Stay ConnectedHannah Prevett and Dominic O’Connell bring you one big business story you need to know every week.
Uncovering the personalities, power plays, boardroom dramas and sheer ambition that drive the world of business, Hannah and Dominic get the inside story from the people who are in the room when the deal goes down – from start-ups to tech titans, market movers to City CEOs.
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Copyright: © Times Newspapers Limited
This episode of The Business is sponsored by PwC. It was recorded before the recent attacks on Iran by the US and Israel.
At Davos this year, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke of “a rupture in the world order”. And ahead of the Munich Security Conference, Marco Rubio, United States Secretary of State described “a new era of geopolitics”.
What does that new era look like for business? What are the tensions, the traps and the opportunities to look out for?
In this episode of The Business, Marco Amitrano, Senior Partner PwC UK and Middle East and Lord Gavin Barwell, former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Theresa May, discuss business resilience in an unstable world.
Guests
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Quantum computing has been described as “the next big thing “ - a tech revolution to rival AI that could have implications across sectors as diverse as finance, chemicals, life sciences and manufacturing. This cutting-edge tech - which uses quantum physics to solve problems much faster than today’s regular computers - is already being used by HSBC. The bank has trialled IBM’s quantum technology in trading. Over the past few decades the government has been investing heavily in quantum, and many start-ups have spun out of UK universities. We speak to one UK company that is scaling up, Quantum Motion, to ask - how long it will be before this tech sees a breakthrough on the scale of AI? What is the commercial potential and, as some have suggested, will it break the blockchain?
Presenters:
Guest:
Producer: Miriam Hall
Senior Producer: Julia Johnson
Executive Producer: Kate Ford
Photo credit: Getty
Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
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Making money out of airlines is tough. Warren Buffett once said if he had a time machine he would go back and shoot the Wright Brothers. Luis Gallego made his mark turning around the Spanish airline Iberia and in 2020 he got the top job at International Airlines Group, parent company of Aer Lingus, Iberia, Vueling and British Airways.
So how do you run an airline, how did covid supercharge our love of travel and how can Luis navigate the possible development of a third runway at Heathrow - Britain’s biggest airport.
Presenters:
Guest:
Producer: Miriam Hall
Senior Producer: Julia Johnson
Executive Producer: Kate Ford
Photo credit: Getty
Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
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The numbers behind YouTube juggernaut The Sidemen - the seven-strong collective often referred to as the UK’s answer to MrBeast - are nothing short of staggering. What began as a group of friends playing Grand Theft Auto as a hobby and uploading it online is now a nine-figure empire spanning multiple channels, merchandise, a fried chicken chain, a vodka brand and a netflix reality show. The official YouTube channel has more than 22 million subscribers.
So, what has driven their stratospheric growth? Jordan Schwarzenberger, CEO of management and venture company Arcade, has managed the group for the last five years and joins the Business to talk over the strategy behind its online presence - and what businesses and individuals can learn from their success. He walks through his career trajectory, the booming creator industry, and why content remains so overlooked in company and career development.
Presenters:
Guest:
Producer: Miriam Hall
Senior Producer: Julia Johnson
Executive Producer: Kate Ford
Photo credit: Getty
Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
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Octopus Energy has gone from market entrant to market leader in just 10 years. Greg Jackson, chief executive and co-founder is at the forefront of this business success story. The secret sauce? It’s nothing to do with energy - it’s the Kraken software that links the company to its customers and suppliers. So how did he do it? Why does he think 'spaghetti stacks' of ancient software are what’s holding so many businesses back? And what plans does he have to float Kraken? From memories of his failed career as a game designer, why corporate life can be addictive - and why he thinks business leaders should be optimistic in a challenging world, Dom and Katie hear his lessons from the frontline.
Presenters:
Guest:
Producer: Miriam Hall
Senior Producer: Julia Johnson
Executive Producer: Kate Ford
Photo credit: Getty
Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
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By 2030, there will be five generations in the workplace and the majority will be Gen Z. The first post-internet generation, some characterise them as entitled, anxious and difficult to manage. But they’ve also contended with a pandemic during their school and early career years, major financial insecurity and intense geopolitical concerns.
So what makes them tick as workers? How can managers best motivate - and retain - their ambitious, outspoken Gen Z staff? And what does that future workplace look like when flexibility is the norm and AI is undertaking many of the tasks once done by juniors?
Presenters:
Guests:
Producer: Miriam Hall
Senior Producer: Julia Johnson
Executive Producer: Kate Ford
Photo credit: Getty
Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
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US President Donald Trump’s much-anticipated appearance at the World Economic Forum at Davos certainly did not disappoint. After threatening to take Greenland into US control - and slap punitive tariffs on NATO allies that stood in his way - he promptly backed down late Wednesday. While the immediate reaction at the Swiss resort was one of relief, it has left world leaders and the global business community with a serious case of whiplash.
In this episode, we consider how the world according to Trump is impacting investors, global markets and economies around the world. Just how damaging could those tariffs have been to the UK and EU? Why are Trump's attacks on the Chair of the Federal Reserve so consequential for the global economy? And what’s the knock-on effect of Trumponomics on British business?
Presenters:
Guests:
Producer: Miriam Hall
Senior Producer: Julia Johnson
Executive Producer: Kate Ford
Photo credit: Getty
Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
Clips: CBS Texas, Channel 4, BBC, CNBC, NBC news
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“I blame it on my kids” - that’s how Louise Hill, founder of multi-million pound business GoHenry - a financial app for kids - describes what motivated her to start her business. And Olivia Jenkins, founder of jewellery company D. Louise, put down the ‘giant backpack’ of grief weighing her down to set up on her own.
If you’ve ever thought of starting your own business, maybe January - and the beginning of a new year - is the perfect time to break free of the 9-5 drudgery and realise your own brilliant idea. But where to start? How do you turn your passion project into a thriving business? Today, we hear from Louise and Olivia - as they join Dom and Hannah to give their advice on how to make it all work.
Presenters:
Guests:
Producer: Miriam Hall
Senior Producer: Julia Johnson
Executive Producer: Kate Ford
Photo credit: Getty
Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
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The economy is sluggish, growth elusive, and unemployment is heading for 5% - 2026 looks tough for business. But, the FTSE 100 has broken 10,000 points for the first time, gold keeps on going up, and up in value - and still the AI bubble hasn’t burst. From Davos parties, to driverless cars, what's up, what’s down? And how do you prepare yourself for 2026?
Presenters:
Guests:
Producer: Miriam Hall
Senior Producer: Julia Johnson
Executive Producer: Kate Ford
Photo credit: Getty
Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
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British tech billionaire Mike Lynch died in August 2024, on board The Bayesian, his luxury superyacht, sunk by a freak storm as it was moored off Sicily. He’d been there with his family and closest associates to celebrate his acquittal of criminal fraud charges in the US. It was a tragic end to the story of a self-made business man - a man who was one of Britain’s biggest titans of tech. So, who exactly was Mike Lynch? How did he manage to build such a huge tech success story? And how did it all come crashing down?
As we end the year, Dom and Hannah have each picked their ‘business book of 2025’. In today’s episode Hannah sits down with Katie Prescott, Times colleague and author of The Curious Case of Mike Lynch.
Host: Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times.
Guest: Katie Prescott, Technology Business editor for The Times, presenter on The Tech Podcast and author of ‘the curious case of Mike Lynch’
Clips: Getty
Photo: Getty
Producer: Miriam Hall
Executive producer: Kate Ford
Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
You can buy The Curious Case of Mike Lynch by Katie Prescott at the Times Bookshop.
Listen to The Times Tech Podcast
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