Public debate in the UK has never stood still. Parliament and traditional media remain central to how ideas are tested, scrutinised and understood, but influence now sits across a far wider landscape – from digital platforms and social media newsrooms to campaigning organisations and new voices shaping the conversation in real time.
The Pagefield Awards 2026 will recognise those shaping political discourse, influencing public understanding and driving meaningful change across three broad areas: politics, media and social media content.
In a year defined by stubborn economic uncertainty, fragile growth, technological disruption and continuing questions about Britain’s place in the global economy, business and economic journalism has once again played an essential role in helping audiences understand the forces shaping their lives.
The best journalists in this field do far more than report the numbers. They explain what sits behind them. They interrogate the decisions being made in boardrooms, Whitehall and the Bank of England. They challenge business leaders, test assumptions and translate complex economic shifts into stories that matter to households, companies, investors and policymakers alike.
This year’s shortlist for the Pagefield Award for Most Influential Business or Economic Journalist of the Year reflects the breadth of that work, from agenda-setting interviews with some of the country’s most prominent chief executives, to deeply informed economic commentary, and data-led reporting that reaches audiences across broadcast, print and digital platforms.
This year’s nominees are:
BBC’s Big Boss Interview: Sean Farrington, Felicity Hannah, Henry Jones, Olie D’Albertanson and Will Bain
The BBC’s Big Boss Interview has become a distinctive platform for direct, revealing conversations with some of the most prominent figures in business.
Brought to audiences by Sean Farrington, Felicity Hannah, Henry Jones, Olie D’Albertanson and Will Bain, the series has delivered a stream of sharp, newsworthy and often lightning-rod interviews with leading chief executives and entrepreneurs. Its strength lies in its ability to move beyond the polished corporate line and draw out the decisions, pressures and contradictions behind major businesses.
A standout example came in the interview with Waterstones CEO James Daunt, whose comments on AI-generated books sparked wider debate about the future of publishing, authorship and consumer choice. His position – that Waterstones would stock AI-created books if they were clearly labelled and customers wanted them, while also expressing instinctive scepticism – showed the value of business interviews that open up wider cultural and commercial questions.
In a crowded media environment, Big Boss Interview has helped make business leadership more accessible, more accountable and more relevant to a mainstream audience.
Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times
Few economic journalists command the influence, authority and respect of Martin Wolf.
As Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, Wolf’s work continues to shape thinking not only among FT readers, but across the upper reaches of Whitehall, central banking, business and international policy circles. His columns are often prescient, always intellectually serious and consistently rooted in a deep understanding of the political and economic forces shaping the world.
At a time when governments are grappling with low growth, fiscal constraint, geopolitical instability and the future of democratic capitalism, Wolf’s analysis provides clarity without simplification. He brings historical perspective, global context and moral seriousness to questions that can too often be reduced to short-term political argument.
His influence lies not simply in the size of his readership, but in who reads him and how seriously his arguments are taken by those making decisions.
Ed Conway, Economics and Data Editor, Sky News
Ed Conway has established himself as one of the UK’s most recognisable and trusted interpreters of economic and business stories.
As Economics and Data Editor at Sky News, and a regular economics columnist for The Times, Conway combines the reach of broadcast journalism with the depth and permanence of print analysis. That dual platform gives his work significant influence across public, political and business audiences.
His great strength is making complex economic and data-led stories intelligible without stripping them of substance. Whether explaining inflation, energy markets, supply chains, productivity, public finances or the industrial shifts reshaping the economy, Conway has a rare ability to connect technical detail to the real-world consequences for businesses, policymakers and the public.
His work is widely accessible, but it is also closely followed by those in positions of influence – a combination that makes him one of the most important economic communicators working in UK journalism today.
The winner will be announced as part of the Pagefield Awards 2026 on 15th June.
