Helen Cummins IG Women

Helen Cummins is one of those women who transmits so much passion and energy in all that she does that it infects everyone around her. She also exudes the essence of Mallorca and its lifestyle. 

Helen and I shared a wonderful breakfast at Rialto living recently, and while we were there, the lovely Barbara Bergman, owner of the Rialto Living came to greet us. Helen seems to always be wearing a smile and she graciously answered the questions I had prepared for our meeting.

Helen was born in Ireland. When she was 20, she decided to spend a few days in Mallorca with a friend. Who would have known that while the two friends were in a restaurant in Port Portals that she would meet the man of her life, Georg, now her husband. She received a master’s degree and a doctorate in Business Administration and when she finished her studies she travelled the world with Georg until the birth of their daughter, when they decided to choose Mallorca as their place of residence.

Passionate about the island, she was eager to tell people all the wonderful places and things she was experiencing, but she realized that there was not enough good quality information available in English about Mallorca. Her first thought was to create an online magazine and so to promote it she published a printed magazine during the high season so as to bring traffic to the website. What came as a surprise was when she started receiving calls from companies that wanted to advertise; that was the beginning of abcMallorca magazine, 14 years ago.

Helen tells me over breakfast that today her company is divided into three major sections: the magazine, the website (with more than three million visits this year), and a business-networking club.

She proudly explains how many people tell her that she has been responsible for bringing so many different nationalities to Mallorca. Thanks to the networking club, foreigners have been able to meet locals and from there, friendly and business relationships have developed. For Helen, it is a way to contribute and to offer something to our society.

Helen also has her own website, Helen Cummins Luxury Lifestyle, independent of abcMallorca, where she shares her own experiences, each new place she finds, from her favourite restaurants to a small corner of the island that she discovered whilst cycling in the Tramuntana mountains.

As she said, "this summer I went to Ireland and I did a 165km bike ride. I love to cycle; it helps me to disconnect. Doing things outdoors helps me to put my ideas in order and it is another wonderful way to discover the corners of the island. The first time I went to Coll de Soller in the middle of August, and I dared to practice this sport it was a revelation. To me cycling is a marvel."

Helen emphasizes that Mallorca has a lot to offer. “There is something for everyone here. You don't need to have a lot of money and you can enjoy high quality restaurants and extraordinary services,” she says.

Helen believes that there are still many aspects of Mallorca to communicate and being such a creative person, she has many ideas in her mind of how to do so, it’s just a matter of finding the available time to carry them out.

Personally, as a Mallorcan, I have always been curious to know what attracts foreigners to our island and why they decide to stay here, and so I asked Helen and she gave me three very basic reasons that I now share with you: 

"Foreigners like the sun especially when you come on vacation. When you you are not working, the island offers many opportunities to indulge in your hobbies; the rich of cultural life, and security- people feel very safe and that brings a nice quality of life".

To preserve Mallorca as keep it as a positive tourist destination, she thinks the island should cut the mass tourism by keeping out low budget cruises and focus more on high quality markets. 

* White gold necklace with diamonds, a unique and exclusive piece by Isabel Guarch.

* Helen Cummins with Elizabeth Homberg, (RANA).

Of course we also talked about her bonding with our brand and she said something that I liked very much. 

Her latest acquisition was a white gold bracelet with diamonds that she wears daily, and it has become a symbol for her:

"Every time I look at it, it makes me think how fortunate I am- my family, my work, my friends, my whole life ... this bracelet has become a symbol for me. "

About Isabel Guarch and the evolution of the brand, she states:

"I love what you do; it's important for people to have passion, to put love into things, and you represent that love for Mallorca. You have found a way to reinvent old pieces and to represent the island in a unique way, through your unique image and style. You have a valuable history that goes above and beyond, and that is very important. You are real. When you buy a cross piece of jewellery? from Isabel Guarch, you acquire many things. I'm proud to have your pieces and to show them to others."

* Helen Cummins, with her husband Georg, shows off the white gold diamond necklace, an exclusive Isabel Guarch piece, at the RANA charity gala.