Hélène Clark graduated in Political Sciences and Public Law at the University of Bordeaux (France) and in European Economics at the College of Europe, Bruges (Belgium). After several years of EU affairs consultancy in Brussels, she entered the European Commission as an official in 1988.

She has been in DG "Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities" from 1994 to 2008, where she has been especially involved in the employment policy field. In particular she has been Head of Unit in charge of EURES (mobility of workers) and European Employment Services from 1997 to 2000, of the European Employment Strategy from end 2000 to end 2003, and of the implementation of the European Social Fund in Austria, Germany and Slovenia from 2004 to 2008.

In 2004, she spent six months as a lecturer about EU policies - in particular in the field of employment - at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA.

Since 1st November 2008, Ms Clark has been in charge of the Directorate for "Lifelong learning: policies and programme" in the Directorate-General for Education and Culture.