Clay Helm

Public Relations Director
Autodesk
@HelmClay

Based in San Francisco, Clay Helm is public relations director at Autodesk. With Autodesk since 2008, Clay is responsible for leading a global team focused on elevating Autodesk’s brand through external communications and aggressively positioning Autodesk as the company that is changing the way everything is designed and made.

During her tenure, Clay has expanded Autodesk PR programs beyond targeting professional industry audiences to engage with broader consumer, business and technology influencers through outlets such as Bloomberg, Brand Eins, CNBC, The Economist, Fast Company, Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune, The Independent, New York Times, Nikkei, Popular Mechanics, Quartz, Tech Crunch, Wall St. Journal and Wired. She also has evolved Autodesk’s focus from media and analyst relations to integrated external communications programs spanning paid, earned, social and owned media. Clay also was responsible for launching Autodesk’s first consumer apps in 2010. Today Autodesk is ranked among Fortune’s “Most Admired Software Companies” and “World’s Best Multinational Workplaces” and Forbes’ “World’s Most Innovative Companies.”

Clay has a strong background of approximately 20 years in high tech PR, developing global programs and working successfully with press and industry analysts. Prior to Autodesk, Clay spent five years at IBM as a Communications Manager, supporting the Global Telecom, Media and Entertainment industries and corporate business media relations on the West Coast. Prior to that, Clay was Senior Manager, Corporate Communications at Siebel Systems (Oracle), and at Documentum (EMC) and OnLink Technologies. She began her career at Boston-based technology PR firm, FitzGerald Communications.