Ben Thompson

Fee Band


The former BBC North America and Middle East Business Correspondent covers the markets and talks to the big players for the global service. From politics to skills, automation to diversity, he examines key concerns amongst all sectors.


Biography

Ben Thompson is a BBC business reporter and presenter. He is often seen on BBC Breakfast and previously presented BBC World’s flagship business daily Worklife.

Ben spent three years as BBC’s Middle East Business Correspondent, reporting from over ten countries including Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. After his time in the Middle East, Ben reported from New York and Washington serving as North America Business Correspondent. Prior to working in front of the camera he was a BBC business producer.

Covering everything from the latest stock market and economic news to the breaking business developments around the world, Ben also moves around the country meeting factory and shop workers, CEOs and small business owners. He looks at how politics impacts business, the rise of nationalism and populism in Britain, as well as the disillusionment of Brexit and how businesses feel about the future. He also discusses how journalism is evolving as a result of the trust deficit of recent times. He considers the future of the workplace, the skills that coming generations will need and those that we currently lack to fulfil the needs of new tech startups and multi-national companies. Ben also tackles diversity and inclusion in business, and the importance of getting it right.

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JLA Presents


Event - 30/04/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Understanding AI Now

Speakers
Priya Lakhani, Anne-Marie Imafidon, and Neil Lawrence

Please join us in our JLab studio near Oxford Circus at 08:30am on Tuesday 30th April for our next speaker’s breakfast event. Following our sell-out event for IWD back in February, we will be joined by three fantastic speakers for an exploration of the uses, myths and concerns surrounding AI.

Location

JLA, 14 Berners Street, London

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Event - 06/02/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Looking Ahead to International Women’s Day

Speakers
Samira Ahmed, Eniola Aluko, Julia Gillard, and Alex Mahon

We were joined by four fantastic speakers to look ahead at International Women’s Day. With the theme of this year’s event being #InspireInclusion, we were lucky enough to hear from four women who have each blazed a trail in their respective fields: CEO of Channel 4, Alex Mahon; the former Australian Prime Minister and Chair of Kings’ Global Institute of Women’s Leadership, Julia Gillard; one of the leading voices in football, Eniola Aluko MBE; and broadcaster and journalist, Samira Ahmed.

Location

Bishopsgate Institute, London

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