Helen Sheedy
With over two decades of experience in sales, marketing and branding, Helen brings a wealth of industry knowledge from working at breweries across Canada and in the US. In addition to teaching in the KPU Brewing diploma program, Helen is also the Regional Sales Manager for the Lower Mainland for Driftwood Brewing Company. She is responsible for overseeing regional daily sales operations, developing sales strategies, coaching sales staff, and building relationships with clients.
As an industry leader, she enjoys sharing her expertise and real-world experiences with students, and seeing them get excited by the creativity, innovation, community, and entrepreneurial aspects of the craft beer business.
Helen is also a sought-after guest speaker and advocate for inclusion, having presented at the BC Craft Brewers Conference, Girls Guided Beer Tours, and Queens of Craft events.
A pivotal life experience she shares with students is completing the Chicago marathon…the commitment required, meeting unforeseen challenges, adjusting her training along the way to ensure she stayed healthy and she met her goal, letting go of expectations to make room for new learnings, and, ultimately, really knowing what she was capable of accomplishing.
Helen’s advice for students and new brewing grads is: “Your hardest days will likely be your greatest. Stay the course, be open, listen, collaborate and believe in yourself.”
When she’s not busy working, teaching or exploring nature, you can find Helen enjoying a seasonal beer or just about any IPA.