Jane Reed

Jane Barbara Reed (March 31, 1940 – February 27, 2025) was a British publishing executive. During the 1970s, she was the editor of Woman's Own magazine. She had leading positions with the Today newspaper and News International.

Life Reed was born in Letchworth Garden City in 1940. Her parents were William and Gwendoline (born Plaskett) Reed. When she was five, her father died and she was sent to boarding school. She emerged from the Royal Masonic school when she was eighteen noted for her skills as an artist and as a violinist. She tried St Martins but she went into the magazine industry.

In 1979, Jane Reed was moving on from being the editor on Woman's Own. The magazine was being described as "perhaps the most influential woman’s magazine in the English speaking world". Under her leadership the magazine had campaigned for Plain English and for women to have equal taxes to men. They had discussed how to examine your own breasts for cancer and given instructions as to how, a woman, in extremis, could give birth alone.

Reed moved on to lead the International Publishing Company (IPC) group of Women's magazines before spending a year as editor in chief of Woman magazine.

In 2007, she spoke on Radio 4's The Reunion about the launch of the Today newspaper with Kirsty Wark.

She died in 2025.

Private life Her partner was Michael Bird who was also in publishing although they did not co-habit. She shared her sister's three children as she was unable to have children due to ovarian cancer in her twenties.