Brisk but personable is perhaps a good way to describe Helen Alexander, chief executive of The Economist Group. In keeping with The Economist ‘newspaper’, the former St Paul’s Girls’ School pupil and Oxford graduate is succinct and rather formal, without being overly so.
A colleague describes her as “someone who gets things done”. On the basis of the developments that have taken place under her leadership, this would appear to be true. Since Alexander’s appointment as head of the group in 1997, The Economist’s circulation has doubled to almost 1.3 million.
But perhaps her most notable achievement has been driving the group’s internationalisation, leading it into new markets such as India and China, as well as expanding CFO, a publication for senior financial executives, which now has US, European, Asian, Russian, Chinese and Indian editions.
She has also overseen the acquisitions of EuroFinance and Gallery Watch, and driven the launch of new titles such as Intelligent Life, a high-end lifestyle magazine to complement the flagship publication. As the group’s brand guardian, Alexander has also played an important role in maintaining an irreverent brand image, spearheaded by former publisher David Hanger, while adapting the advertising to new markets in Asia and altering The Economist’s proposition accordingly. The unmistakable ‘white out of red’ advertising was conceived in 1984, the same year Alexander joined the company.
Recently appointed to the board of Rolls Royce, as well as being chairman of the magazine industry trade association PPA, a trustee of the Tate Foundation, and a governor of her old school, Alexander leads a busy life. “But you always feel she has time for you,” says a colleague, who describes her as approachable, empowering and visible.
“Helen’s door is always open,” another colleague says. “She has a collaborative working style. Helen believes editorial quality is at the heart of what we do, but at the same time she has a strong focus on profitable growth.”
Having joined The Economist from a book publishing background, Alexander worked as marketing manager and international circulation director before becoming managing director of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), one of the world’s leading authorities on industrial trends and management strategies, which she has helped transform into an electronic business.
With a newly-added international section, The Economist has a circulation in excess of one million outside the UK, while almost 80 per cent of the group’s revenues come from customers abroad. Alexander remarks proudly that in the face of this, The Economist has lost nothing of its characteristic Britishness. “It’s a unique combination of perspective and intelligent commentary that is just not coming out of the US,” she says.
While The Economist is one of the few British media brands to have achieved international stature, the publication does not localise. Although the format may vary from country to country, Alexander says that four million people around the world all read the same copy. “The cover, the order and the advertising may be different, but all the words are the same,” she says, explaining that consistency of content is an important part of the brand’s ethos.
Alexander, who was awarded a CBE for services to publishing in 2004, says the focus in Asia for the coming year will be developing the group’s reach in India. With offices in both Delhi and Mumbai, India has The Economist’s largest circulation in Asia, (about 20,000), which Alexander hopes to grow to 50,000 over the next two years through partnerships, increased investment, and local insights from locally-hired staff.
The EIU, recently established in Delhi, and CFO India, which was launched as a quarterly in June last year following the success of CFO China, the group’s first Chinese-language magazine, will also be areas for development, she notes.
While solidifying the publication’s online presence is also a priority, Alexander is not fazed by talk of print becoming unfashionable. “I don’t believe for a second that print is dead,” she says with genuine conviction, emphasising The Economist’s appeal as a source of information that people like to peruse in their own particular way - that is, appreciated in a tangible form. But with 18 per cent of the brand’s revenue coming from its website, she notes the importance of investment in both print and online media.
The number of monthly Economist.com users stands at 2.6 million, and the replacement of Hanger with IT specialist Andrew Rashbass as publisher indicates an appetite for digital growth. The challenge, Alexander says, will be maintaining successful development in both areas, and that will require a joint effort.
Helen Alexander’s CV
1997 Chief executive, The Economist Group
1993 Managing director, Economist Intelligence Unit
1985 International circulation director, The Economist
1984 Marketing manager, The Economist
