The Business

Chris Wheaton, energy analyst with 20+ years in oil and gas, and Tessa Khan, environmental lawyer and campaigner, debate the North Sea’s future. They tackle renewed calls for drilling, how licences and taxes shape investment, and whether UK production can shield consumers from global shocks. Expect sharp clashes on climate limits, jobs, and who truly benefits.

Oliver Gill, defence and aerospace reporter at The Sunday Times, explains industry shifts and testing challenges. Nick Sharpe, ex-Army and CEO of Modini, outlines rapid drone design, interceptors and export hurdles. They discuss cheap kamikaze drones, countermeasures, autonomy risks and how SMEs are reshaping procurement and manufacturing in modern warfare.

Helen Cannon, founder and CEO of Ice&Travel who scaled her corporate travel company to tens of millions, and Sam Smith, co-founder of Super Scalers supporting underrepresented founders to reach £50m+, discuss routes to super scale. They cover definitions of scale-up, why passing £1m is pivotal, bootstrapping versus outside capital, recruiting the right team, international expansion and missing long-term UK capital.

Dr Amrita Sen, energy analyst focused on oil, LNG and shipping, and Richard Fletcher, business editor covering market reactions, discuss the Strait of Hormuz, tanker standstills and insurance pulls. They cover halted production, delayed restarts and why inventories may be masking price moves. They also examine Europe's LNG vulnerability, airline fuel pain and possible broader economic fallout.

Lord Gavin Barwell, former Chief of Staff to Theresa May, offers swift political analysis. Marco Amitrano, PwC senior partner, brings business resilience and geopolitics expertise. They discuss balancing UK ties with US and China. They explore China’s tech rise, UK strengths in AI and bioscience, tariffs as political tools, shorter planning horizons, and defence and investment opportunities.

James Palles-Dimmock, CEO of Quantum Motion and leader in semiconductor-based qubit development from Oxford/UCL roots. He discusses what quantum computers do, early use-cases in materials, chemistry and finance. He explains their silicon-transistor approach, scaling with semiconductor processes, UK-US collaborations and the ambition to build a major UK tech company.

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:Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times RadioHannah Prevett, associate business editor at The Sunday Times Guest:Luis Gallego, CEO of International Airlines GroupProducer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Julia JohnsonExecutive Producer: Kate FordPhoto credit: GettyGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jordan Schwarzenberger, co-founder and CEO of Arcade who helped turn the Sidemen into a multi-venture powerhouse. He discusses the creator mindset, building owned businesses from content, scaling a production team while keeping authenticity, and practical steps for companies and founders to think like creators.

Greg Jackson, co-founder and CEO of Octopus Energy and builder of Kraken enterprise software. He recalls early coding, the pivot from games to software-led energy, and why Kraken untangles legacy ‘spaghetti stacks’. He discusses using software to scale a retailer, crisis-driven acquisitions, and plans to spin out and possibly list Kraken.

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:Modupe Omitola, journalist at The Times. Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times RadioGuests:Ann Francke, Chief Executive, Chartered Management Institute and Times contributorMurvah Iqbal, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Hived Producer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Julia JohnsonExecutive Producer: Kate FordPhoto credit: GettyGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.