The Financial Times today announces the launch of the 2014 Business Book of the Year Award, the tenth year of the acclaimed prize, in a new partnership with McKinsey & Company. For the first time, an additional award, the Bracken Bower Prize, will be given to a promising young writer with the best proposal for a book about an emerging business theme.
The Business Book of the Year Award – recognised as the leading business book award – highlights ground-breaking books which explore important business and economic issues. The Award is given to the book that the judges agree provides the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues, including management, finance and economics. The winner will receive an award of £30,000, and shortlisted authors will receive £10,000 each.
The judging panel for the Business Book of the Year Award includes:
- Lionel Barber, Editor, Financial Times
- Steve Coll, Dean,School of Journalism, Columbia University
- Steven Denning, Chairman, General Atlantic LLC
- Mohamed El-Erian, Member, Allianz International Executive Board, and Chief Economic Advisor to its Management Board, Chairman of President Obama’s Global Development Council
- Herminia Ibarra, Cora Chaired Professor of Leadership and Learning and Professor of Organizational Behavior, INSEAD
- Rik Kirkland, Partner and Director of Publishing, McKinsey & Company
- Shriti Vadera, Director, Shriti Vadera Ltd, Non-Executive Director, BHP Billiton and AstraZeneca
Named after Brendan Bracken, chairman of the FT from 1945 to 1958, and Marvin Bower, managing director of McKinsey from 1950 to 1967, the Bracken Bower Prize honours their legacy but also opens a new chapter by encouraging young writers and researchers to identify and analyse the business trends of the future. The winner of the inaugural award will receive £15,000 and their proposal will be published on FT.com.
The judging panel for the Bracken Bower Prize includes:
- Vindi Banga, partner, Clayton Dubilier & Rice
- Lynda Gratton, professor, London Business School
- Jorma Ollila, chairman, Royal Dutch Shell and Outokumpu
- Dame Gail Rebuck, chair, Penguin Random House,UK
Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director of McKinsey & Company, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with the Financial Times to help stimulate and celebrate excellent business writing. I’m also very proud of the launch of the new Bracken Bower Prize, aimed at encouraging the next generation to join the conversation on the challenges and opportunities of growth globally.”
FT editor Lionel Barber commented: “We are delighted to partner with McKinsey & Company for the tenth anniversary of our Business Book of the Year Award and the launch of our new prize for aspiring young writers. This year has seen a promising start for business book writing and I look forward to discussing the best of these authors with our esteemed panel of judges.”
A shortlist for the Business Book of the Year Award will be announced in New York on 24 September, and the winners of both prizes will be announced at an award dinner in London on 11 November 2014.
Previous winners of the book award include: The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone (2013), Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power by Steve Coll (2012), Poor Economics by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo (2011), Fault Lines by Raghuram Rajan (2010), Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed (2009), When Markets Collide by Mohamed El-Erian (2008), The Last Tycoons by William Cohan (2007), China Shakes The World by James Kynge (2006) and The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman (2005).
For more information including eligibility and rules on the Business Book of the Year Award and Bracken Bower Prize, please visit ft.com/bookaward or ft.com/brackenbower and join the conversation at #BBYA14.
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For further information please contact:
Ryann Gastwirth
Financial Times
T: +1 917 551 5094
E: ryann.gastwirth@ft.com
Yolande Daeninck
McKinsey & Company
T: +1 212 415 5132
E: yolande_daeninck@mckinsey.com
Steven Williams
Midas Public Relations
T: +44 (0)20 7361 7872
E: steven.williams@midaspr.co.uk
About the Financial Times:
The Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business news organisations, is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. Providing essential news, comment, data and analysis for the global business community, the FT has a combined paid print and digital circulation of 665,000 (Deloitte assured, Q1, 2014). Mobile is an increasingly important channel for the FT, driving 60 per cent of subscriber consumption, 45 per cent of total traffic and 20 per cent of new digital subscriptions. FT education products now serve 37 of the world’s top 50 business schools.
About McKinsey & Company:
McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm, deeply committed to helping institutions in the private, public and social sectors achieve lasting success. For over eight decades, our primary objective has been to serve as our clients’ most trusted external advisor. With consultants in more than 100 offices in 60 countries, across industries and functions, we bring unparalleled expertise to clients anywhere in the world. We work closely with teams at all levels of an organization to shape winning strategies, mobilize for change, build capabilities and drive successful execution.