

Big Boss Interview
BBC News
Big Boss Interview is where the most high-profile chief executives and entrepreneurs come to give you their insights and experiences of running the world's biggest and well-known businesses. The series is presented by Sean Farrington, Felicity Hannah and Will Bain, who you'd normally hear presenting the business news on BBC Radio 4's Today programme as well as BBC 5 Live's Wake Up To Money. Each week they'll be finding out just what it takes to run a huge organisation and what the day to day challenges and opportunities are. You can get in contact with the team by emailing bigboss@bbc.co.uk
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 13, 2025 • 49min
US inflation holds steady in July despite import tariffs
US inflation held steady in July despite import tariffs, bolstering bets that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates next month.
After the partial dollarisation of the economy in Cuba, the country’s peso is trading at an all-time low of 400 to 1 dollar on the informal market.And horror films are at a record high in shares of the US box office. Weapons took $42.5m in its opening weekend in US movie theatres, and Sinners has become the highest-grossing original movie of the 2020s.Throughout the programme, Roger Hearing will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world – Andy Uhler is an Energy Journalism Fellow at the University of Texas, US, and Zyma Islam is a journalist for The Daily Star in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Aug 12, 2025 • 49min
Trump extends China tariff deadline
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order extending tariffs on China for another 90 days.
Chip giants Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the US government 15% of Chinese revenues as part of an "unprecedented" deal to secure export licences to China.
And remember that distinctive sound of dialling in via the internet in the early days of connecting? Well. It’s days are numbered….Yahoo has announced that it will discontinue AOL Dial-up Internet on September 30th.Throughout the programme, Rahul Tandon will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world - Jennifer Pak who is China Correspondent for American Public Media, based in Shanghai; and Allie Garfinkle, Senior finance reporter at Fortune who's in the US.

Jul 26, 2025 • 49min
Wall Street ends another week at record highs
It's been a busy few weeks on Wall Street's financial market, as stock valuations are close to record levels. The S&P 500 index has hit a string of all-time peaks this month, while US corporate borrowing costs are nearing their lowest level in decades, and Nvidia became the first company worth $4 trillion.
The United States Treasury has lifted sanctions on several individuals and companies accused of supplying arms to Myanmar's military regime, leading to an outcry by human rights groups.
And with Donald Trump doing diplomacy on the golf course in Scotland—is doing business on the green a good thing?
Throughout the program, Roger Hearing will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world—Gaby Castro-Fontoura, Director, Sunny Sky Solutions, who's in Punta Del Este, Uruguay, and Michael Janda, Business Editor, ABC News Australia, in Sydney.

Jul 25, 2025 • 49min
Trump clashes with US central bank chair over building renovation
President Donald Trump claims further renovation budget overruns, adding pressure on US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates. Roger Hearing hears a reaction from Loretta Mester, the former Cleveland Fed President.
World’s largest fan convention, Comicon 2025 is kicking off in San Diego, which brings over $180 million into the city. And as women’s football has been dominating the sporting agenda this week, both in Africa and Europe, we look at where women’s teams must compete for investment and coverage with the men.
Throughout the program, Roger will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world—Alexander Kaufman, award-winning reporter and the author of the newsletter Field Notes on Substack, who's in New York, and Mehmal Sarfraz, journalist and analyst, normally based in Lahore but currently in California.

Jul 10, 2025 • 49min
Trump plans to hit Brazil with 50% tariffs
The US president, Donald Trump, has made public the tariffs he intends to slap on imports from another group of countries, including Brazil, from the start of August.
The chipmaker Nvidia has become the first company in the world to reach a market value of $4tn on Wednesday. David Harper hears from experts.
And Donald Trump has said the United States is shifting from aid to trade in its relationship with Africa as he welcomed five presidents from the continent to the White House.Throughout the programme, David will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world – Zyma Islam, Senior Reporter at the Daily Star in Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Silicon Valley journalist and author Mike Malone in California in the USA.

