Helen Wilson studied architecture at Queensland University and was awarded The Board of Architects Prize (Qld), The James Hardie Prize, The Queensland Institute of Architects Memorial Medallion and The Brooks Memorial Traveling Scholarship, for which she undertook post-graduate studies in housing at the Architecture Association Graduate School in London. She has worked on heritage, conservation and restoration projects and studies in architectural practices in London, Brisbane and Sydney. In the early 1980s she taught architecture at Sydney University. During this time she took a group of students to Karnataka State in southern India, to join an international archaeological research team studying the buildings and remains of Vijayanagara, a fifteenth century city. There they contributed to the research programme by drawing and recording C15th temples, an elephant house and the Queen's bath.

Helen has had extensive experience in local government as a heritage advisor in regional NSW councils since 1992, including Moree, Walcha, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and in Sydney in Bankstown, Woollahra, Marrickville and Burwood. She has involved in management of Ashfield's heritage since 1998 as a heritage advisor with Ashfield Council. This has involves negotiation on issues of appropriate development with regards to state and local heritage items and 37 residential and commercial conservation areas including Haberfield Garden Suburb. The advisory work also includes pre-application advice, technical advice on building and materials conservation. This local government experience in day to day decision-making in both city and country areas, has given Helen a broad perspective on heritage issues.

In 1991 she established a practice Helen Wilson Heritage Conservation Design. She is especially interested in place and building conservation and the issues of contextual design in sensitive heritage contexts. In her practice she is involved in new building design and also giving design and conservation advice on a range of heritage items and historic properties; preparing heritage impact statements and restoration recommendations; conservation management plans and strategies; community consultation and heritage studies; identification of heritage items and preparation of statements of significance, management recommendations and inventory sheets to heritage conservation best practice for private clients, local government and statutory authorities.

She has been a member of the Urban Conservation Committee of the National Trust of Australia (NSW) and in 1997-1998 was involved with organizing the NT 'Between the Wars Housing' Seminar.

Helen is involved in numerous heritage and community associations and is active in her local community in heritage and strategic planning issues, including serving on Waverley Council reference committees for Bronte Park Plan of Management (2004) and Bronte Pool structural remediation works (2006); and the Woollahra Council reference group for Watson's Bay DCP (2003). In 2006 she was a member of the judging panel for the Woollahra Heritage Awards.

Having been a member of ICOMOS since 1998, Helen is now looking forward to contributing to ICOMOS through the wide range of activities of the Executive Committee and as Membership Secretary she would like to interest more members in becoming involved in ICOMOS activities.