IMAGE SOURCE Ibec S in ESG Summit 2023. Photographer: Conor McCabe
Sarah O'Connor Speaker

Sarah O'Connor Keynote Speaker

  • Columnist, reporter and associate editor at the Financial Times.
  • Recipient of several awards including a British Press Award and the Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils.
  • Popular speaker on the changing world of work, demography, economics and social policy.

Sarah O'Connor's Biography

Sarah O’Connor is a columnist and associate editor at the Financial Times, where she writes about the changing world of work, demography, economics and social policy.

Sarah studied Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge University and joined the FT in 2007. She was just in time to witness the end of the financial boom and to help document the subsequent collapse of the global economy. She covered the US economy from Washington DC, the UK economy from London and the financial crisis from Iceland.

She has received several awards for her work, including the Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils, the Wincott Award for financial journalism, Business Commentator of the Year at the Comment Awards, Financial/Economic story of the year at the Foreign Press Awards and Business and Finance Journalist of the year at the British Press Awards.

Sarah is a popular speaker on topics including economics, business, demography and the future of work.

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Sarah O'Connor's Speaking Topics

  • The future of work: utopia or dystopia?

  • What artificial intelligence means for our jobs

  • Economic policymaking in an age of insecurity

  • Health, longevity and economic growth

  • The impact on the labour market of the transition to net zero

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Why Book Sarah O'Connor as a speaker?

  • She sets the agenda on the future of work, demography and social policy as a Financial Times columnist and associate editor, translating economic change into clear implications for leaders and organisations.

  • She brings rare, first-hand perspective from reporting across the US, UK and Iceland during the global financial crisis, helping audiences understand how shocks unfold and what resilience looks like in practice.

  • She connects labour markets, ageing societies and productivity challenges into a single strategic narrative, equipping boards to plan for talent, policy and growth in an era of demographic constraint.

  • She is one of Britain’s most decorated business journalists, including the Orwell Prize and Wincott Award, bringing authority and sharp judgment to high-stakes conversations about inequality, economics and reform.

  • She delivers engaging, evidence-led talks that help senior audiences cut through noise, understand the forces reshaping work and welfare, and communicate confidently about the next decade of economic change.

Articles, Media & Podcasts

Books by Sarah O'Connor

We Are Not Machines

Check Sarah O'Connor's speaking fees and availability

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