Jul 9, 2025 • 49min
Trump pledges a 50% tariff on copper imports
US President Donald Trump has threatened a 50% tariff on copper imports. Sam Fenwick hears how critical the metal is in electric vehicles, military hardware, semiconductors and a wide range of consumer technology. Mass federal job cuts can proceed for now after an update from the US Supreme Court. Plus how WeightWatchers, the weight management business, has emerged from a major debt restructuring. Sam Fenwick will be joined by Jessica Khine, a business development consultant based in Malaysia, and Rema Rahman, White House and Legal Affairs editor at The Hill, in Washington.

Jul 8, 2025 • 49min
President Trump threatens tariffs on 14 countries
Japan and South Korea face 25% US tariffs in August. Donald Trump also sent tariff letters to twelve other countries on Monday with details of the tariffs of up to 40% that they could face.
We hear from the US Consumer Technology Association on what tariffs could mean for stores across America. Also, as the trading day starts in Tokyo and with elections on the horizon, we ask how Japan's government will interpret President Trump's latest tariff threat.And how street art is encouraging thousands of tourists back to a once-deserted village in southern Italy.
Throughout the programme, Sam will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world: Peter Landers, Wall Street Journal Asia Business and Finance Editor in Beijing, and Erin McLaughlin, Senior Economist at the Conference Board in new York.

Jul 2, 2025 • 49min
US vice president saves Trump's ‘big, beautiful’ bill in Senate
After hours of stalemate, Republicans in the US Senate have narrowly passed Donald Trump’s mega-bill on tax and spending, meaning the proposed legislation has cleared one of its key hurdles.
Also, US President Donald Trump has suggested that Doge, the cost-cutting agency Elon Musk helped set up, could be used to hurt the billionaire's companies – as the former allies continue their public dispute over Trump's budget plans.
And it's 25 years since one of the world's first and longest transnational bridges was opened in northern Europe – the Öresund Bridge – but it is facing new challenges.
Throughout the programme, Roger Hearing will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world – Mehmal Sarfraz, the Pakistani journalist and analyst who's in Sunnyvale, California, but usually based in Lahore; and Dante Disparte, Chief Strategy Officer at the financial technology company Circle in Washington.

Jul 1, 2025 • 49min
Record level of concerns hit global supply chains
Global supply chains are in trouble, driven by crises due to tariffs, geopolitical shocks and Middle East instability, according to the latest survey carried out by CIPS Pulse of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply. Roger Hearing hears from Ben Farrell, CIPS CEO.
Also, Italian luxury fashion brand Prada has said it acknowledges the Indian roots of its new footwear line, days after the design sparked a controversy in India.
Why is it that cassava, a major food source across the world, doesn't make more money for one of the biggest producers – Nigeria?
And President Donald Trump blamed AT&T for technical issues in a conference call he has been holding with American faith leaders.
Throughout the programme, Roger Hearing will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world – Peter Morici, economist and professor of business at the University of Maryland, who's in Alexandria, Virginia - and Jennifer Pak, China correspondent at Marketplace, usually based in Shanghai but today she's in Canada.

Jun 21, 2025 • 49min
What is behind the calmness in global markets?
Global markets, including the US, have been quietly calm, although there have been warning signs of looming risks and uncertainty after Donald Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs announcement. What’s behind such market “silence”? Roger Hearing hears from Gillian Tett, the chair of the Editorial Board of the Financial Times and the Provost of Kings College Cambridge, who has been writing about this.
And how are businesses navigating global sourcing and supply chain risks and disruptions? A Global Sourcing Risk Index, produced by Proxima and Oxford Economics, shows how much business leaders still need to do.
Also, a group of economists, backed by the Vatican, are calling for a reshaping of the international financial system to help developing countries that are heavily in debt and struggling to finance important social issues in their countries like healthcare and education.Throughout the programme, Roger Hearing will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world: Tony Nash, CEO and founder of Complete Intelligence, an AI-based financial forecasting firm in Houston; and Nga Pham, a journalist based in Taiwan.


