As a private company, The Economist Group is not bound by the Listing Rules of the Financial Services Authority to report on compliance with the Principles of Good Governance and Code of Best Practice ('the Combined Code'). However, the Group has always sought to run its corporate affairs in line with best practice and therefore follows the main principles of the Combined Code as closely as is reasonably practicable and useful to shareholders.
The Board currently comprises ten non-executive directors and three executive directors. The non-executive directors have a breadth of successful commercial and professional experience and they exercise independent judgment. Sir David Bell was, until December 2009, chairman of the Financial Times. Rona Fairhead is chairman and chief executive of the Financial Times Group and an executive director of Pearson plc. Lynn Forester de Rothschild and her spouse, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, are each interested in a significant number of shares. The Board is chaired by Rupert Pennant-Rea.