Ed Conway is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster known for making complicated economic issues easier to understand. As Economics and Data Editor at Sky News, he covers major developments affecting the UK and international economies, from financial markets and government policy to trade and industry. Alongside his broadcasting work, he writes newspaper columns and books that explore the forces shaping modern life. His award-winning journalism and books, particularly Material World and Trade World, reflect a consistent interest in how economic systems influence ordinary people.
Quick Answer: Who Is Ed Conway?
Ed Conway is a British journalist, broadcaster and author who serves as Economics and Data Editor at Sky News. He also writes columns for The Times and The Sunday Times. He is known for explaining complex economic issues and for writing books including Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future and Trade World: The Ties That Bound Our Past and Could Unravel Our Future. He studied at Pembroke College, Oxford, and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Ed Conway |
| Profession | Journalist, writer and broadcaster |
| Current role | Economics and Data Editor |
| Broadcaster | Sky News |
| Newspaper work | The Times and The Sunday Times |
| Economics coverage | Since 2003 |
| Education | Pembroke College, Oxford; Harvard Kennedy School |
| Known for | Economic journalism, data analysis and books about economics and trade |
| Notable books | Material World and Trade World |
How Ed Conway Built His Journalism Career
Conway has built a career around explaining economic developments and their consequences. His coverage of economics began in 2003, giving him experience of several major changes in the financial world, including the banking and financial crisis.
Before joining Sky News, he worked as economics correspondent at the Daily Mail. He later became economics editor of The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph, where he also wrote a weekly opinion column.
These newspaper roles gave him experience in both reporting economic news and interpreting its wider significance. Economic journalism requires more than explaining figures: it involves examining decisions made by governments, businesses and financial institutions, then establishing how those decisions may affect employment, household finances and public services.
Conway’s career has combined these responsibilities with an ability to communicate detailed information to a broad audience. His subsequent work across television and books has extended that approach beyond traditional newspaper reporting.
His Role at Sky News
Conway serves as Economics and Data Editor at Sky News, covering major UK and international stories involving economics, business and politics. His reporting includes developments in banking and finance, economic forecasts, trade policy and the effects of government decisions on businesses and households.
The data element of his role is particularly important. Economic arguments frequently involve large figures, statistical forecasts and competing interpretations of the same information. Explaining what those numbers mean, what they leave out and how they relate to everyday experience helps viewers understand issues that might otherwise appear abstract.
His work has also included exclusive reporting on the banking and financial crisis. More recently, his investigations have demonstrated how economic journalism can move beyond analysis to uncover information with practical consequences for public policy.
Conway also writes as a columnist for The Times and The Sunday Times. His work therefore reaches audiences through several formats, combining immediate television reporting with more extended written explanations.
From Economic Reporting to Books
Conway’s books show how his interest in economics extends beyond daily news coverage.
His early publications include 50 Economics Ideas You Really Need to Know, published in 2009. The book introduces fundamental economic concepts in an accessible format, making it useful to readers who want to understand the principles behind economic decisions.
In 2014, he published The Summit: The Biggest Battle of the Second World War – Fought Behind Closed Doors. The book examines the Bretton Woods conference and the negotiations that helped shape the international monetary system after the Second World War.
The subject connects economic history with political decision-making. The financial arrangements established during and after the war influenced international monetary cooperation and the framework within which countries managed their economies.
These books illustrate a recurring feature of Conway’s writing: placing complicated economic ideas in a broader historical context rather than treating them as isolated events.
Why Material World Became a Major Publication
Published in 2023, Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future brought Conway’s reporting to a subject that is often overlooked in discussions about modern technology and economic progress: the physical materials on which civilisation depends.
The book explores six materials — sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium — and examines their importance to industry, infrastructure, energy and technology. Although many aspects of modern life appear increasingly digital, the devices, transport systems and buildings people rely on still depend on extracting, processing and moving physical resources.
Conway uses these materials to connect scientific processes with economics, international relations and environmental pressures. The approach also highlights the vulnerabilities created when countries depend on particular resources or supply chains.
