Shortlist revealed for FT and McKinsey Business Book of the Year

The shortlist has been revealed for the £30,000 Financial Times and McKinsey & Company Business Book of the Year Award, including nominations for Patrick Radden Keefe and Michael E Mann.

Now in its 17th year, the award recognises a work which provides the “most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues”.

Keefe was chosen for Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty (Picador) while Mann joied the shortlist for The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet (Scribe).

Also on the list are The World for Sale: Money, Power and the Traders Who Barter the Earth's Resources by Javier Blas and Jack Farchy (Random House Business), The Conversation: How Talking Honestly About Racism Can Transform Individuals and Organizations by Robert Livingston (Penguin Business), This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race by Nicole Perlroth (Bloomsbury) and The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World by Adrian Wooldridge (Allen Lane).

Roula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, said: “We had a fabulous longlist of compelling, deeply researched books to choose from this year. Many thanks to the judges for taking the time to read them and engaging in the debate that produced this excellent shortlist. It tackles many of the pressing issues facing business today, including climate change, cyber security, and racial discrimination.”

Virginia Simmons, managing partner at McKinsey & Company, added: “While the continuing impact of the pandemic is reflected in the books that made the list, the breadth and richness of topics here underscores the forward-looking value of this annual book award.  These authors provide compelling and engaging insights into modern business, climate change conversations and our sustainable and inclusive future, setting up a compelling shortlist for the jury to then select a winner, by year-end.”

The winner will be announced on 1st December at an event co-hosted by Khalaf and McKinsey managing partner Magnus Tyreman. The winner will receive £30,000 and the author of each of the remaining shortlisted books will get £10,000.