Helen Alexander

Biography
I am a non-executive director of Rolls-Royce Group plc, Centrica plc and Vice President of CBI and an adviser to Bain Capital. I stepped down as CEO from The Economist Group in July 2008 having joined in 1984 after having completed an MBA at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France, following five years in book publishing. I was Managing Director of The Economist Intelligence Unit from 1993 until the end of 1996 and was appointed Chief Executive of The Economist Group in January 1997. I was awarded a CBE for services to publishing in 2004. I am also a governor of St Paul’s Girls’ School and an Honorary Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford.
Why I wanted to become a Tate Trustee
Tate is an exciting institution which tries ambitious new things. It is well run, and always eager to learn and benefit from outside input so I felt I could make a contribution.
I sit on Tate's Audit and Finance and Operations Committees and chair the Board of its trading arm - Tate Enterprises Ltd. These are interesting roles as the museum sets ambitious targets, generating a comparatively large proportion of its income itself. About 40% comes from its trading initiatives -cafés, shops and the publishing house, from sponsorship and donations and from charging admission to cover the cost of exhibitions. Tate's aim is to raise enough money to support its exciting aspirations, aiming for a 50:50 balance of Government with self-generated income. This requires sound management and entrepreneurial flair.
Appointment Information
Appointed by: Prime Minister
Appointment: 13 January 2003
Re-Appointment: 13 January 2007
Term expires: 12 January 2011
Other Membership:
- Ethics Committee (Chair)
- Tate Enterprises Ltd (Chair)
- Finance & Operations Committee
- Nominations Committee
Declaration of Members' Interests between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008
Employment1
The Economist Newspaper Limited
Directorships of companies2
The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 1993
The Economist Newspaper Limited 1996
Dartford Printing Limited 1997
Ryder Street Properties (Management) Limited 1997
Ryder Street Properties Limited 1997
The Economist Books Limited 1997
The Economist Group (Asia/Pacific) Limited 1997
The Economist Group Limited 1997
The Economist Group Trustee Company Limited 1997
The Economist Newspaper (Asia/Pacific) Limited 1997
The Economist Overseas (Holdings) Limited 1997
The Economist Publications Limited 1997
The Economist Newspaper NA, Incorporated 1998
The Economist Newspaper Group Incorporated 1998
The Economist Intelligence Unit, NA, Incorporated 1998
CFO Publishing Corporation 1998
Roll Call, Incorporated 1998
TEG New Jersey LLC 2004
Centrica plc 2003
Periodical Publishers Association Limited Chair from Nov 2006 1997
Tate 2003
St Paul’s Girls’ School Governor
Tate Enterprises Limited Chair 2005
EuroFinance Conferences Limited 2006
INSEAD Member of the Board
Membership of non-profit making organisations3
Fellow of Hartford College, Oxford
Shareholding4
nil
Connections between Trustees and others connected with Tate5
The Economist Group uses Linklaters.
Any other interests6
nil
Signed and Dated by Helen Alexander on 13 April 2008.
Notes:
- Employment, remunerated trade, profession, public office or consultancy
- Directorships of companies, both public and private, both remunerated and unremunerated
- Membership of non-profit making organisations, clubs or associations and professional bodies which have significant dealings with Tate or whose activities could relate to Tate's work
- Names of companies and organisations in which the member or his/her family or associates has a controlling interest or shares or securities and which could be involved in the supply of goods or have business dealings with Tate
- This includes commercial interests with other Trustees, Tate's lawyers (Withers; Linklaters; Brachers) and Tate's auditors (National Audit Office; Baker Tilly; Grant Thornton; AHL Ltd. RSM Bentley and Grant Thornton will act as Tate's internal Auditors from 1 April 2008).
- Trustees are advised to declare anything which a member of the public, knowing the facts, might reasonably think is significant and relevant.
