BBC Worldwide's Inez Albert tipped to join The Economist Group

Albert confirmed that she would be with BBC Worldwide until March, but would not comment on her next move.

ASEAN sales director at The Economist Robert Ferguson, who is believed to be managing the hiring of Albert, could not be reached for comment.

Albert joined the BBC Worldwide in August 2008 as digital sales director for Asia. She was formerly regional sales director at Forbes.com and marketing director for the Wall Street Journal Asia.

The Economist launched its iPhone and iPad app globally in November. Commenting on the launch, Oscar Grut, MD of digital editions, said, "We have a growing print circulation of 1.5 million. We expect to reach a smilar numbers with our digital offerings in a relatively short period of time."