Steph founded Helpful in 2010, after a career in the worlds of market research, digital agency life and the Civil Service. He left the organisation in 2021, following a management buy-out of the company.
Prior to Helpful, Steph spent five years working in strategic communications and leading the digital team of the UK government department for Business, covering corporate website management, digital engagement, social media and intranet. His team earned a reputation across and beyond government for pioneering approaches to online consultation, work with online communities and social media monitoring.
On a voluntary basis, Steph has co-organised events such as UKGovcamp, MailCamp and MeetTheCommunities, which bring together people interested in how the public sector uses technology and social media.
Steph’s digital interests and specialisms include:
- Digital engagement for policymaking and consultation
- Product management
- Mis- and disinformation online and strategies for effective rebuttal
- Applied cybersecurity
He blogs at postbureaucrat.com and tweets as @lesteph.