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The Provost in Conversation with Sathnam Sanghera

Provost Paul Johnson will be joined by the bestselling author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera.

Sathnam Sanghera was born to Punjabi parents in the West Midlands in 1976. He entered the education system unable to speak English but, after attending Wolverhampton Grammar School, graduated from Christ’s College, Cambridge with a first class degree in English Language and Literature. The writing career that followed has seen him produce award-winning newspaper columns and features, a critically-acclaimed memoir and novel, and best-selling works of history, for both adults and children.

He has been shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards twice, for his memoir The Boy With The Topknot and his novel Marriage Material, the former being adapted by BBC Drama in 2017 and named Mind Book of the Year in 2009. His third book, Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain became an instant Sunday Times bestseller on release in 2021, was named a Book of the Year at the 2022 British Books Awards, and resulted in Empire State of Mind, the acclaimed two-part documentary for Channel 4 for which he earned a Best Presenter shortlisting at the 2022 Grierson Awards.

The book inspired a sequel, Empireworld: How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe, which became an instant Sunday Times bestseller on release in 2024, and Stolen History: The Truth about the British Empire and How it Shaped Us, which went to No 1 on several children’s books charts when it was released in 2023 and was shortlisted for a British Book Award and Children’s Book of the Year by Foyles. Empireland was also named Non-Fiction Book of the Year in Eastern Eye’s 2022 Arts, Culture and Theatre Awards (ACTAs), longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize and shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje and Parliamentary Book Awards. It was named History Book of the Year by The Independent (“10/10”) and one of the Books of the Year by The Financial Times, The Times, The New Statesman, The Observer, The Daily Express, The Sunday Express and The Week.

Sathnam’s work has been recognised with the awarding of numerous prizes, including Young Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards in 2002, Media Commentator of the year in the 2015 Comment Awards and the Edgar Wallace Trophy for Writing of the Highest Quality at the 2017 London Press Club Awards. Sathnam was bestowed with an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters for services to journalism by The University of Wolverhampton in September 2009,  received an honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University in 2023 in recognition of his “distinguished contribution to the social sciences” through his “writing on race, identity and shared British history”, and was given a President’s Medal by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2010. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2016, and elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in recognition of his contribution to historical scholarship in 2023.

The Provost in Conversation with Baroness Sharon White

Provost Paul Johnson will be joined by Baroness Sharon White who is Chair of Frontier Economics and Head of Global for La Caisse (Canada’s second largest pensions fund). Her career has spanned the private and public sectors. She was Chair of the John Lewis Partnership through Covid (2020 to 2024). Previous to that she was Chief Executive of Ofcom, the media, telecoms and postal regulator.

The major part of her career was spent in the civil service where she did a variety of roles in the UK and internationally, and was second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury for the public finances. She received a Damehood for public service in 2019 and sits as a cross bench member of the House of Lords. 

The Provost in Conversation with Rain Newton-Smith

Provost Paul Johnson will be joined by Rain Newton-Smith who is the CBI’s Chief Executive. Before taking up the role, she was Managing Director, Strategy and Policy, Sustainability and ESG at Barclays.

From August 2014 until March 2023, Rain was Chief Economist at the CBI where she led its economic policy, analysis and survey teams and the CBI’s work with HM Treasury. She also led the international team, focused on global business leadership around the B7 and B20, and championed the CBI’s work to support the transition to a low carbon, sustainable economy. Rain was instrumental in shaping the CBI’s work to help business navigate through the Covid pandemic.

Prior to joining the economics team at the CBI, Rain was Head of Emerging Markets at Oxford Economics, where she was the lead expert on China.

Rain’s earlier career included nine years at the Bank of England, where her responsibilities included preparing global forecasts for the Monetary Policy Committee. During her time at the Bank, Rain was seconded to the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC.

Rain holds an MSc in Economics from LSE and studied Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University, and is now a Policy Fellow with the Department of Economics at the University. In 2012, Rain was honoured by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. 

The Provost in Conversation with Ed Balls

Provost Paul Johnson will be joined by broadcaster, writer, and economist Ed Balls.

A regular co-host on ITV’s flagship breakfast show, Good Morning Britain, Ed also presents an award-winning weekly podcast, Political Currency, with former Chancellor George Osborne and has presented a number of documentaries for the BBC. He is Professor of Political Economy at King’s College, London, a Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

He is a former member of Parliament, Shadow Chancellor, Cabinet Minister and Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury.

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