GIVING BACK
Global alumni shaping futures
Helen Sayles and Neil Duffin talk about giving back as members of our Campaign Global Council.
Neil Duffin
Dr Helen Sayles CBE
Our Shaping Futures campaign drives Heriot-Watt University’s ambition to be at the forefront of new ideas and provide solutions to meet society’s needs.
Key alumni are serving as advisors and ambassadors on the Shaping Futures Global Council, including Neil Duffin and Dr Helen Sayles CBE, who were students at Heriot-Watt University in the 70s.
Helen came from Ayrshire and Neil grew up in Fife. While both crossed the Atlantic to forge their careers and build their lives in the USA, they remain deeply connected to their Scottish roots and to the University.
Supporting Heriot-Watt University’s mission-driven approach through the Campaign Global Council
They are powerful voices for our mission and the ambition of our campaign.”
Professor Dame Heather McGregor
“I enjoyed a long and interesting career at ExxonMobil, spanning more than four decades,” explains Neil, who held numerous senior managerial positions across different regions and sectors within the company. His last post before retiring, in 2021, was President of ExxonMobil Global Projects Company.
“What I found really stimulating was the opportunity I had to reshape the company quite a bit and to set it up for the future,” he comments. “You need a diverse range of people to make a company effective—different backgrounds, different perspectives, and different experiences,” he explains. It’s why he is keen to “bring together different elements” and “make the links” that will help to build sustainability for Heriot-Watt and its ambitions for future impact.
“Getting results drove my career—I was always focused on what I could do to improve things,” Helen explains, who forged a stellar career in business, latterly becoming Senior Vice President and Manager of Human Resources and Administration for Liberty Mutual Group (a Fortune 100 global insurance company) before retiring in 2012.
As a member of the Global Council, she is keen to support the University’s mission-driven approach: “When we empower individuals through education, we not only transform their lives, but society also benefits—it is a win-win,” she comments.
Campaign Global Council members visit the National Robotarium, November 2025.
The Campaign Global Council is a group of volunteer leaders, convened in 2024, and chaired by Professor Dame Heather McGregor, Provost and Vice-Principal of Heriot-Watt University Dubai. Council members act as advocates for the Shaping Futures campaign, supporting Heriot-Watt’s ambition and purpose, and working to inspire and motivate others to become involved. “We hugely value the support and advocacy of our accomplished senior alumni and friends who have chosen to serve on the Global Council,” comments Heather. “They are powerful voices for our mission and the ambition of our campaign.”
Both Neil and Helen regard their time at Heriot-Watt as a fundamental platform for their success. “I have a great affection for the University and what it did for me and my career,” comments Neil. “It gave me skills and knowledge with practical application that undoubtedly helped me in my professional life,” explains Helen.
While their direct experience of Heriot-Watt University as students underpins their engagement, each was influenced to join the Global Council for specific reasons. Helen stresses how she is “particularly impressed with not only the depth” of what Heriot-Watt offers but also “the international scope within which it is delivered”, while Neil explains that learning “how much the University has expanded its interests and its capabilities” and “understanding its outlook” is a driver for him.
Learn more about our Campaign Global Council.
Learn more about our Shaping Futures campaign.
A real opportunity to help others be enabled to grow and prosper.”
Neil Duffin
Giving back to the next generation of talent
The advocacy of Helen and Neil is invaluable to our Shaping Futures campaign. Their engagement strengthens our ability to make an impact on real world problems.
They are also shaping futures through their support of scholarships. In 2023, Helen and husband, DuWayne, funded a scholarship in perpetuity for a female student in the Actuarial Sciences Department of the University, while more recently she brought together several of her peers to found an American Friends Scholarship to support talent in biomedical engineering. Neil, and his wife Marianne, who met while studying at Heriot-Watt University, established The Duffin Family Scholarship Fund in 2022.
Neil comments, “We both hold a great sense of gratitude for the wonderful education and experience we gained at Heriot-Watt. Creating a scholarship was a real opportunity to help others who, with some financial support, can be enabled to grow and prosper in life.”
“I am passionate about empowering through education,” Helen comments, “and I want to help others to succeed by enabling talented students worldwide to access a university education.”
I want to enable students worldwide to access a university education.”
Dr Helen Sayles
Heriot-Watt students celebrating graduation.
Dr Helen Sayles at a Campaign Global Council event, November 2025.
Our Shaping Futures campaign
Our Shaping Futures campaign seeks to bring together our global, enlightened alumni community, industry partners, and friends. It will push forward the University’s work to make education more inclusive, mitigate climate change, advance healthcare, and innovate with business and industry, to create a safer, healthier, and more sustainable world.
