Education
Beckett was educated at the independent Redland High School for Girls in Bristol, England, followed by at the University of Oxford, where she gained a degree in Metallurgy, and Colours in fencing.
Beckett was educated at the independent Redland High School for Girls in Bristol, England, followed by at the University of Oxford, where she gained a degree in Metallurgy, and Colours in fencing.
Beckett undertook research on the properties of carbon and glass fibres for Courtaulds. She spent four years working as an investment banker for Citibank in London and Commerzbank in Frankfurt, Germany. She resultantly speaks fluent German and French.
After training as a journalist, Beckett joined Consumer News and Business Channel Europe in 1993 as a business and political reporter.
She spent her career presenting business news for broadcasters including National Broadcasting Company Europe and Consumer News and Business Channel Europe, News Direct Radio 97.3 in London, Sky News and Cable News Network International. Beckett joined the British Broadcasting Corporation in June 1998.
Since then, she has been a presenter for programmes such as British Broadcasting Corporation Two"s Working Lunch in 1998, British Broadcasting Corporation Breakfast, The World Today on British Broadcasting Corporation One and, from 2001, British Broadcasting Corporation News Channel and British Broadcasting Corporation World News. Beckett moved her young family to New York while helping to present the World Business Report from an office in Times Square, but returned to London three years later.
She presently works on the British Broadcasting Corporation World Service, and from June 2015 started to present "Talking Business" on the British Broadcasting Corporation News channel.
She also presents television version of Witness a monthly highlights program of stories told by the people who were there.