The Financial Times and McKinsey & Company on Monday released a shortlist for the 2019 Business Book of the Year Award. Six most influential business books, including former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan’s The Third Pillar, were shortlisted by eight judges.

The award recognises and honours the books that provide the “most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues”. The award, which is in its 15th year, also comes with a £30,000 (approximately Rs 26.75 lakh) prize that will be presented in New York, United States, on December 3. Runners-up will get £10,000 (approximately Rs 8.9 lakh).

Along with Rajan’s book, the shortlist also includes activist Caroline Criado Perez’s Invisible Women, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff, David Epstein’s Range, Kochland by Christopher Leonard and The Man Who Solved the Market by Jim Simmons.

Last year, John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood had won the prize.

“This year’s shortlist covers the most important trends in modern capitalism,” said Financial Times Editor Lionel Barber. “The judges praised the range and depth of the books which tackles issues including gender inequity, the data-driven economy, the quant revolution in financial markets and Koch Industries, one of America’s most powerful and most private companies.”

Senior Partner of McKinsey & Company Kate Smaje, who announced the shortlist in London, said the authors had looked into critical challenges, which every business is plagued with.

The judges’ panel, which was chaired by Barber, included Mozilla’s Executive Chairperson Mitchell Baker, Allianz Chief Economic Advisor Mohamed El-Erian, global economist and author Dambisa Moyo, and Shriti Vadera, the chairperson of Santander UK, among others.


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