Thomas Friedman wins the inaugural FT and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
THE WORLD IS FLAT
by Thomas Friedman wins Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award
• Three times Pulitzer Prize-winner Thomas Friedman awarded £30,000 prize for his history of globalization and its impact on business in the future
21 November 2005: Thomas Friedman today won the inaugural Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award (www.ft.com/bookaward) for THE WORLD IS FLAT: A Brief History of the Globalized World in the 21st Century published by Penguin/Allen Lane.
The Award was presented by Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, and Lloyd C Blankfein, President and COO, Goldman Sachs, at a Gala Dinner at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London. The keynote speaker was The Rt Hon Gordon Brown, MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Thomas Friedman saw off strong competition to pick up the £30,000 award, which was launched this year to find the book that provided ‘the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues.’ Each of the five runners-up also received a cheque for £5,000.
Lionel Barber, editor, Financial Times said: ‘We’ve had a wonderful set of entries for this prestigious prize. Thomas Friedman is a worthy winner. His book is compelling, hugely enjoyable and relevant to the most pressing issue on the minds of politicians and business people around the world.’
Lloyd C Blankfein, President and Chief Operating Officer, Goldman Sachs, said:
‘Thomas Friedman has identified the most important economic and political theme of the early 21st century and has provided us with the vocabulary for debating its merits and challenges.’
Speaking from Washington DC, Thomas Friedman commented:
‘I’m absolutely thrilled and honoured to be the first recipient of the Financial Times-Goldman Sachs business book award. I’m thrilled and honoured because these are two such classy organizations, who take business and business reporting seriously. I’m thrilled and honoured because the judges who made this award are such an esteemed group. And I’m thrilled and honoured because I think this Financial Times -Goldman Sachs award for business-financial writing is going to become a much sought-after prize, as more and more writers and publishers get to know about it in coming years. I’m sorry that my crazy travel schedule - I’ve been between Beijing andJerusalem in the past few weeks - did not allow me to be in London.’
The judging panel for the 2005 Award was:
Lloyd C Blankfein, President and COO, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc
John Gapper, Chief Business Commentator and Associate Editor, Financial Times
Jeffrey Garten, Juan Trippe Professor ofInternational Trade,Finance and Business, Yale School of Management
Lionel Barber, Editor, Financial Times
Rachel Lomax, Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy, Bank of England
N R Narayana Murthy, Chairman and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies
Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive, WPP
For further information about the Award, please contact:
Ben Tisdall Tel 0207 590 0803/ 07855 9426845 ben@midaspr.co.uk
Margot Weale Tel 0207 590 0804/ 07759 054 727 margot@midaspr.co.uk
Photographs of The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, the judging panel and the award ceremony are available on request.
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London/New York, 20 September 2005: The shortlist for the inaugural Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award (www.ft.com/bookaward) was announced today by Andrew Gowers, editor of the Financial Times at a breakfast reception in London.
The shortlist is:
John Battelle THE SEARCH: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture. Nicholas Brealey (UK) Portfolio (US)
Thomas Friedman THE WORLD IS FLAT: A Brief History of the Globalized World in the 21st Century. Allen Lane (UK) Farrar, Straus and Giroux (US)
Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner FREAKONOMICS: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. Allen Lane (UK) William Morrow (US)
Constantinos C Markides and Paul A Geroski FAST SECOND: How Smart Companies Bypass Radical Innovation to Enter and Dominate New Markets. Jossey Bass (UK) Wiley (US)
Pietra Rivoli THE TRAVELS OF A T-SHIRT IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power and Politics of World Trade. Wiley
James B. Stewart DISNEYWAR: The Battle for the Magic Kingdom Simon & Schuster
The judges met in New York to decide on the six books which, in their opinion, provided ‘the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues.’
Andrew Gowers, Editor of the Financial Times, commented:
“The Award aims to provide a definitive guide to what’s worth reading amongst the deluge of business books published each year. I think my fellow judges will agree that it has provoked a fascinating debate so far. It proved challenging to identify business books which met the criteria of being both compelling and enjoyable, but we believe we have identified six very strong contenders for the top prize.”
Lloyd C. Blankfein, President and Chief Operating Officer, Goldman Sachs, said:
“We received a dauntingly large number of impressive books and reading them defined the summer for me. Choosing the finalists and, ultimately, deciding which book should be declared the winner require the judges to exercise the wisdom of Solomon.”
The judging panel for the 2005 Award is:
Lloyd C. Blankfein, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc
John Gapper, Chief Business Commentator and Associate Editor, Financial Times
Jeffrey Garten, Juan Trippe Professor of International Trade,Finance and Business, Yale School of Management
Andrew Gowers, Editor, Financial Times
Rachel Lomax, Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy, Bank of England
N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman and Chief mentor, Infosys Technologies
Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive, WPP
The shortlisted authors will each receive £5,000, and the winning author will receive £30,000. The overall winner will be announced at a gala event at The Saatchi Gallery in London on 21st November.
For further information about the Award, please contact:
UK: Ben Tisdall Tel 020 7590 0803/ 07855 942 685 ben@midaspr.co.uk
UK: Margot Weale Tel 020 7590 0804/ 07759 054 727 margot@midaspr.co.uk
US: Barbara Cave Henricks Tel 512 301 8936 bhenricks@goldbergmcduffie.com
Photographs of the judging and the shortlist announcement are available
on request.
The Financial Times and Goldman Sachs
Business Book of the Year Award
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Press Release 2 August 2005: The shortlist for the inaugural Financial Times Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award (www.ft.com/bookaward) will be announced on Tuesday 20th September 2005 at a breakfast reception at the London office of the Financial Times.
The new Award will highlight the business book that, in the opinion of the judges, provides the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues.