Material World became a Sunday Times bestseller and received significant literary recognition. It was shortlisted for the 2024 British Academy Book Prize, which honours non-fiction making a substantial contribution to public understanding of world cultures and their interactions.
The book strengthened Conway’s profile beyond broadcasting, establishing him as an author able to connect specialist reporting with wider questions about how the modern world functions.
Trade World: His Latest Book
Conway continued this interest in global connections with Trade World: The Ties That Bound Our Past and Could Unravel Our Future, published in the UK on 3 September 2026.
The book examines the history and changing nature of international trade. Rather than approaching the subject only through economic statistics or diplomatic agreements, Conway uses three familiar products — bread, cloth and cars — to explore the networks linking production, transport, workers, businesses and consumers.
The approach helps illustrate how goods move through systems that can stretch across continents. A product bought in one country may depend on raw materials, components, manufacturing and logistics spread across several others.
Trade World also considers the pressures facing globalisation, including growing restrictions on trade, political intervention and changing geopolitical relationships. These issues matter to businesses and consumers because shifts in trade policy can influence prices, competition, supply chains and industrial employment.
The book extends the themes of Material World: both encourage readers to look beneath everyday products and consider the complex systems required to make them available.
Awards and Professional Recognition
Conway’s journalism has received recognition from established media organisations. He was named Business Journalist of the Year at the London Press Club Awards in 2024, following investigations into sanctions loopholes that were being used by companies to support Russia’s war effort.
In 2026, he won the Business and Finance Journalist of the Year award at The Press Awards. The judges highlighted his coverage of complicated trade-policy decisions and investigations involving imports and British industry. His reporting on a customs loophole affecting inexpensive Chinese goods and on the future of Britain’s steel industry featured among the work recognised.
His professional recognition also includes the Wincott Foundation Journalist of the Year Award. Meanwhile, the shortlist placement for Material World at the 2024 British Academy Book Prize marked an important achievement in his work as an author.
These distinctions recognise different aspects of his career: investigative reporting, explanation of economic policy and the communication of complex ideas to wider audiences.
Education and Academic Interests
Conway studied at Pembroke College, Oxford, and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. His published biography also identifies him as a Fulbright scholar and a Shorenstein Scholar.
His professional interests extend beyond journalism. He is a governor of the National Institute for Economic and Social Research and has lectured on the international monetary system at the London School of Economics and the US Treasury.
These connections reflect the overlap between his reporting and academic interests. Economic journalism often requires an understanding of institutions, policy frameworks and historical developments, particularly when examining how decisions in one country can influence markets and industries elsewhere.
His public professional biographies do not provide a reliably confirmed date of birth or detailed information about his family life. It is therefore more appropriate to focus on his documented career than to make assumptions about personal matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ed Conway?
Ed Conway is a journalist, broadcaster and author who works as Economics and Data Editor at Sky News. He is known for reporting on economic policy, finance, business and international trade.
Which news organisation does Ed Conway work for?
He works for Sky News and also writes columns for The Times and The Sunday Times.
Where did Ed Conway study?
His professional biography lists Pembroke College, Oxford, and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He was also a Fulbright scholar and a Shorenstein Scholar.
What is Ed Conway’s most recent book?
His latest UK book is Trade World: The Ties That Bound Our Past and Could Unravel Our Future, published on 3 September 2026. It explores the history and future of international trade through everyday products.
What is Material World by Ed Conway about?
Material World examines sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium, explaining how these resources underpin modern civilisation and influence economic, technological and environmental challenges.
Has Ed Conway won journalism awards?
Yes. He won Business Journalist of the Year at the 2024 London Press Club Awards and Business and Finance Journalist of the Year at The Press Awards in 2026.
Conclusion
Ed Conway’s career brings together television journalism, newspaper commentary and accessible non-fiction. From reporting financial developments at Sky News to examining the resources and trading networks behind everyday products, his work helps explain the connections between economics and daily life. His reporting and books offer readers of BritInsight a useful perspective on the institutions, materials and decisions that shape the modern world.
