Ellen Desmarais is Co-President of Harvard Business Publishing (HBP), a not-for-profit independent 501(3) corporation that is an affiliate of Harvard Business School. HBP bridges academia, enterprise learning, and media through multiple products and offerings, including the flagship Harvard Business Review. HBP’s annual revenues exceed $300 million and its offerings reach nearly 13 million faculty, students, and professionals in 230 countries annually.
As Co-President, Ellen partners with Sarah McConville to lead the vision, strategy, and financial performance of HBP and its 600 employees worldwide. Ellen is responsible for the HBP Education market group, which serves over 3,800 academic and edtech programs globally, and has oversight of enterprise product, technology, finance, human resources, risk, and business operations.
Ellen joined HBP in 2018 after driving high-impact growth initiatives in global media and learning companies such as McGraw-Hill Education, The Wall Street Journal, and Getty Images. As Managing Director, Digital Strategy, she modernized HBP Education group’s approach to product, web operations, and marketing. She went on to lead HBP Education unit, navigating it through the pandemic and expanding outreach to educators globally while outpacing industry revenue growth. Most recently, Ellen served as Chief Operating Officer of HBP, building an enterprise-wide approach to product development and business transformation, and ensuring HBP’s continuing commitment to DEI. In addition to her career with established brands, Ellen has also worked with Silicon Valley startups as an executive and an advisor. She began her career in marketing and analysis at Capital One and spent three years building their international operations in London, England.
Ellen holds a BBA from William & Mary and an MBA from The Wharton School.