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

Presenter

• Hannah Prevett, associate business editor, Sunday Times

Guests:

• Harry Stebbings, founder, 20VC
• Amy Knight, founder, Must Have Ideas

Producer: Miriam Hall

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Times
• Richard Fletcher, business editor of The Times

Guests:

• Simon French, Chief Economist & Head of Research, Panmure Liberum
• Jorge León, Senior Vice President & Head of Geopolitical Analysis, Rystad Energy

Producer: Hope Federico

Producer: Miriam Hall

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Radio
• Hannah Prevett, associate business editor of The Sunday Times

Guests:

• Brian Whiting, WH Pubs
• Shevaun Haviland, Director General at The British Chambers of Commerce

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Radio
• Emma Powell, media and telecoms editor, The Times

Guests:

• Tessa Kahn, founder and executive director, Uplift.
• Chris Wheaton, energy analyst, Stifel.

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Radio
• Hannah Prevett, associate business editor at The Sunday Times

Guests:

• Oliver Gill, Deputy Business Editor at The Sunday Times
• Nick Sharpe, Chief Executive, Modini

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Times
• Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times Radio

Guests:

• Sam Smith, co-founder, Super Scalers
• Helen Cannon, CEO, Ison Travel

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The attack on Iran and its consequences have sent shockwaves around the global economy, hitting stock markets, airlines and energy supplies. UK gas prices have nearly doubled and the flow of a fifth of the world’s crude oil supply - which travels through the Strait of Hormuz in tankers - has largely ground to a halt.

As the ripple effect is felt across the world, how harsh will the economic fallout be, will inflation - only just under control - rise? And, with gas and oil stores in Europe limited, might there be a major energy shock ahead?

Presenters:

• Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times Radio
• Hannah Prevett, associate business editor at The Sunday Times

Guest:

• Richard Fletcher, business editor, The Times
• Dr Amrita Sen, Founder and Director of Market Intelligence at Energy Aspects

Read more: Markets complacent over surge in oil price, warns analyst

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

• Marco Amitrano, Senior Partner PwC UK and Middle East
• Lord Gavin Barwell, former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Theresa May

Hosts:

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Dominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business reporter, Times Radio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.