'All of that learning has opened so many doors': How Helen Arrey Reinvented Her Finance Career

On the shores of the Gulf of Guinea, Helen Ako Arrey has spent eighteen years orchestrating economics and planning for oil producers—navigating cost analyses, contract negotiations, and investment portfolios with the precision of a seasoned executive. Yet in 2023, the accomplished professional made a bold decision: she strapped herself onto an intellectual roller‑coaster by enrolling in the Executive MSc in Finance (EMiF) at HEC Paris.
 

Her motivation? To become what she calls “a 2.0 version” of her own career—and to inspire other African women to seize the financial reins in their own professional journeys. 

The Call for Transformation

Armed with degrees in business management and accounting, Helen’s career trajectory seemed already stellar. At Pecten Cameroon, she trimmed costs by 30% in two years. She then joined Addax Petroleum, spending time in Geneva overseeing West African strategy before returning to Douala in 2017 as a Business Economist and later heading the company’s planning and economics division in 2019.

But success bred ambition for deeper expertise.

I wanted a truly demanding program: academic excellence, a strong network, and enough flexibility to keep working.

Helen recognized critical gaps in her financial arsenal: "I hadn't been exposed much to financial markets, financial instruments, or even macroeconomics during my career", she reflects. A business‑school fair in Douala, a detour to HEC Paris’ website, and an intriguing faculty list later - her application was sent. The adventure began in October 2023.

The Executive MSc in Finance Learning Curve

The Executive MSc in Finance delivered exactly what Helen sought - and more than she bargained for.

During the first week, I told the program director, Ioanid Rosu: ‘I don’t think I can make it.’ The standard is insanely high!”

Helen recalls the initial shock: “I knew there would be a gap but not that wide…” She confesses she wanted to quit but her classmates and professors gave her the support she needed, and convinced her to persevere.

That perseverance paid off handsomely - here she is in June 2025, graduating from HEC Paris with a transformed perspective on finance.

Helen Arrey, EMiF 2025, at Commencement Day 2025 on the HEC Paris campus, ready to drive financial transformation across Africa and beyond.

The program’s structure proved both rigorous and rewarding: three intensive ten-days modules covering valuation, markets & asset management and financial strategy plus a Capstone project, and professional thesis. 

Between M&A simulations, LBO cases, and negotiation seminars, Helen felt the knowledge gap—then systematically closed it through late‑night study sessions and “unexpected brainstorming in the corridors of the campus”.

The breakthrough came through intuition. “All the courses were mind-blowing”, Helen recalls, “but the most impactful takeaway was that intuition that I gained. In finance or economics, it's not just about crunching the numbers... It's about the intuition behind them”. This newfound financial intuition transformed her into a more confident decision maker, a sharper negotiator, and someone deeply knowledgeable about global trends’ impact on growth - both in Africa and worldwide.

New Weapons for Investment and Impact

Back at headquarters, Helen immediately deployed her EMiF toolbox: refining each project’s cost of capital, calculating robust terminal values, and reshaping investment portfolios to absorb macro shocks. “I feel like all of that learning has opened so many doors, and exposed me to so many solutions for the continent.”

Her thesis on 'Capital Pricing in East and West‑African emerging markets' reflects her passion for addressing African market challenges. More than ever, Helen feels prepared for the next chapter of her career in a senior role where finance will be central. But her transformation extends far beyond personal advancement.

Empowering the Next Generation

Helen’s commitment to inclusion led her to co-found Empower Her Network Africa in 2019 - a groundbreaking initiative democratizing financial literacy, building a pipeline of female leaders, and funding women‑led businesses while advocating for more female voices in regional financial governance.

I want to see more women dare to take on programmes like this; our continent needs role models.

The network represents Helen’s belief that individual transformation should catalyze collective empowerment. “There's still so much work to do when it comes to giving women the confidence to take the seat, instead of waiting for people to give it to them.” Her HEC experience has only strengthened her conviction that empowering women in Africa is both an economic imperative and a moral calling. 

Deep down, she hopes her journey will inspire other women to seize opportunities for professional development, proving that transformational education can unlock not just personal potential but continental progress.

Together with Leila Kigha, Helen Arrey co-founded Empower Network Africa to democratize financial literacy and build a pipeline of women leaders.

Building a Global Network for Life

The EMIF experience extended far beyond classroom learning. Helen discovered that the group projects were “a gold mine” where participants shared, supported, and constantly learned from one another” - especially valuable in a cohort spanning Belgium, France, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland, the UK,and beyond.

After each course week, we’d go for dinner and then for drinks—those informal gatherings are really important, because that’s how you build genuine relationships. 

Helen now cherishes her place in the 80,000-strong HEC Alumni network and the HEC Finance Community. She describes the alumni events as 'powerful sharing' experiences, highlighting recent presentations by EMIF alumnus Matteo Grassani and other success stories. “There are so many resources that are available to you, and everyone is willing to help. It's just unbelievable”, she notes - a testament to the program’s lasting value proposition.

The Springboard Effect

Helen’s transformation through the EMIF represents more than skill acquisition - it’s a masterclass in strategic career evolution. As she puts it, the program is about leveraging everything you acquire in financial valuation, asset management, financial markets, and strategic finance in your daily practice. But it is also about transcending numbers to assess whether decisions benefit the company and contribute to its success.

For executives ready to reset their trajectory in finance, Helen’s journey offers a compelling blueprint: embrace the challenge, leverage the network, and use individual transformation as a catalyst for broader impact.
Ready to supercharge your ambitions? The Executive MSc in Finance awaits leaders bold enough to become the 2.0 version of themselves.