in London.
As Head of Crime & Security at Sainsbury's from 2017 to 2025, Helen was accountable for delivering a safe and secure environment for circa 175,000 colleagues and for customers across store support centres, logistics and 1,400 stores. She led the company's colleague-safety corporate risk for Executive Board oversight, monitored and responded to threats from kidnap and extortion to terrorism including a Martyn's Law roadmap, owned the Executive Board's personalised security plans, and was accountable for the annual delivery of a combined capex and opex budget of circa £180m. Her earlier career spans fifteen years at Boots UK across security, forensic investigation and risk leadership roles, having started at Sainsbury's on its Graduate Management Training Scheme.
Helen represents the retail industry to government and national policing: her Downing Street engagement in 2024 contributed to the standalone offence announcement for retail shopworkers, she is a member of the Retail Crime Forum chaired by the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire, and she is a founding member of Operation Pegasus, the retail-funded organised crime policing team that went live in May 2024. A volunteer within the criminal justice system, she is a magistrate at Nottinghamshire Adult Courts and a former Witness Service volunteer, introduced 'Time out to Talk' during the pandemic to support mental health, and has set up and led female and menopause mentoring groups. She holds a BA (Hons) in Human & Education Studies from Nottingham Trent University.
Tab 02 · Areas of expertise
Areas of expertise
- Retail crime & security More than 20 years leading crime and security in UK retail, most recently as Head of Crime & Security at Sainsbury's — accountable across store support centres, logistics and 1,400 stores — and Security Woman of the Year 2021 at the Retail Risk Awards.
- Corporate security risk Led the measures and insight of Sainsbury's colleague-safety corporate risk, providing the oversight required by the Executive Board, with auditable data-led decisions, investment choices and compliance across a combined capex and opex budget of circa £180m.
- Threat monitoring & preparedness Monitored and responded to security threats including kidnap and extortion and terrorism — with a Martyn's Law roadmap — supported by major incident plans, desktop exercises and intelligence.
- Government & industry engagement Attended Downing Street in 2024 to influence the Government's plans on retail crime, leading to the standalone offence announcement for retail shopworkers; member of the Retail Crime Forum, chaired by the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire, and a founding member of Operation Pegasus.
- Executive protection Owned the personalised security plans of Sainsbury's Executive Board covering home, travel and online security.
Tab 03 · Service record
Service record
- 2025 – present Founder and Director, Solstice Risk Advisory Advises retailers on crime risk and on what to do about it.
- 2023 – present Magistrate and industry board roles Magistrate (Justice of the Peace) at Nottinghamshire Adult Courts, sitting since April 2024; Board Director of Safer Business Network in London, providing oversight to a business that promotes safety and reduces the impact of crime on businesses and the communities they serve.
- 2017 – 2025 Head of Crime & Security, Sainsbury's Delivered a safe and secure environment for circa 175,000 colleagues and customers across store support centres, logistics and 1,400 stores; led the colleague-safety corporate risk for Executive Board oversight, responded to threats from kidnap and extortion to terrorism, and was accountable for a combined capex and opex budget of circa £180m.
- 2002 – 2017 Security, risk and operations leadership, Boots UK Fifteen years of progressive roles: Area Loss Detection Manager, Support Office Investigations Manager, Forensic Analysis & Support Manager, Security & Forensic Investigation Manager, Senior Manager Risk & Solutions and Commercial Operations Manager.
- 1995 – 2002 Early career, Sainsbury's From part-time student and the Graduate Management Training Scheme to Assistant Manager and Administration Manager roles.
Tab 04 · Consortium delivery