Inside Helena Lersch's Values-Driven TikTok Leadership

Forbes

22-05-2025

Helena Lersch, Vice President of Public Policy at TikTok
To say that Helena Lersch, Vice President of Public Policy at TikTok, has one of the most important jobs technology would be an understatement. TikTok is a global giant with over a billion users in a sector where engaging with policy makers is becoming increasingly critical.
The influence of social media on young minds continues to spark intense public debate, making the protection of younger users a top priority for platforms like TikTok. This is where she has had a huge impact. Helena has helped shape TikTok from the ground up, quite literally. She was part of the original team that created the platform's first community guidelines - a crucial step she looks back on with pride.
Helena Lersch, Vice-President of Public Policy at TikTok, on a recent visit to Bangkok.
That early work laid the foundation for one of TikTok's most vital pillars of trust and safety. Today, this pillar is supported by a global network of tens of thousands, all focused on protecting users around the world. On 11 March 2025, TikTok introduced new safety tools specifically designed for teens and their parents, including greater visibility into how teens interact with content.
'I cannot emphasise enough how much I respect that team and the work that they do, as it is not easy,' Lersch says. 'I think we're moving in the right direction to address these challenges. If your teen reports a video, you as a parent can understand that, which I think is very important, so you have visibility on how your teen is engaging with content,' she says.
Helena doesn't mince words when it comes to children and technology. 'I believe that under 13s should not be using social media,' she states bluntly. 'There's a reason why, by regulation, that isn't allowed.
TikTok has also previously faced criticism over content quality and the promotion of unrealistic expectations. Helena is equally outspoken about how the platform is tackling these concerns head-on.
She highlights the new Refresh feature, which lets users reset their 'For You' page at the click of a button and start over. 'I've actually done this several times because I felt like there was content that wasn't relevant for me,' she shares. 'I think it's important to give tools to empower our users to get the most positive experience that they want.'
Many of these innovations stem directly from user input and are shaped with guidance from TikTok's Youth Council and Safety Advisory Councils.
'We always listen to user feedback,' she explains. 'We stay entrepreneurial. If there's a problem that our users face, we fix it. We develop something new.'
Helena Lersch meeting attendees at a conference during her recent visit to Bangkok.
It's this same spirit of entrepreneurship that has fueled one of TikTok's newest and most meaningful launches: the STEM feed – a curated stream of content focused on science, technology, engineering, and maths, as well as practical educational tools like English-language lessons.
Helena sees it as a natural extension of the platform's mission to empower, and another way it is ensuring that youth on the platform have access to meaningful content. 'This is the content you'd want to engage with,' she says. 'As a parent, you can actually consume this content together with your teen and guide them.'
This blend of global scale, personal purpose, and practical tools is what drives Helena's work - and what continues to shape TikTok into a platform where innovation and inclusion go hand in hand.
Tyumen, Russia - January 21, 2020: TikTok application on screen Apple iPhone XR
Since joining seven years ago, Helena has watched TikTok explode from a few hundred million users into a global powerhouse. With that growth has come a groundswell of opportunity for ambitious entrepreneurs – many of them women - to turn their creativity into thriving businesses.
Lersch's face lights up when she talks about one of them: Alexandra Lourdes, Las Vegas-based donut shop owner of Saint Honore Donuts, mother of two, and serial entrepreneur, whom she met at the 2024 APEC Summit in Peru.
'She now owns seven businesses and on TikTok she actually shows the way she lives, and how she raises two kids alongside the seven businesses. She was able to grow a fellowship and her businesses while she was on TikTok,' Lersch recalls. 'I can't tell you how inspiring it was to meet her.'
She sees that same spark in Sarah Hamouda, founder of the now famous Dubai Chocolate, whose TikTok presence has catapulted her to global recognition. These women, Lersch says, 'made the most of technological development, while being so incredibly human, inspiring and at the end of the day, super successful.'
These stories are fuel for Helena. They are the source of her energy. A powerful reminder of the real-world impact TikTok can have.
Sarah Hamouda, founder of the now famous Dubai Chocolate, has been catapulted to global recognition ... More through her TikTok presence.
This is what keeps her motivated. Lersch spends a staggering 50% of her time on the road, immersing herself in different global markets to gather on-the-ground insights.
'For example, I was in Indonesia two weeks ago, then I was in Thailand, where I met business owners and creators,' she says. This constant feedback loop between users, creators, and policymakers - in order to innovate - is core to her role.
Managing a global team of 70 and spending half her time travelling, I wonder – does Helena ever feel overwhelmed? But for her, it's the deeper purpose behind the work that keeps everything in perspective. She holds herself to the very highest standards of getting it right, believing what she does is vitally important.
When it comes to that ever-elusive concept of work-life balance, as a senior woman, she is refreshingly candid.
'This is a very difficult question. It's hard to balance. I think every mother would admit that. There are a lot of different models, and you have to pick what works for you,' she tells me.
'There are obviously moments when I'm needed at home, so then I'm at home. I think that's important. You have to prioritise balance. And sometimes you fail, and then you try again.'
Mandeep Rai meets with Helena Lersch at Davos. The pair are pictured with Annette Krober-Riel, Vice ... More President, Government Affairs and Public Policy for Europe at Google and Melike Yetken Krilla, Head of International Organizations at Google.
Lerch grew up in Tübingen, a picturesque town in southwest Germany, before her studies and job opportunities took her across Asia and eventually back to Europe. That cross-continental journey has shaped not only her broad worldview but the values that now anchor her leadership.
'I have 40 nationalities in my team, so it's very important to listen to everyone's opinion,' she explains. 'My team is very diverse, and I learn so much from them every day."
One of her anchors through her entire TikTok journey has been mentorship from current and past colleagues across the globe.
'I think it's super important to have mentors to ask for support and advice,' Helena says. 'Talking through issues with other mentors, advisors, people that are 10 or 20 years ahead of you - that's very important. It has helped me a lot, and it continues to help.'
Whether she's in Germany, Indonesia, or the US, Helena Lersch's values compass remains steady: be open, include others, innovate with purpose.
In an industry often dominated by speed, scale, and algorithms, her approach at TikTok is remarkably human. Her story is a reminder that when values are lived - not just spoken - they can scale as powerfully as any technology. Perhaps, a lot of it is driven by a simple but profound thing she said to me: 'I find it very important that I'm still Helena from Tübingen.'