The Award – the only major international prize for business books – has attracted entries from across the publishing spectrum including recent works on management strategy, globalisation, economics, financial scandal and corporate governance.
Andrew Hill, Financial Editor of the Financial Times and a member of the management panel for the Award, said: “The aim of this unique prize is to give those with an interest in business an annual guide to unmissable business books. Amid the huge number of business books published around the world every year, a small number stand out for their originality of thought, quality of writing and accessibility of content. Particular emphasis will be placed on the book’s global resonance, its longevity in terms of its philosophy, whether it effectively sets the context for its ideas, as well as whether it is an enjoyable and educational reading experience. These are the books that quickly become a must-read for anyone who’s serious about business.”
The winning author will receive £30,000, and the shortlisted authors will each receive £5,000.
The judging panel comprises:
Lloyd C. Blankfein, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc
John Gapper, Chief Business Commentator and Associate Editor, Financial Times
Jeffrey Garten, Juan Trippe Professor ofInternational Trade,Finance and Business, Yale School of Management
Andrew Gowers, Editor, Financial Times
Rachel Lomax, Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy, Bank of England
N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman and Chief mentor, Infosys Technologies
Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive, WPP
The judges will meet in New York in September to decide on the shortlist. The overall winner will be announced at a gala event in London on 21st November.
Ends.
For further information about the Award, please contact:
Ben Tisdall Tel 00 44 207 590 0803 ben@midaspr.co.uk
Margot Weale Tel 00 44 207 590 0804 margot@midaspr.co.uk
Notes to Editors
1. The Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award is open to business books first published in the English language, or in translation, between 31st October 2004 and 1st November 2005.
2. A shortlist of up to six titles will be announced on 20th September and the overall winner will be announced on 21st November 2005.
3. Andrew Hill, Financial Editor of the Financial Times and administrator of the Award is available for comment.
4. The Financial Times Group, one of the world’s leading business information companies, provides a broad range of business information and services to a growing audience of internationally minded business people. It includes the Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business newspapers, FT.com and a pan-European network of national business newspapers and online services including Les Echos and FT Deutschland, FT Interactive Data, Investors Chronicle, The Banker, MoneyManagement and Financial Adviser. It also has a number of joint ventures including FTSE International with the London Stock Exchange. For further information about the Financial Times contact: Katy Hemmings tel: 00 44 207 010 2307 email: katy.hemmings@pearson.com
5. Goldman Sachs is a global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. It provides a wide range of services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, institutional investors, governments, non-profit organizations and individuals. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs has long sustained a commitment to hiring and training outstanding leaders. The business principles are rooted in integrity, a commitment to excellence, innovation and teamwork. These values enable the firm to execute successfully a business strategy that is focused on extraordinary client service and superior long-term financial performance for its shareholders. For further information about Goldman Sachs contact: Simon Eaton: tel 00 44 207 774 4102 email: simon.eaton@gs.com
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Press Release 8th April 2005: The Financial Times and Goldman Sachs are to launch the inaugural Business Book of the Year Award on Monday 11th April 2005.
The Award is designed to highlight the business book that provides the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues, including management, finance and economics. Entries will be invited from publishers of business books in the English language, that are first published between 31st October 2004 and 1st November 2005. The deadline for entries is 30th June 2005 and the entry form is available online (www.ft.com/bookaward).
The judging panel will select up to six runners up and one overall winner, who will be announced at a special ceremony in London in November 2005. The panel comprises:
· Lloyd C. Blankfein, president and chief operating officer, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc
· John Gapper, chief business commentator and associate editor, Financial Times
· Jeffrey Garten, Juan Trippe Professor ofInternational Trade,Finance and Business, Yale School of Management
· Andrew Gowers, editor, Financial Times
· Rachel Lomax, deputy governor for monetary policy, Bank of England
· N.R. Narayana Murthy, chairman and chief mentor, Infosys Technologies
· Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive, WPP
The winner will be awarded £30,000, and each of the other shortlisted authors will receive £5,000.
Andrew Gowers, editor of the Financial Times, said: “Amid the huge number of business books published around the world every year, a small number stand out for their originality of thought, quality of writing and accessibility of content. These are the books that quickly become a must-read for anyone who’s serious about business. The aim of this unique prize is to help our readers sort these grains of wheat from the chaff.”
Lloyd C. Blankfein, president and chief operating officer, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, said: “The number of business books being written has grown dramatically as an increasing number of people take a real interest in business, finance and markets. It’s important to highlight excellence in this field and we are delighted to be directly involved.”
A briefing will be held for publishers in London on Wednesday 27th April, from 10am-12pm, at the Financial Times, Number One Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HL. A briefing will also be held for publishers in New York on Wednesday 11th May.
Ends.
For further information or to attend the London or New York briefings,
please contact:
Joanna Manning-Cooper, Financial Times, +44 207 873 4447
Joanna.manning-cooper@ft.com
Katy Hemmings, Financial Times, +44 207 873 3811
katy.hemmings@ft.com
Peter Rose, Goldman Sachs, +1 212 902 3144
peter.rose@gs.com
Notes to Editors
Entry Forms and copies of the Conditions of Entry are available from www.ft.com/bookaward. This new annual Award aims to identify the book that provides the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues, including management, finance and economics. A shortlist of up to 6 titles will be announced in early autumn, and the winner will be announced at a gala event in London in November 2005. Submissions are invited from publishers or bona fide imprints based in any country.
Eligibility
Books must be published for the first time in the English language, or in English translation, between 31st October 2004 and 1st November 2005. There is no limit to the number of submissions from each publisher/imprint, provided they fit the criteria, and books from all genres are eligible. There are no restrictions of gender, age or nationality of authors. Authors who are current employees of the Financial Times or Goldman Sachs, or the close relatives of such employees, are not eligible.
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