Helio Intelligence appoints Andrew Rashbass as Chair

Helio Intelligence has appointed Andrew Rashbass as Chair following ECI Partners' investment in the business.

He joins the political intelligence provider as it expands its coverage and increases its use of artificial intelligence alongside human analysis. Helio serves more than 1,100 customers, including corporates, non-profit organisations, investment firms and public affairs consultancies.

The appointment brings a senior media and information industry executive to the board at a time when private equity-backed businesses in research, data and specialist intelligence are pursuing growth through digital products and broader subscriptions.

Rashbass was previously Chief Executive of The Economist Group, where he oversaw the Economist Intelligence Unit and a broader shift in the publisher's digital operations. He also served as Chief Executive of Euromoney, leading its transformation from a specialist news and events group into an information and data company.

He is also an Associate at the van der Schaar AI Lab at the University of Cambridge. That background is expected to support Helio as it develops products combining political expertise with AI tools.

Founded in 1998, Helio provides political monitoring and analysis focused on the UK and Europe. Clients use the service to track political and regulatory developments for planning, investment and public affairs work.

The business has been trading for more than 25 years and is building on its established position in the European market. ECI Partners invested in Helio earlier this year as part of what the company described as its next phase of growth.

Andrew Himsley, Chief Executive Officer of Helio Intelligence, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Andrew to the board as Chair. His experience leading transformational change at The Economist Group and Euromoney, combined with his active involvement in frontier AI research at Cambridge, is exactly the blend of expertise Helio needs as we scale and continue to deliver best-in-market insight to our clients. His perspective will be invaluable as we move into our next phase of growth."

Rashbass said the company operates in a segment where customers value both speed and depth of analysis.

He said: "Helio sits at the intersection of two things I care deeply about: world-class expert-led intelligence and the thoughtful application of AI to make that intelligence sharper, faster and more useful. The business has built a remarkable position in a market where quality and speed of insight really matter. I'm delighted to be joining Andrew and the team, alongside ECI, at such an exciting point in the company's journey."

ECI, which manages about £3 billion, typically backs mid-market companies and can take either majority or minority stakes. The investor has completed more than 250 deals and focuses on supporting management teams in areas including expansion, acquisitions and technology scaling.

Toby Fitzherbert, Investment Director at ECI Partners, said: "Andrew has an outstanding record of leading data and intelligence businesses through major transformations. We look forward to working with him as the Helio team builds further on its standout position in the political intelligence market."