Team

James Beech – editor-in-chief

James Beech joined IR Media Group as editor-in-chief in January 2022. He was a multimedia journalist, editor, client relationship manager, awards host and public speaker at Campden Wealth, for and about the global ultra-wealthy multigenerational family business and office community, in 2016-2021.

The Englishman reported and photographed news and features for daily and weekly regional newspapers and websites, in New Zealand and Australia, including the Otago Daily Times and Canterbury-Bankstown Express, in 2006-2015.

He wrote and edited market-leading consumer magazines and websites in Bournemouth then worked in public relations and media communications in London, in 1999-2006.

He graduated Bournemouth University with a BA (hons) in multimedia journalism in 1999.

Ben Maiden – editor-at-large

Ben Maiden - editor Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Corporate Secretary, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. He had previously been managing editor of Compliance Reporter since January 2007, covering regulatory and compliance issues affecting broker-dealers and asset management firms. Before that, Ben was editor of International Financial Law Review and IFLR’s Americas editor, working in London and New York.

Janet Dignan – founding editor

Janet Dignan

Janet Dignan is a graduate of Otago University in New Zealand, where she read philosophy.

From 1979 to1982 she was head of information at Linklaters, with responsibility for internal and external information resources for its offices in London, Hong Kong, New York, Paris and Brussels.

From 1982 to 1990 Janet was with the Economist Group in London in a range of roles, initially as managing editor of Economist directories, then as commissioning editor of special financial reports. In 1995 she launched and edited City Changes, a newsletter about London’s Big Bang, and in 1997 she launched IR Magazine, which she continued to edit for more than 20 years.

In 1993 Janet and Ian Richman founded Cross Border Publishing (now IR Media Group), to continue publishing IR Magazine and to launch other publications, events, websites and other digital properties.

Kathleen Hennessy – managing editor & chief copy editor

Kathleen Hennessy has been a journalist for the past 32 years. During that time she has commissioned, written and edited for the Financial Times, Sunday Times, Independent on Sunday, Observer, MoneyUnlimited.com (a Guardian website), FTYourMoney.com and a host of personal finance, consumer rights and property magazines.

She is a former deputy editor of Moneywise, the UK’s biggest-selling personal finance magazine, where she worked for seven years, and former editor of consumer finance magazine Save Money! She has also been a regular guest on BBC Radio 4’s You & Yours and Channel 5’s Serious Money.

Kathleen has been at IR Media Group for 18 years, originally as chief copy editor and more recently also as managing editor, working across the company’s range of publications and online output.

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