Formerly a reporter for Panorama, Baroness Jay was leader of the House of Lords before stepping down in the last general election.
She will join fellow politicians, the former Tory chancellor Kenneth Clarke and former leader of the Liberal Democrats Lord Ashdown, on the board of Independent News & Media, which is listed in London and Ireland.
Sir Anthony O'Reilly, Independent executive chairman, said Baroness Jay's appointment "underlines the independence of our boards around the world and the newspapers that they represent".
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