Skills and experience: Dame Helen is currently involved with a number of not-for-profit organisations in media, the internet, the arts and education. She has also been a non-executive director of Northern Foods Limited, Centrica PLC and BT Group PLC. She was Chief Executive of the Economist Group till 2008, having joined the company in 1985.

External appointments: Dame Helen is Deputy President of the CBI, where she was President until June 2011. She is Chairman of the Port of London Authority (PLA), Incisive Media and Deputy Chairman of esure Group Holdings, and senior adviser to Bain Capital. Dame Helen is Chancellor of the University of Southampton.