Alexandra Filia Kelly is the founder and former managing director of UK pre-employment screening company,

Powerchex HireRight Holdings Corporation is a global family of background screening companies based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company became public via an initial public offering in 2021 with a listing on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2024, private eq ...

, and formerly the MD of

HireRight HireRight Holdings Corporation is a global family of background screening companies based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company became public via an initial public offering in 2021 with a listing on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2024, private eq ...

's background screening operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Alexandra was born and raised in Greece and moved to the United States aged 25 to study for an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

at one of the top business schools. She arrived in the UK in 2000 - interrupting a round the world sailing trip with her husband - after discovering she was expecting their first child. In 2005 she started

, a pre-employment screening firm specifically targeted at the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

financial sector. Seeking investment, she went to face the BBC’s

Dragons' Den ''Dragons' Den'' is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it ...

to pitch her business. The Dragons rejected her idea and said it couldn’t be done. Alexandra decided to go for it on her own, hired one employee and found a small office.Docklands Based Entrepreneur Wins Business Person of the Year
/ref> On June 23, 2010, California based HireRight Inc., a U.S. background screening company, announced that it had acquired Powerchex, with Alexandra being made Managing Director of HireRight's background screening operations in the EMEA region. In 2007 she won 'Business Person of the Year' in the Thames Gateway Business Awards, whilst also guiding

to awards for 'Growth Business' and 'Business of the Year'. In 2008 Powerchex was awarded the NatWest Thames Gateway Business of the Year. In 2009, Powerchex won the DBC & East London Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award. Alexandra was profiled in UK newspaper

The Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

explaining the processes behind

and where she attributes her success. In August 2009 she was interviewed on

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

about research which found that the number of job applicants lying on their CVs has been increasing since the beginning of the

recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction that occurs when there is a period of broad decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be tr ...

.Under-21s told 29% more lies on job applications this year than last
/ref> I
2011
an
2018
Alexandra was interviewed by the Financial Times on her views on the issues surrounding the sale of a business. In 2019, Alexandra published her first book of the Dream Series of book for the modern woman
Love Is A Game, A Marriage Proposal In 90 days
followed by the second book of the series
The Good Breakup, Take a Deep Breath and Remember Who the F**k you Really Are
and the third
Forever Young, An Anti-Ageing Guide for the Terrified
Also in 2019 Alexandra published her first novel
As if I am not there

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Alexandra English businesspeople Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Greek emigrants to England University of Rochester alumni