Dame Helen Alexander

Dame Helen was appointed Non-executive Chairman of Incisive Media in October 2009.

She began her publishing career at Gerald Duckworth and Faber & Faber, moving to The Economist in 1985 as Marketing Manager. She became Managing Director of The Economist Intelligence Unit in 1993 and in 1997 became Chief Executive of The Economist Group. Dame Helen was Chief Executive for 11 years until she stepped down in June 2008.

In addition to her experience at the helm of an international business, Dame Helen also has extensive board experience across a range of sectors. She was a non-executive director at Northern Foods plc (1994-2002) and at BT plc (1998-2002). Helen is Chairman of the Port of London Authority (PLA) and is a non-executive director and chair of the remuneration committee at Centrica plc and Rolls-Royce Group plc, and Senior Adviser to Bain Capital. Helen was President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) until June 2011 and continues as Deputy President until June 2012. She is Chancellor of the University of Southampton. She is also currently involved with other not-for-profit organisations in media, the internet, the arts and education, through the Trustees at Thomson-Reuters, the WorldWide Web Foundation, the Grand Palais in Paris, the Said Business School in Oxford and St Paul’s Girls’ School. She was Chief Executive of the Economist Group till 2008, having joined the company in 1985.

She was awarded a CBE for services to publishing in 2004 and in June 2011 was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her services to business and for being President of the CBI. She is married with three children.