She was chairman of Incisive Media between October 2009 and December 2014 and played a key role in the development of the business.
Tim Weller, chairman of Incisive Media, said: “Helen was a wonderful, inspiring and compassionate woman. She was a great listener, warm and effective.
“It was an enormous privilege to work with her when she was chairman of Incisive Media and I will miss her tremendously.
“My thoughts are with her husband Tim and her children Nina, Greg and Leo at this very sad time.”
Dame Helen held a number of influential business roles during her career including chief executive of The Economist Group between 1997-2008 and board roles at Rolls-Royce and Centrica. She also led the CBI between 2009 and 2011 in the wake of the financial crisis.
Throughout her career, Dame Helen was seen as a trailblazer for women in business. Alongside Sir Philip Hampton, she headed up the Hampton Alexander Review, which focused on boosting the role of women in senior business positions.