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The Business
Introducing The Business
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A new weekly podcast all about the world of business starts on Thursday 9th October.
Today's biggest companies wield more influence than many countries. The people who run them are visionaries, philanthropists - and sometimes crooks. With new technologies and business opportunities emerging daily, never before has navigating this ever-changing landscape been more important. Uncovering the personalities, power plays, boardroom dramas and sheer ambition that drive the world of business, Hannah Prevett and Dominic O'Connell 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.
If you want to know what’s really going on, join Hannah and Dominic for The Business every Thursday.
Hannah Prevett is an expert voice on the tech sector, new enterprise and entrepreneurship. Associate business editor of The Sunday Times, Hannah understands the business world inside out. Her contacts include female founders, small business owners and the CEOs of some of the UK’s biggest companies.
Dominic O’Connell is an award-winning business journalist, prized for his unmatched knowledge of markets and the corporate world. A Times columnist and Times Radio busines reporter, from a 1999 interview with a fractious Donald Trump, to conversations with leading CEOs, Dom has broken dozens of big stories and reported on booms, busts and boardroom dramas.
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BONUS: Are boards turning their backs on ESG-related pay?
06:14|How much pressure is there on companies to dial back on linking pay to ESG -- environment, social and governance -- in light of the Trump administration? Presenters:Hannah Prevett, associate business editor of The Sunday TimesDominic O’Connell, columnist at The Times and business correspondent at Times RadioGuests:Pippa Begg, Board IntelligenceRichard Belfield, WTWProducer: Hope FedericoExecutive Producer: Miriam HallPhoto credit: GettyGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
Are UK execs underpaid? Or just greedy?
30:09|British companies have nearly always paid less than the Americans – but as the global war for talent heats up, is lower remuneration costing the UK a competitive edge? Read more:Could US-style 1,000% bonuses be heading to the City?Jaw-dropping salaries put top AI talent out of reach for UK unicornsPresenters:Hannah Prevett, associate business editor of The Sunday TimesDominic O’Connell, columnist at The Times and business correspondent at Times RadioGuests:Pippa Begg, Board IntelligenceRichard Belfield, WTWProducer: Hope FedericoExecutive Producer: Miriam HallPhoto credit: GettyGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
BONUS: Young founders on rejecting WFH
07:01|Last week, two successful young UK founders joined The Business - venture capitalist Harry Stebbings, who founded 20VC and Amy knight, whose company Must Have Ideas sells home cleaning products. Both have a full in-office policy, believing it is best for their companies, and the only way for their staff to thrive. In this bonus episode, we talk about why they believe "in-office" is the best, and only way to go.PresenterHannah Prevett, associate business editor, Sunday Times Guests:Harry Stebbings, founder, 20VCAmy Knight, founder, Must Have Ideas Producer: Miriam HallExecutive Producer: Kate FordPhoto credit: GettyGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
How UK's youngest founders made it big
30:17|The Sunday Times Young Power List drops today: 30 of the nation’s most inspiring, influential people who are under the age of 30. On this episode, we’re speaking to two members of the next generation of British business talent about taking a leap, building a company in your early twenties– and what it’s like to launch a venture in the UK today. Is age a barrier to forming a business? Is university degree a waste of time? And is a commitment to hustle culture imperative to making something of your outfit? Read more: The Young Power List 2026 Five successful entrepreneurs share how they made it without a degree PresenterHannah Prevett, associate business editor, Sunday Times Guests:Harry Stebbings, founder, 20VCAmy Knight, founder, Must Have Ideas Producer: Miriam HallExecutive Producer: Kate FordGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
What does the Iran war mean for your business?
28:19|With stock prices and energy costs reeling as the fragile Middle East ceasefire threatens to shatter, we ask what happens next for global business? And what has the conflict taught us about long-term weaknesses in the British economy?Presenters:Hannah Prevett, associate business editor of The Sunday TimesRichard Fletcher, business editor of The Times Guests:Simon French, Chief Economist & Head of Research, Panmure LiberumJorge León, Senior Vice President & Head of Geopolitical Analysis, Rystad EnergyProducer: Hope FedericoProducer: Miriam HallExecutive Producer: Kate FordPhoto credit: GettyGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
New workers' rights - business winner or killer?
30:01|New week, the government’s Employment Rights Act begins to take effect. The legislation, a fulfillment of one of Labour’s biggest manifesto promises, changes sick pay, parental leave and unfair dismissal rights. Plus, future measures will target zero hours contracts. Keir Starmer has described the legislation as the “biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation”. But - coming on top of increases in the National Minimum Wage, higher national insurance contributions and increases in business rates - many business owners are concerned. So, what exactly is coming down the track? And how can businesses get ready? Presenters:Dominic O’Connell, columnist at The Times and business correspondent at Times RadioHannah Prevett, associate business editor of The Sunday TimesGuests:Brian Whiting, WH PubsShevaun Haviland, Director General at The British Chambers of CommerceProducer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Julia JohnsonExecutive Producer: Kate FordPhoto credit: GettyGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
Drill baby drill? The new battle for the North Sea
28:56|As the conflict in the Middle East threatens to whack the world economy with an energy shock - and possibly a huge recession, the debate about the UK’s North Sea has re-ignited. Should we be drilling there to help our energy security in a volatile global market? There’s now a growing chorus of voices, from surprising places, calling on the government to support more North Sea exploration. So, will the government – having banned new licenses as part of net zero drive – now give them the go ahead?Presenters:Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times RadioEmma Powell, media and telecoms editor, The TimesGuests:Tessa Kahn, founder and executive director, Uplift.Chris Wheaton, energy analyst, Stifel. Producer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Julia JohnsonExecutive Producer: Kate FordPhoto credit: GettyGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
Inside the drone war - With CEO of Modini Nick Sharpe
29:59|Drones are transforming war, from Ukraine to the Middle East - some 80 percent of battlefield casualties in Ukraine are now the result of drone strikes. The devices are cheap to manufacture, are transforming military strategy but represent a massive challenge for the British armed forces as they try to modernise. It is also a business challenge. So, which companies are best-placed to make the drones needed? And how do they get through the complexities of tight budgets, ever-changing technology and tough competition?Presenters:Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times RadioHannah Prevett, associate business editor at The Sunday Times Guests:Oliver Gill, Deputy Business Editor at The Sunday TimesNick Sharpe, Chief Executive, ModiniProducer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Julia JohnsonExecutive Producer: Kate FordPhoto credit: GettyGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
The £50m Club: The hard truth about scaling a business
29:16|While the UK is a breeding ground for brilliant ideas, very few start-ups ever reach "supersize" status. So what are the hurdles preventing British companies from joining the £50M+ revenue club? This week we consider a new report from the Scale-up Institute about female-founded businesses which shows that it may not just be about the funding. Presenters:Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday TimesDominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times RadioGuests:Sam Smith, co-founder, Super ScalersHelen Cannon, CEO, Ison TravelProducer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Julia JohnsonExecutive Producer: Kate FordPhoto credit: GettyGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com